Adams Drops Out Of NYC Mayoral Race

NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday he would end his re-election campaign.

In a video posted on social media, Adams touted the city's progress on housing construction, lowered crime rates, education reform and reduced living costs during his term before turning to the matter at hand.

"And yet, despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign," he said, citing "constant media speculation about my future" and the city campaign finance board's "decision to withhold millions of dollars."

The one-term Democrat's move to quit the race comes days after he repeatedly insisted he would stay in the contest, saying everyday New Yorkers don't “surrender.”

But speculation that he wouldn't make it to Election Day has been rampant for a year. Adams’ campaign was severely wounded by his now-dismissed federal 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.

Adams addressed the case in his video on Sunday, saying, “I also know some remain unsure of me after the unfortunate events surrounding my federal case. I was wrongfully charged because I fought for this city. And if I had to do it again, I would fight for New York again."

Federal prosecutors brought fraud and bribery charges against Adams last September, saying he had accepted illegal campaign contributions and steep travel discounts from a Turkish official and others in exchange for accelerating the opening of Turkey’s diplomatic building, among other favors.

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.

In late August, Adams' former top advisor — 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.

The mayor made no endorsement Sunday but acknowledged what he characterized as growing political extremism, saying that while "major change is welcome and necessary," New Yorkers should choose the city's 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 has portrayed himself as the only candidate potentially able to beat the Democratic Party’s nominee, state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.

It was unclear, though, whether enough of Adams’ supporters would shift their allegiances to Cuomo to make a difference.

Mamdani, who, at age 33, would be the city’s youngest and most liberal mayor in generations, beat Cuomo decisively in the Democratic primary by campaigning on a promise to try to lower the cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

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.”

Polls conducted in early September illustrated Adams’ 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.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.