OAN Staff James Meyers
9:30 AM – Thursday, April 3, 2025
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced he will not be seeking the Democrat nomination, but instead will be going full throttle as an independent candidate in a longshot run.
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Adams (D-N.Y.) made the announcement in a campaign video, just one day after a federal judge dismissed his corruption case that included federal bribery charges.
“More than 25,000 New Yorkers signed my Democratic primary petition, but the dismissal of the bogus case against me dragged on too long, making it impossible to mount a primary campaign while these false accusations were held over me,” Adams said in the six-minute video.
“But I’m not a quitter. I’m a New Yorker,” he continued. “And that is why today, although I am still a Democrat, I am announcing that I will forgo the Democratic primary for mayor and appeal directly to all New Yorkers as an independent candidate in the general election.”
The controversial mayor insisted that New York City would be better off by not choosing a Republican or Democrat candidate, instead choosing someone who has always put New Yorkers “before politics and party.”
“I firmly believe that this city is better served by truly independent leadership, not leaders pulled at by the extremists on the far left or the far right, but instead those rooted in the common middle, the place where the vast majority of New Yorkers are firmly planted,” Adams said.
According to the New York Post, the mayor had been contemplating an independent run to take back his seat as his corruption case was ongoing.
In his announcement video, Adams addressed the case against him, acknowledging that it may have shifted voters’ views about 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.
“And let me be clear, although the charges against me were false, I trusted people I should not have and I regret that. But the issues I face are nothing compared to yours.”
“Ultimately, it will be up to you who runs this city for the next four years,” he added. “As someone who has always fought for you and who is accountable to only you, I hope I can earn your vote.”
Nevertheless, Adams faces a tough uphill battle to change voters’ minds after his first term was plagued by controversy.
Candidates in the already-crowded Democrat primary were quick to attack Adams off the back of his party deflection, accusing him of strengthening his relationship with President Donald Trump in the wake of federal charges being dropped.
“This is yet another move by Eric Adams that brings him closer to Trump. New York needs a mayor who stands up to the president, not one who caves to him. I won’t let Donald Trump take over our city,” said NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie, who also announced he will be running for the position, also doubled down on the Adams controversy.
“Let me get this straight. Donald Trump’s doing his best every day to destroy our country. Andrew Cuomo’s trying to use our city for own personal redemption tour. And now Eric Adams… don’t even get me started. This isn’t leadership, this is a circus,” he said.
“This is our home, not their comeback stage. New Yorkers have real problems — and they need honest, forward-looking leadership to solve them.”
Zohran Mamdani, a socialist state assemblyman from Queens, accused Adams of abandoning the party.
“Just one day after a slimy deal from Donald Trump got his corruption charges dropped, Eric Adams has officially left the Democratic party,” he said.
“The irony is, there is nothing ‘independent’ about Eric Adams, who is completely beholden to real estate moguls, billionaires, and the far-right.”
“Regardless of what party Adams flees to, New Yorkers deserve better than a self-interested, disgraced mayor who has and always will put his needs before their own.”
Adams told Politico on Monday that he would submit the required 3,750 signatures on May 27th, which would get him on the ballot for the November election.
Meanwhile, the embattled mayor only has $3 million for campaign funding as of last month after a disappointing first campaign filing period brought in just $36,000.
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