NYC Mayor Eric Adams dropping out of Democratic primary, will seek re-election as independent
Eric Adams will not seek the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor — instead pushing all his chips in on a longshot run as an independent candidate.
Hizzoner dropped the bombshell news in a campaign video announcement Thursday — just the day after a federal judge killed his corruption case for good.
“More than 25,000 New Yorkers signed my Democratic primary petition, but the dismissal of the bogus case against me dragged on too long, making it impossible to mount a primary campaign while these false accusations were held over me,” Adams said in the six-minute spiel.
“But I’m not a quitter. I’m a New Yorker,” he continued. “And that is why today, although I am still a Democrat, I am announcing that I will forgo the Democratic primary for mayor and appeal directly to all New Yorkers as an independent candidate in the general election.”
The embattled mayor insisted the Big Apple would be better off without clashing rhetoric from progressive and conservative sides — arguing that he has always put New Yorkers “before politics and party.”
“I firmly believe that this city is better served by truly independent leadership, not leaders pulled at by the extremists on the far left or the far right, but instead those rooted in the common middle, the place where the vast majority of New Yorkers are firmly planted,” Adams said.
Adams plans to run on a public safety-focused line in the November general election, sources said.
No independent mayoral candidate has won election in New York City since John Lindsay in 1969. Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg ran on an independent line in 2009, but also on a Republican one.
Hizzoner’s major shift to the general election, first reported by Politico, likely will be an uphill battle to change voters’ minds after a first term marred by scandals and plummeting poll numbers.
One source close to Adams said the mayor is now free to speak his mind and make moves.
“Now that this case is gone and he’s running in the general, you’re going to see a very ‘f— you’ mentality from him,” the source said.
Some insiders were optimistic the prolific campaigner could make a “Lazarus-like” political comeback.
“If he can raise the money and move up in the polls, it will send the message that he’s Lazarus — and coming back a lot faster than Lazarus did,” chuckled former Gov. David Paterson, referring to the New Testament figure miraculously resurrected by Jesus Christ.
Other politicos were far less optimistic, with one deeming Adams a “dead man walking.” One pollster said even as an independent candidate, Adams is polling far behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a hypothetical general election matchup.
Mayor Adams says he'll run for re-election on an independent line. Here's how:
- Adams will need to submit 3,750 valid signatures from registered NYC voters by May 27 to get on the November general election ballot.
- He plans to run on his own voting line, which he’ll name. He teased that it will be a “public safety”-focused line.
- Other candidates will appear under other voting lines, including Democrat, Republican, Conservative and Working Families Party.
- The same candidate can be listed under more than one line and vice versa. For instance, even if socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani loses the June Democratic primary, he could still be on the ballot under WFP.
“His cake is cooked and it’s not like people believe he’s innocent… If he was exonerated in a trial it may be different,” another political operative said.
Those close to Adams told The Post the mayor had been mulling an independent bid to retain his seat in City Hall for weeks as his historic criminal case dragged out.
Adams, who was a registered Republican during Rudy Giuliani’s mayoralty, isn’t above bucking the Democratic orthodoxy.
The mayor contended his federal corruption charges were political retribution for speaking out against then-President Joe Biden’s border policies, though the investigation began in 2021 before the migrant crisis.
For months, Adams conspicuously cozied up to and avoided criticizing Trump – moves widely seen as a bid to get his corruption case dropped.
After the feds sought to kill Adams’ case, many Democrats called for his ouster based on fears he would be beholden to Trump.
Adams, as he celebrated the long-awaited dismissal Wednesday, signaled he wasn’t leaving the president’s orbit by holding up a book by Trump’s FBI Director Kash Patel.
He defended highlighting the book, telling reporters during a Thursday news conference that its depiction of a vengeful deep state resonated with him after “15 months of hell.” The mayor then repeated he’s not leaving the Democratic Party.
“I’m a Democrat, and my beliefs are the Democratic values that everyday working class people believe in,” he said.
Adams also addressed the charges in his campaign update, acknowledging that the high-profile case may have shifted voters’ views.
“I know that the accusations leveled against me may have shaken your confidence in me and that you may rightly have questions about my conduct,” he said.
“And let me be clear, although the charges against me were false, I trusted people I should not have and I regret that. But the issues I face are nothing compared to yours.”
“Ultimately, it will be up to you who runs this city for the next four years,” he added. “As someone who has always fought for you and who is accountable to only you, I hope I can earn your vote.”
Candidates in the already-crowded June Democratic primary were quick to rip Adams off the back of his party deflection, accusing him of inching even closer to Trump in the wake of federal charges being dropped.
“This is yet another move by Eric Adams that brings him closer to Trump. New York needs a mayor who stands up to the president, not one who caves to him. I won’t let Donald Trump take over our city,” said City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
New York State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who has also tossed his hat in the mayoral ring, said: “This isn’t leadership, this is a circus.”
Zohran Mamdani, the socialist state assemblyman from Queens, accused Adams of abandoning the party.
“Just one day after a slimy deal from Donald Trump got his corruption charges dropped, Eric Adams has officially left the Democratic party,” he said.
“Regardless of what party Adams flees to, New Yorkers deserve better than a self-interested, disgraced mayor who has and always will put his needs before their own.”
Jim Walden, the other independent mayoral candidate in the race, quickly lambasted Adams’ last-minute switch.
“Make no mistake, Eric Adams decided to follow in my footsteps out of desperation not principle,” Walden said in a statement. “Since we won’t have a primary, I challenge him to a debate as soon as possible. Buckle in, people.”
Adams, for his part, will now submit petitions to the Board of Elections on May 27 — instead of Thursday, on which other Democrats, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, were planning.
The mayor, who needs roughly 3,750 signatures to qualify for the race, only has $3 million cash on hand as of last month after an abysmal first campaign filing period brought in just $36,000.
He also has a barebones campaign compared to other candidates at this stage, with few staff and little infrastructure. His campaign website – which he only recently relaunched – still prominently touted him as “Democrat Eric Adams” as of Thursday afternoon.
A source close to Adams said there are hopes the city’s Campaign Finance Board will change their mind on a decision denying the mayor lucrative 8-to-1 taxpayer-funded matching dollars.
Campaign officials have floated filing a suit to get the funds, but Adams could also just take in higher donations, a source said.
The maximum donation for candidates who don’t take matching funds is $3,750, compared to $2,100 for those who do.
Speaking at the Rev. Al Sharpton’s annual National Action Network conference later Thursday, the mayor said despite opting not to run for re-election on the Democratic line, he’s “the same Eric Adams.”
“I’m not a new Eric Adams, a reinvented Eric Adams,” he said. “When others turn against me, Jesus stands with me and I’m gonna be the mayor and be re-elected cause God’s will will be done.”
Adams’ bombshell announcement came less than 24 hours after Manhattan federal Judge Dale Ho released his long-awaited decision on whether to accept the controversial dismissal of charges sought by President Trump’s Justice Department.
Ho dismissed the case with prejudice — meaning it can’t be brought again.
His opinion went further than DOJ officials’ request to dismiss without prejudice, which he wrote reeked of the Trump administration trying to hold future prosecution over Adams’ head.
