On September 28, 2025, at a late hour, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he was stopping his re-election campaign, just five weeks before the general election on November 4. Adams made the announcement in an eight-minute video on X, set to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” In the video, he was with a picture of his mother, who had died.
The move ends a rough time that was full of scandals, low poll numbers, and broken alliances. Adams, who was the president of Brooklyn before becoming mayor in 2021, ran as an independent in this race after not voting in the Democratic primary. Now that he has dropped out, the race is between Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former Governor Andrew Cuomo (independent), and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Key Takeaways
- Eric Adams suspended his re-election campaign five weeks before voting.
- His campaign was weakened by corruption probes and funding disputes.
- The race now centers on Mamdani, Cuomo, and Sliwa.
- Adams’ name will stay on the ballot due to missed deadlines.
- Early polls suggest Mamdani keeps a clear lead despite Adams’ exit.
Why Adams Decided to Leave
Adams said that the media kept speculating and the Campaign Finance Board wouldn’t release more than $10 million in matching funds. The freeze was connected to investigations into supposed straw donor schemes involving Turkish officials.
He talked about his accomplishments, like a 12% drop in shootings and more than 4,000 migrant shelter exits, but he didn’t back any of his opponents. He instead attacked what he called “destructive extremist forces” and “insidious agendas.” Many people thought these comments were a reaction to Mamdani’s platform of rent freezes, free buses, and police reform.
Since the deadline to take Adams’ name off the ballot passed on September 11, it will still be there through a third-party line. Analysts think this could get some people to vote against him, even though his support has stayed in the single digits (8–10%) in recent polls.
Fallout and Race Effects
The exit comes after months of rumors about Adams’ federal indictment in 2024 on charges of fraud and bribery. Prosecutors said he took gifts worth more than $100,000 from donors with ties to Turkey. Under the Trump administration, the case was thrown out in April 2025. This led to accusations that Adams worked with immigration enforcement in exchange.
The change should help Cuomo, who has been focusing on moderate, Black, and Orthodox Jewish voters. Mamdani was ahead by 19 points before Adams made his announcement. Analysts now think that the gap will narrow to 15 points, but Mamdani is still in the lead. Polymarket’s betting odds put Mamdani at 84% and Cuomo at 14%. Trump has told Republican Curtis Sliwa to drop out of the race, but he is still in it.
Endorsements show the split: Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Vice President Kamala Harris support Mamdani, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised Adams’ work on crime reduction and housing but has not yet endorsed him. Rep. Mike Lawler told Sliwa to stay on the Republican side to stop Mamdani from gaining more power.
What People Are Saying and What People Are Saying Online
There were more than 100,000 mentions of the announcement on X within hours, with hashtags like #AdamsDropsOut, #NYCMayorRace, and #MamdaniVsCuomo. A look at posts with a lot of engagement shows that 65% of them are negative, 25% are neutral, and 10% are positive.
Negative: Users were mostly interested in scandals about corruption, links to Trump, and problems with housing. A lot of viral memes made fun of Adams’ campaign falling apart or said he was Trump’s puppet.
Neutral: Poll updates and race projections got a lot of attention, and CNN and Polymarket screenshots were shared a lot.
Good: A smaller group praised Adams for lowering crime rates and being pro-crypto, pointing to his efforts to get people paid in Bitcoin and make changes to the blockchain.
Most of the online talk was about memes, but small crypto communities were sad to see him go because his proposed Bitcoin bond failed.
Looking Ahead
Adams will be mayor until January 1, 2026, but people still disagree about what his political legacy is. Supporters point to his crime policies, while critics point to claims of corruption and his support for Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. At this point, the race is a test to see if Cuomo can bring together moderate voters or if Mamdani will make history as the youngest and most progressive mayor in New York City’s history.
