New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared on Sunday that he is halting his re-election campaign.
This announcement may provide a lift to former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the high-stakes contest against Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, but much hinges on how many of Adams’ backers will eventually support him.
President Donald Trump has indicated that both Adams and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican challenger, should withdraw from the race to facilitate a direct competition between Cuomo, running as an independent, and Mamdani.
“I would assert that Cuomo may have a possibility of winning if it were a one-on-one,” Trump remarked, labeling Mamdani a “communist.”
The Trump administration was reportedly evaluating a strategy to propose Adams as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia to persuade him to exit the race, as reported by The New York Times.
Polling has consistently shown Adams in the single digits. His approval among New Yorkers has significantly declined since he was federally indicted on corruption charges.
The federal charges against Adams were dismissed in April when the Trump Justice Department moved to drop them.
Adams’ choice to suspend his campaign could intensify pressure on Sliwa to follow suit.
Polling indicates that Mamdani could still have an advantage over Cuomo if Adams exited, yet Sliwa remained in the contest.
Sliwa, as recently as last week, announced his intention to continue in the race, despite growing pressure from affluent New Yorkers to end his campaign.
“Curtis Sliwa is the sole candidate capable of defeating Mamdani,” stated Sliwa’s campaign spokesperson Daniel Kurzyna after Adams’ declaration.
Mamdani, in response to Adams’ announcement, asserted that Trump and “his billionaire contributors may influence Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo’s actions, but they will not dictate this election’s outcome,” he stated.
In the video revealing his choice, Adams mentioned that “the unending media speculation regarding my future and the campaign finance board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have compromised my ability to generate the funds required for a serious campaign.”
“Despite all that we have accomplished, I cannot persist with my re-election campaign,” Adams expressed in the video.
Adams will be the first former mayor of New York City since David Dinkins.
