New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced that he will seek reelection as an Independent, breaking from the Democratic Party.
Adams’ announcement comes after a judge dismissed federal charges against him. The mayor first made the announcement during a Monday interview with Politico.
The mayor confirmed his plans exclusively to POLITICO. In an interview Monday, Adams said he would “mount a real independent campaign” that relies on “a solid base of people” outside Manhattan, with an emphasis on ethnic minorities who boosted him to victory four years ago. He lamented how the bribery charges federal prosecutors hit him with in September — which a judge dismissed Wednesday — “handcuffed” him, and he promised to be “uninhibited” on the campaign trail.
“I have been this racehorse that has been held back,” he added. “This is so unnatural for me.”
The mayor released a video on social media explaining his new direction. He indicated that he had been planning to run under the Democratic banner, 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.”
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 and the general election.
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Adams said the charges he faced were “false” but acknowledged that he “trusted people I should not have, and I regret that.”
He took a shot at his opponents in the mayoral race, criticizing them for being soft on crime. “Some were advocating against more police, even if they are for them now,” he said, also slamming them for voting “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.”
“While they were playing politics or sitting on a couch, my administration was building record levels of housing, driving down crime, distributing $30 billion in benefits through low and middle-income New Yorkers and creating the most jobs ever in our city’s history,” he continued.
— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) April 3, 2025
Adams had been facing charges of bribery, corruption, and campaign finance violations. Several members of his administration are also facing charges for other offenses. The mayor has maintained his innocence.
The charges came after the mayor took a more antagonistic approach when dealing with the Biden administration over its failure to address the border crisis. With the constant influx of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers flowing into the city, Adams had his hands full trying to manage the situation while the former president’s team essentially ignored the matter and refused to provide aid.
This has raised speculation that the charges were punishment for Adams’ criticism of the administration. The mayor himself made this point after the indictment against him was announced.
A poll conducted in March showed that if the Democratic primary were being held at that time, Adams would have only received 11 percent of the votes while former Gov. Andrew Cuomo would receive 31 percent.
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