It took just a couple of days after Mayor Eric Adams dropped out of the 2025 campaign before the remaining candidates began targeting each other. While the race may have become more focused, it is no less scurrilous.
“Zohran Mamdani is a hypocrite who will do anything and say anything in a cynical attempt to fool voters,” former Gov. Andrew Cuomo Spokesman Rich Azzopardi said in a statement to the press. “Despite his promise, he won’t apologize for calling the NYPD racist for years, he won’t ever give a clear answer about his past campaign pledge to decriminalize prostitution and he’s not being straight on how he funds his campaign. It’s a pattern, but fortunately New Yorkers are smart and they can smell a phoney a mile away.”
Not one to skip a counterpunch, Queens assemblymember Zohran Mamdani released his response on Tuesday:
“We know that what billionaires and C-suite executives are once again trying to buy their way out of is a city that working people can actually afford — a city where the concerns of those people will be at the forefront and at the heart of our politics. New York City deserves better than yet another mayor bought by billionaires, better than someone who would rather spend time in a private club than out here with the public,” said Mamdani, who also released his latest campaign ad.
Adams, 65, the second Black man to hold the position in the city’s history, officially quit after a turbulent single term and a lackluster performance against the other candidates. He was running for re-election as an Independent candidate against Democratic nominee Mamdani, and fellow independent candidate Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my re-election campaign. The constant media speculation about my future and the Campaign Finance Board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign,” Adams said in a curated video post on X this Sunday, September 28. “I hope in time New Yorkers will see this city thrived under our leadership.”
Beginning in 2023, Adams and his administration had been under intense federal scrutiny. Federal prosecutors were quietly investigating him and his “inner circle” because of alleged fraud in his 2021 mayoral campaign. A slew of Adams’ top officials and agency heads abruptly resigned from their positions over several months. Adams was finally indicted in 2024 on a five-count felony charge. However, after cosying up to Republicans and President Donald Trump, a federal judge moved to dismiss his corruption case back in April 2025.
Throughout it all, Adams doggedly refused to resign.
Even though he had successfully beaten his corruption charges, the controversy put a significant dent on his chances of winning the Democratic primary in June 2025. Mamdani, popular amongst younger voters in the Five Boroughs with a message that addressed the high cost of living in New York, pulled off an upset and took the primary, leaving both Cuomo and Adams contemplating what would be next.
In a surprise move, Adams decided to abandon the primary and run in the general election as an Independent –– a last-ditch effort to save his mayoralty for a second term.
With his volunteers working hard to get out the vote in various communities, Adams still had a much less noticeable presence on the campaign trail. On his social media platforms this summer, he pivoted to posting trendy short videos and content that would be more fit for a twenty-something TikTok influencer, in an effort to mimic Mamdani’s online success.
His polling numbers were still at the back of the pack, and at one point, trailing behind Sliwa at 9% in a Siena University/New York Times poll.
Despite rumors that he was dropping out of the running to take a federal job in Trump’s administration for the last few weeks, Adams had maintained that he wouldn’t publicly end his campaign. This came after The New York Times revealed that Trump had conspired with Cuomo ahead of the mayoral election set for this November.
The race now focuses primarily on Mamdani and Cuomo — who have the support of billionaire-funded Super PACs and is backed by a number of people who are fearful of having a Democratic Socialist running the city. According to a Sept. 23 Suffolk University poll, Cuomo comes in 20 percentage points behind Mamdani, leaving the Queens state assemblymember with the momentum in the race.
Reactions to the withdrawal
Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights activist and founder of the National Action Network (NAN), has been a longtime mentor and colleague of Adams. He was recently seen leading the 56th Annual African American Day Parade in Harlem, an event from which Adams was noticeably absent this year.
“Mayor Adams informed me earlier today that he would not seek re-election, and I told him I respected his decision, wished him nothing but the best, and said I was honored his last interview before this announcement was with me on PoliticsNation. We have been friends for nearly 35 years, and he helped us establish the National Action Network in 1991,” said Sharpton.
“He has been a friend of NAN year in and year out since, especially over the last almost four years he led City Hall. NAN remains focused on continuing our work of making New York City safe, livable, and prosperous for Black and Brown communities,” he continued.
In response to the breaking news that Adams dropped out of the race for mayor, Mamdani said in a statement that “Trump and his billionaire donors” might be able to influence Adams and Cuomo, but they would not dictate the election. “New York deserves better than trading in one disgraced, corrupt politician for another,” said Mamdani. “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.”
Cuomo said, in a statement, that Adams hadn’t made an “easy” choice, but he believed that he was sincerely “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.” He then went on to praise Adams as a native New Yorker with a successful rags-to-riches story.
Daniel Kurzyna, a spokesperson for Sliwa, lauded the Guardian Angels founder as the only candidate who could now defeat Mamdani in the mayoral race. “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.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has so far not endorsed Mamdani for mayor as the Democratic nominee and received backlash for it. In a brief statement, he called Adams courageous for his years of public service as a New York police officer and elected official. He said his focus will be on addressing the “Republican healthcare crisis and funding the government” to avoid a shutdown soon.
Brooklyn Party Boss and Assemblymember Rodynese Bichotte Hermelyn had previously backed Cuomo for mayor and then Mamdani after his primary win. She thanked Adams for his service and wished him well. “Now we continue to turn the page in uniting behind our Democratic nominee, Zohran Mamdani, and electing bold leadership that centers affordability, equity, and justice,” said Hermelyn.
Following in Dinkins’ footsteps
The only other Black person to have held the responsibility of running New York City was the late Mayor David Dinkins, who was elected in 1989 and also served one controversial term before losing to Rudy Giuliani four years later. Another Republican, Michael Bloomberg, was elected in 2001, though he became an independent in 2007.
Despite facing heated criticism during his term over a violent protest that broke out between Jewish and Black communities in Brooklyn and the Central Park Five case, Dinkins is often remembered favorably in hindsight for his policies on community safety.
Early in his first year as mayor, like Dinkins, Adams was already facing rumors of being a one-term leader.
Even Sharpton drew sharp comparisons between the two in a 2024 op-ed.
“Mayor Eric Adams’ decision to drop out of the race will make this a tighter mayoral election and gives Cuomo a fighting chance as we face a pivotal turning point while our city is under attack by President Trump,” said James Christopher, who owns and runs a political consultancy.
“However, Adams has essentially been forced to make this difficult decision, and New Yorkers across the political spectrum are certainly not cheering as our incumbent Mayor is forced to follow Dinkins’ footsteps as a one-term Black Mayor.”