New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, announced Thursday that he will run for reelection as an independent candidate in the 2025 mayoral race.
Adams stated in a video announcement that fixing New York City is not a matter of liberal or conservative ideology, but rather about doing things “the right way and the wrong way.” This decision, initially reported by Politico, comes a day after a federal judge dismissed a federal indictment against him. Adams had been indicted in September 2024 on five counts of bribery, conspiracy, and campaign finance violations.
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“I have always put New York’s people before politics and party—and I always will,” Adams posted on X. “I am running for mayor in the general election because our city needs independent leadership that understands working people.”
Despite this independent bid, Adams maintains that he remains a member of the Democratic Party but aims to “appeal directly to all New Yorkers.”
Mike Zumbluskas, a former Republican candidate for New York’s 12th Congressional District, offered a different perspective, suggesting that Adams’ decision was motivated by a desire to avoid a potentially humiliating loss in the Democratic primary. “I think … one of the reasons he [Adams] dropped out is he did not want to be embarrassed,” Zumbluskas said.
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In his announcement, Adams acknowledged the impact of the accusations against him. “I know that the accusations leveled against me may have shaken your confidence in me and that you may rightly have questions about my conduct,” he said. “Let me be clear, although the charges against me were false, I trusted people that I should not have and I regret that.”
The 2025 New York City mayoral race is already crowded, with other candidates including former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Democratic City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Democratic City Comptroller Brad Lander, Democratic State Sen. Jessica Ramos, Democratic State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, Democratic former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Democratic State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, Democratic former State Assemblyman Michael Blake, Independent former federal prosecutor Jim Walden, and Democratic candidate Whitney Tilson.
Currently, the only Republican candidate is Curtis Sliwa, a conservative activist and founder of the Guardian Angels.
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Adams’ approval ratings are also reportedly low, with a recent Quinnipiac University poll showing only 20% of voters approve of his performance, while 67% disapprove.
The New York City mayoral election is scheduled for November 4, 2025.
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