New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks to media members outside the Grace Aguard Harwood Seniors Club in New York City’s Brooklyn Borough on September 15, 2025.
Gina Moon | Reuters
New York Mayor Eric Adams announced on Sunday that he had suspended his bid for reelection.
His announcement could boost former governor Andrew Cuomo in a well-known competition with Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, but it depends heavily on how many Adams supporters ultimately support him.
President Donald Trump has suggested that Republican candidates Adams and Curtis Swawa should drop out of the race to clear the 1-on-1 matchup path between Cuomo and Mamdani, who are running as independents.
“I think Cuomo might have a chance to win if it’s one-on-one,” said Trump, who called Mamdani a “communist.”
The Trump administration reportedly was considering a plan to nominate Adams as US ambassador for Saudi Arabia, according to the New York Times.
Polling consistently placed Adams in single digits. His favor among New Yorkers has fallen sharply since he was criminally charged with federal corruption charges.
The federal corruption charges were dropped against Adams in April after the Trump Justice Department moved to dismiss them.
Adams’ decision to suspend his campaign could put a strong pressure on Three to do the same.
Polls suggest that if Adams drops out, Mamdani could still have an advantage over Cuomo, but Swawa stayed in the race.
But just like last week, Sliwa said he plans to stay in the race despite facing pressure to suspend bids from wealthy New Yorkers.
“Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who can defeat Mamdani,” a spokesman for Sliwa’s campaign Daniel Kurzyna said in a statement after Adams’ announcement.
“After Adams’ decision, Trump and his billionaire donors may be able to decide what Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo will do, but they won’t decide the outcome of this election.”
In his video announcing his decision, Adams said, “The constant media speculation about my future and the Campaign Finance Committee’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign.”
“Despite everything we have achieved, we cannot continue our reelection campaign,” Adams said in the video.
Adams will be New York City’s first one-time mayor since David Dinkins.
