In a stunning, if not entirely unexpected, move, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has officially suspended his bid for re-election, citing mounting media pressure and financial roadblocks. The announcement came via a video message posted to X on Sunday, ending months of speculation and sending ripples through an already chaotic mayoral race.
“Constant media speculation about my future and the campaign finance board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars,” Adams said, were the final straws.
Adams struck a somber yet defiant tone throughout the video. “It’s not always easy to see the impact of good policy in just three years,” he said. “I also know some remain unsure of me after the unfortunate events surrounding my federal case. I was wrongfully charged because I fought for this city.”
The federal investigation, which has cast a long shadow over his administration, has dogged Adams since late last year. While he has maintained his innocence, the probe and its media coverage effectively crippled his fundraising efforts and hollowed out his political capital.
“And yet, despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my re-election campaign,” Adams said. “I hope you will see that despite the headlines and innuendo, I always put you before me, always. I’m proud of the historic leadership team we built.”
His sudden departure throws the race wide open, clearing a path for rivals who’ve already gained momentum. Chief among them: former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who’s running as an independent and could now gain ground, especially with the absence of another centrist in the race. Still, Cuomo remains 20 points behind Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, according to a Suffolk University CityView poll released just last week.
Adams, never one to shy away from dramatic rhetoric, took aim at what he described as a dangerous shift in political culture.
“Our children are being radicalized to hate our city and our country,” he claimed. “Political anger is turning into political violence. Too often, insidious forces use local government to advance divisive agendas with little regard for how it hurts everyday New Yorkers.”
That message—part warning, part rallying cry—mirrored themes Adams leaned into during his tenure: law and order, pragmatic governance, and a frustration with what he saw as ideological overreach on both ends of the spectrum.
“Major change is welcome and necessary,” he said, “but beware of those who claim the answer is to destroy the very system we built together over generations. Instead, I urge New Yorkers to choose leaders not by what they promise, but by what they have delivered.”
Despite stepping down from the political battlefield—for now—Adams left the door wide open for a future role in public life.
“Although this is the end of my re-election campaign, it is not the end of my public service,” he said. “I will continue to fight for this city, as I have for 40 years, since the day I joined the NYPD to make our streets safer and our systems fairer.”
Whether New Yorkers are ready to hear from him again remains to be seen. For now, the city turns the page on a mayor whose tenure was as turbulent as it was historic.
Watch Adam’s announcement in the video below via Eyewitness News ABC7NY:
