NYC Mayor Eric Adams Abandons Democratic Party, Announces Re-Election Bid as an Independent New York City

April 3, 2025 – In a stunning political pivot, New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared on Thursday that he is forsaking the Democratic primary and will instead run for re-election as an independent candidate in the November 2025 general election. The announcement, made in an exclusive interview with Politico, marks a significant departure from the party that propelled Adams to the mayoralty in 2021 and underscores his growing estrangement from the Democratic establishment amid a tumultuous tenure.

Adams, a former police captain and Brooklyn Borough President, cited the constraints imposed by federal corruption charges—dismissed just a day prior by U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho—as a key factor in his decision. “I’m in the race to the end. I’m not running on the Democratic line. It’s just not realistic to turn around my numbers and to run a good campaign [from] where we are right now,” Adams told Politico. He added that the now-dropped charges had “handcuffed” him, leaving him eager to campaign “uninhibited” as an independent (Politico, April 3, 2025).

The mayor’s move follows a dramatic sequence of events. On Wednesday, Judge Ho dismissed a five-count federal indictment against Adams, which had accused him of accepting luxury travel and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish nationals. The dismissal came after President Donald Trump’s Justice Department intervened in February to drop the charges, a decision that sparked controversy and resignations within the Department of Justice (AP News, April 3, 2025). While Adams maintains his innocence, he acknowledged in a six-minute campaign video released Thursday that the ordeal had “shaken” public confidence, expressing regret for trusting “the wrong people” (The New York Times, April 3, 2025).

Adams’ decision to bypass the Democratic primary, scheduled for June 24, 2025, allows him to avoid a crowded field of challengers, including former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who currently leads polls with 31% support among city Democrats, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted in early March (Fox News, April 3, 2025). Adams, by contrast, languishes at 11%, with his approval rating hovering at a dismal 20%—a steep decline from his 2021 victory, when he won over voters with a centrist, tough-on-crime platform.

Running as an independent poses a formidable challenge in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans six-to-one and constitute 3.3 million of the electorate, alongside 1.1 million independents and 558,778 Republicans (The Guardian, April 3, 2025). Adams plans to submit 3,750 signatures by May 27 to secure a ballot spot, focusing his campaign on public safety and appealing to ethnic minorities in the outer boroughs who bolstered his initial win (Politico, April 3, 2025). “Now I need this runway until November to redefine and remind people: This is why you elected me in the first place,” he said (Fox News, April 3, 2025).

Political opponents wasted no time in condemning the move. Democratic Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a mayoral hopeful, called Adams “a self-interested, disgraced mayor,” while State Senator Zellnor Myrie labeled the situation “a circus” (AP News, April 3, 2025). Jim Walden, a former prosecutor running as an independent, challenged Adams to a debate, arguing the decision stemmed from “desperation, not principle” (AP News, April 3, 2025).

Adams’ shift also reflects broader frustrations with partisan politics. “There isn’t a liberal or conservative way to fix New York,” he asserted in his video, positioning himself as a pragmatic leader unbound by party dogma (The Guardian, April 3, 2025). Yet, his coziness with President Trump—highlighted by his attendance at Trump’s January inauguration and a refusal to criticize the administration—has alienated many Democrats, further complicating his path (CNN, April 3, 2025).

As Adams embarks on this uncharted course, analysts note the rarity of such a strategy succeeding in New York City. The last incumbent to win re-election outside his party was Mayor John Lindsay in 1969, who triumphed as a Liberal after losing the Republican primary. With a fractured base, financial hurdles—having been denied $4 million in public matching funds—and a tarnished reputation, Adams faces an uphill battle to replicate that feat (The New York Times, April 3, 2025). 17GEN4.com