Embattled Mayor Eric Adams on Monday did not rule out the possibility of running for re-election as an independent candidate in the 2025 NYC mayor’s race if he loses the June 24 Democratic primary.
Hizzoner’s remarks responded to a Friday New York Post report that cited anonymous sources who said he is considering running on his own line in the general election if he cannot overcome a crowded field of Democratic primary challengers.
“When I’m ready to roll out my official re-announcement and my plan, I will do so,” Adams said during his weekly wide-ranging City Hall press conference on March 17.
Adams had previously indicated a willingness to run in the Republican primary and was reportedly considering getting a waiver to campaign on both the Democratic and Republican lines simultaneously.
The mayor, who is a moderate, appeared to warn voters that they would regret casting their ballots for his more left-leaning opponents.
“New Yorkers, be careful what you ask for,” Adams said. “I know how well we have done, and I know how well we are going to continue to do for the next five years.”
In 1969, Mayor John Lindsay, then a Republican, lost the party’s nomination after a tumultuous four years in office. Lindsay, however, had secured the Liberal Party line and kept his campaign alive; in the end, he won re-election that November, beating out his Democratic and Republican challengers with a 42% plurality.
The report and Adams’ comments come as he faces an ever-narrowing path to winning the Democratic Primary amid multiple scandals that have weighed down his mayoralty and driven his job approval rating to historic lows. Those scandals include his indictment on federal corruption charges, many of his top aides resigning amid separate federal investigations into their activities, and allegations that his attorney engaged in a quid pro quo with the Trump administration to have his case dismissed.
Although Adams insists that he is still running for re-election, he does not have any visible campaign apparatus and his fundraising has stagnated. He also pulled out of a mayoral candidates’ forum hosted by District Council 37 — the city’s largest public-sector union — late last month.
Additionally, many of the supporters who helped Adams get elected in 2021 are throwing their support behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo instead. Those supporters include pols like former Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, and Assembly Member Eddie Gibbs (D-Manhattan).
According to his campaign, Cuomo has also entered the race with strong fundraising numbers, having pulled in $1.5 million in just 13 days. He has also led in a string of public polls over the past few months.
Yet Adams again brushed off long-time allies like Bichotte Hermelyn backing Cuomo over him.
“You don’t take any of this personal, this is politics, it’s not personal,” Adams said. “We keep it moving. We move forward. And you don’t personalize this stuff.”