New York Mayor Eric Adams has announced that he is dropping his re-election bid, leaving the race likely between Democrat Zohran Mamdani and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign,” Adams said in a post on X on Sunday.

Recommended Stories

list of 4 itemsend of list

According to public opinion polls, Adams had been running far behind Mamdani and Cuomo, who is running as an independent. They indicate Mamdani has a sizeable lead before the November 4 election in the most populous city in the United States.

Adams, who became mayor in 2022 as a Democrat, had become a divisive figure due to corruption allegations and his alleged cooperation with Trump.

In his video statement, he said that “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”.

Funds were cut after the board could not verify the billing address for more than 200 contributions, raising questions over their source.

Adams was indicted in September 2024 on charges that include wire fraud, soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations and a bribery conspiracy involving Turkish citizens and at least one Turkish official. He denied the charges.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors in New York to drop charges against Adams. The move triggered a wave of resignations in the Manhattan US attorney’s office and at the Justice Department in Washington.

Advertisement

Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official who ordered the charges to be dropped, has denied allegations that the decision was a “quid pro quo” in exchange for the Democratic mayor’s support for Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Adams’ reputation was also tainted by his alleged friendly working and political relationship with Trump. US media reports suggest Trump’s administration offered him a job if he backed out of the election to give Cuomo a better chance of beating Mamdani.

Trump welcomed Adams’ decision to pull out of the race in an interview with Reuters, saying he believes votes that would have gone to Adams will now likely go to Cuomo.

The New York mayor in April said he would run as an independent, a move that spared him from the competitive Democratic primary, which was won by Mamdani.

Adams has been critical of Mamdani, who has zeroed in on the high cost of living by promising regulated rents, free bus travel and daycare to cement his appeal.

“Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer [is] to destroy the very system we built together over generations. That is not change, that is chaos,” he said.