New York City Mayor Eric Adams ends reelection bid

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday, September 28 announced he will not contest the re election. He claimed that city campaign finance board’s decision to deny him public matching funds, derailed his campaign.

Adams’ exit leaves two major candidates including socialist democrat Zohran Mamdani and republican Andrew Cuomo. Adams, elected in 2022 as a Democrat, was running as an independent after he was indicted for alleged bribery and fraud. The indictment was later dismissed at the direction of the Trump administration.

In a post on social media, the mayor said, “I cannot continue my re-election campaign. The constant media speculation about my future and the campaign finance board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign.”

According to the news reports, Adams did not endorse any of his rivals. However, his withdrawal statement seemed to be directed at democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani.

“Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer to destroy the very system we built together over generations,” Adams said without naming Mamdani, a self-described socialist. “That is not change, that is chaos.”

The Mayor, who is a former police officer was touted as a rising figure in politics but it faded quickly after Adams was indicted for corruption, diferences with democrats on immigrations and frustration with the city’s rising cost of living.

In September 2024, Adams was indicted for allegedly accepting gifts costing over USD 100,000 from Turkish citizens in exchange for favours. He denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

In April 2025, the justice department ordered federal prosecutors in New York to drop the charges. But the controversy continued to haunt Adams as he trailed in the re-election race.