On the heels of a federal judge dropping Mayor Eric Adams’ historic corruption charges, Hizzoner announced on Thursday that he would skip the Democratic primary and instead pursue an independent bid for re-election.
Adams announced the move, first reported by Politico, in a video shared by his campaign on Thursday morning.
“Today, though I am still a Democrat, I am announcing that I will forego the Democratic primary for mayor and appeal directly to all New Yorkers as an independent candidate in the general election,” Adams said.
He contended that while he collected 25,000 signatures to get on the Democratic primary ballot, the judge’s deliberations on whether to end his case “dragged on too long” and made it “impossible” for him to run in the primary. He added that New Yorkers would vote for “strong leaders” like himself rather than for either of the major political parties.
“New Yorkers are strong and deserve strong leadership,” he added. “There isn’t a liberal or a conservative way to fix New York; there is a right way or a wrong way. … I’ve always put New York’s people before politics and party, and I always will.”
For the first time, the mayor, newly unincumbered by his federal case, admitted mistakes that may have led to his being charged while still insisting that he did nothing wrong. He was accused of soliciting and accepting lavish travel perks and prohibited foreign campaign donations from Turkish nationals in exchange for official favors.
“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. “Let me be clear that although the charges against me were false, I trusted people that I should not have, and I regret that.”
Federal District Judge Dale Ho dismissed Adams’ case with prejudice, meaning the Justice Department cannot re-indict him on the same charges. But the case never went to trial, Ho did not make any ruling on whether or not Adams is guilty, and he took many issues with the Trump DOJ’s reasons for dropping it.
He also wrote: “Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the Indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,” — appearing to agree with allegations that Adams’ attorneys exchanged his cooperation with Trump’s immigration crackdown for dropping his case.
‘Buckle up, people’
Adams’ move confirmed weeks of speculation that he would take his chances in the general election, rather than compete in a Democratic primary he had increasingly little chance of winning. He invoked the late former mayor, John Lindsay, who successfully won re-election in 1969 on a third-party line in a three-way general election after losing the Republican primary.
Adams will likely be in a four-way match-up against whomever wins the Democratic nomination, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and attorney Jim Walden — who is also running as an independent.
“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.”
Recent polls have the mayor with a 20% approval rating. and trailing behind competitors, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani. His fundraising has also slowed to a trickle and many of his closest political allies have opted to support Cuomo instead.
The mayor also took aim at the crowded field of candidates running to unseat him in the Democratic primary. He maintained that he has been addressing the city’s most pressing issues—including affordability and concerns over crime—as mayor, while his competitors have often exacerbated them over the past three-plus years.
“Some were advocating against more police, even if they are for them now,” Adams said. “Some were fighting against the pro-growth strategies of our administration. Some even sought to limit housing production. Some voted to give more of your tax dollars to other cities and towns in this state by refusing to change laws that let dangerous criminals run wild on our streets. And some sat at home and did absolutely nothing.”
While Adams did not name his challengers, his broadsides appeared to be aimed at city Comptroller Brad Lander, state Sens. Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos, Mamdani, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and Cuomo.
Lander has advocated for boosting the ranks of the NYPD, after previously voting to cut the department’s budget; the state lawmakers passed criminal justice reforms in 2019; the speaker approved a version of the mayor’s City of Yes housing plan that will yield less new units than the original; and Cuomo has not worked in government since resigning in 2021 amid sexual harassment allegations that he denies.
Myrie, in a statement, charged that both Adams and Cuomo are using the mayor’s race to rehabilitate their reputations rather than address the city’s myriad challenges.
“Andrew Cuomo’s trying to use our city for own personal redemption tour,” Myrie said. “And now Eric Adams… don’t even get me started. This isn’t leadership, this is a circus. This is our home, not their comeback stage. New Yorkers have real problems — and they need honest, forward-looking leadership to solve them.”
