New York City Mayor Eric Adams abandons his reelection campaign
[September 29, 2025]
By JAKE OFFENHARTZ and ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams ended his struggling
reelection campaign Sunday, an acknowledgment that he was no longer a
credible contender after a year of scandal and political turmoil.
In a video released on social media, Adams spoke proudly of his tenure
as mayor. But he said his now-dismissed federal corruption case left
voters wary of him, and “constant media speculation” about his future
made it impossible to raise enough money to run a serious campaign.
“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign,”
he said.
Adams did not endorse any of the remaining candidates in the race, but
he warned of “insidious forces” using local government to “advance
divisive agendas.”
“That is not change, that is chaos," Adams said. "Instead, I urge New
Yorkers to choose leaders not by what they promise, but by what they
have delivered."
Adams' capitulation could potentially provide a lift to the campaign of
former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a fellow centrist who portrayed himself as the
only candidate able to beat the Democratic Party’s nominee, state
Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.
It is unclear, though, whether enough Adams supporters will shift their
allegiances to Cuomo to make a difference.
Mamdani, 33, would be the city’s youngest and most liberal mayor in
generations if elected. He beat Cuomo decisively in the Democratic
primary by campaigning on a promise try to lower the cost of living in
one of the world’s most expensive cities.
Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa remain in the race
In a statement after Adams' announcement, Mamdani took aim at Cuomo, who
is trying to make a political comeback after resigning the governor's
office after being accused of sexual harassment by multiple women.
“New York deserves better than trading in one disgraced, corrupt
politician for another. On November 4th, we are going to turn the page
on the politics of big money and small ideas and deliver a government
every New Yorker can be proud of,” Mamdani said.
Cuomo, in a statement on social media, praised Adams for “putting the
well-being of New York City ahead of personal ambition."
“We face destructive extremist forces that would devastate our city
through incompetence or ignorance, but it is not too late to stop them,”
Cuomo said.
Republican Curtis Sliwa also remains in the race, though his candidacy
has been undercut from within his own party; Trump in a recent interview
called him “not exactly prime time."
Rough showing in polls
Speculation that Adams wouldn’t make it to Election Day has been rampant
for a year. His campaign was severely wounded by both the bribery case
and liberal anger over his warm relationship with President Donald
Trump. He skipped the Democratic primary and got on the ballot as an
independent.
Polls conducted in early September illustrated his challenges. One poll
by The New York Times and Siena University and another by Quinnipiac
University showed likely voters favoring Mamdani over Cuomo, with Sliwa
and Adams trailing further behind.
The Quinnipiac poll suggested the gap between Mamdani and Cuomo could
narrow if Adams dropped out. The Times/Siena poll suggested that if both
Adams and Sliwa withdrew, Mamdani’s advantage over Cuomo could shrink
even further.
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Sliwa, though, has repeatedly insisted he will not quit.
“Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who can defeat Mamdani,” his
spokesperson, Daniel Kurzyna, said Sunday.
In recent weeks, Trump administration intermediaries interested in
blocking Mamdani’s path to victory by getting him into a one-on-one
matchup with Cuomo had approached Adams to see if he could be coaxed
out of the contest with an offer of a government job.
Amid reports on those discussions, Adams called a news conference
where he pledged to keep running and derided Cuomo and Mamdani as
“spoiled brats.” Later, on social media, Adams called Cuomo “a liar
and a snake.”
Indictment overshadows progress
Adams, 65, is the city’s second Black mayor. A former New York City
police captain and Brooklyn borough president, he took office in
2022 promising to crack down on crime and revitalize a city still
bouncing back from the coronavirus pandemic.
On his signature issue, he succeeded. Crime rates that ticked upward
after COVID-19 hit the city have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels,
though it's unclear how much that had to do with Adams’ policies.
But scandals and corruption probes have crippled Adams’ chances at
another term.
Over a head-spinning period of weeks last year, his police
commissioner, schools chancellor and several deputy mayors resigned
following a series of federal raids on their homes. None have faced
criminal charges.
Then, in late September, federal prosecutors brought fraud and
bribery charges accusing Adams of accepting illegal campaign
contributions and steep travel discounts from a Turkish official and
others, and in exchange later accelerating the opening of Turkey’s
diplomatic building, among other favors.
Trump intervenes
Adams denied wrongdoing and pledged to remain in office. He also
began speaking warmly about Trump, then seen as having a growing
chance of regaining the White House. He defended Trump in media
briefings, urged his party to tone down rhetoric against the
Republican and refrained from criticizing him.
After Trump won, Adams met with Trump’s border czar, Thomas Homan.
Then, in February, Trump’s Justice Department ordered federal
prosecutors in New York to drop the charges against Adams so the
mayor could assist with the Republican president’s immigration
agenda.
The extraordinary intervention triggered fresh tumult in City Hall
and the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office, with some of Adams’
closest allies suggesting he had struck a deal with the White House
for his freedom.
Adams announced he would skip the June Democratic primary but would
stay in the race.
In late August, Adams former top adviser — who served as a campaign
volunteer — was hit with fresh bribery charges. Another former aide
was removed from the campaign after handing a potato chip bag full
of cash to a local reporter.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has endorsed Mamdani, said after
Adams’ announcement that she has been proud to have worked with him
for the past four years, adding in her statement that he leaves the
city “better than he inherited it.”
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