Mayor Eric Adams, once hailed as a pragmatic voice in New York City politics, has now reportedly ended his reelection campaign after months of plummeting poll numbers, legal troubles, and waning support among voters.
The move, announced Sunday in a video posted on X, effectively reshapes a crowded race that had threatened to splinter opposition to the Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist.
The announcement, set to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way,” was Adams’s final attempt to frame his tenure as one of accomplishment, not scandal. “Whoever follows me at City Hall must continue the work we started: lowering the cost of living, investing in quality of life, and staying laser-focused on reducing crime and disorder,” Adams said, listing initiatives he claimed improved policing, mental health care, homelessness services, and community programs.
But for many New Yorkers, the message rang hollow. Adams’s term was defined less by stability and more by controversy.
He was the first sitting mayor in the city’s history to be indicted while in office, facing charges of bribery and soliciting illegal campaign contributions. Although those charges were later dismissed in a drawn-out process, the ordeal left voters deeply skeptical of his integrity.
Even Adams seemed to acknowledge the growing public distrust, issuing a warning about political extremism and social unrest in his exit remarks. “Our children are being radicalized to hate our city and our country,” he said. “Political anger is turning into political violence. Too often, insidious forces use local government to advance divisive agendas… Beware of those who claim the answer is to destroy the very system we built together over generations; that is not change, that is chaos.”
Yet critics say Adams’s words about unity contrast sharply with his own failed record. His approval ratings sank under the weight of scandals, his inability to rein in housing costs, and his uneven handling of the migrant crisis. “Although this is the end of my reelection campaign, it is not the end of my public service,” he said, pointing back to his four decades in city politics, beginning as an NYPD officer.
Adams’s exit will likely consolidate support against Mamdani, who remains the Democratic frontrunner in the overwhelmingly blue city.
Until now, concerns had centered on a fractured anti-Mamdani vote, with Adams, Andrew Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa all competing for similar blocs of support. Jim Walden, another independent candidate who left the race earlier this month, had urged his rivals to unite behind the strongest challenger.
Trump’s orbit has reportedly eyed the race with interest, with advisers discussing potential roles for Adams and even Sliwa in a future administration to help clear the field for Cuomo.
Trump, however, has denied making any offers. Cuomo, polling in second place, has been cautious, saying only that Walden’s call for unity should be considered.
Mamdani has seized on the jockeying, casting Adams’s exit as more evidence of backroom politics. “New York deserves better than trading in one disgraced, corrupt politician for another,” Mamdani declared, accusing “Trump and his billionaire donors” of trying to manipulate the outcome.
Sliwa, by contrast, signaled he’s staying the course. “Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who can defeat Mamdani,” said campaign spokesperson Daniel Kurzyna. “Our team, our resources, and our funding are unmatched. Most importantly, we have the best solutions to help working people afford to stay in New York City and feel safe.”
For Cuomo, Adams’s withdrawal is an opening. “This decision isn’t an easy one,” Cuomo said, calling it a gesture that put “New Yorkers’ well-being over his own personal ambitions.”
With two months until Election Day, Adams’s departure reduces the field to three: Mamdani, Cuomo, and Sliwa. The outcome now hinges on whether New Yorkers weary of corruption and radical politics will rally behind the establishment Democrat or turn to the tough-talking Republican who promises to restore order.
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