Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Politico on Thursday that he is not planning to drop his mayoral bid despite facing an uphill battle against socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani.
Recent polling has shown Adams trailing behind Democratic nominee Mamdani, disgraced former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa. Still, Adams — who is running as an independent— signaled to Politico that he is planning to continue his reelection bid, calling his opponents “harmful” to New York City.
A Zenith & Public Progress poll released in late July and funded by an advisor to Mamdani’s primary campaign showed the incumbent mayor in a distant fourth place with only 7% of support, Politico reported on July 29.
“If there were people running for mayor that I believe would continue the progress of our city, that’s an easy call,” Adams told Politico during an interview at Gracie Mansion. “The people who are running — they are harmful to our city and the progress we’ve made. And I owe it to New Yorkers to get my story out to them and to run a campaign.”
When asked by Politico whether he thought Mamdani or Cuomo would be worse for New York City if one of them wins the mayorship, Adams could not pick.
“Both of them are extremely problematic,” Adams told Politico.
Additionally, a Quinnipiac University New York City poll released March 5 found that Adams’ approval rating had plummeted to an all-time low of 20%.
Adams also told Politico he thinks that “history is going to be kind” to him whenever he eventually leaves the “political spotlight.”
“History is going to be kind to me when I’m out of the political spotlight 10, 15 years from now and they look over and say: You know what? We got to give this guy his due,” Adams told the outlet. “That’s what I’m fighting for.”
Federal prosecutors under the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) notably indicted Adams in September 2024 on five bribery, campaign finance and conspiracy-related charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a press release at the time that Adams “sought and accepted improper valuable benefits … from wealthy foreign businesspeople and at least one Turkish government official seeking to gain influence over him.”
However, Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho in April dismissed the indictment against Adams “with prejudice.”
In July, the Trump administration’s DOJ announced a lawsuit against Adams and New York City over the city’s “sanctuary” immigration policies.
Mamdani, a socialist who is seen as the current frontrunner in the New York City mayoral race, has notably been vying to energize young voters during his campaign, with many Generation Z voters backing him. Still, Mamdani has faced some criticism over his far-left views and anti-Israel comments.
Despite this, some Democrats are aiming to make Mamdani the face of their party.
Moreover, Cuomo served New York governor from 2011 to 2021 and resigned in disgrace following allegations of sexual harassment. He has denied the accusations, claiming they were politically motivated.
The New York City mayor also signaled doubt that Cuomo and Mamdani would be able to keep the city “safe” if either of them are elected mayor unless they intend to collaborate with the Trump administration.
“I don’t know how they’re going to be able to ensure that we deal with some of the international terrorism, the international issues,” Adams told Politico, in reference to Cuomo and Mamdani. “How do we do that to keep the city safe — which we are a target — if we’re not collaborating with the White House and with our partners.”
Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec told Politico in a statement that Mamdani “has made it crystal clear that while he will work with the federal government when it’s to the benefit of New Yorkers, he will never bow down to Trump’s authoritarian attacks.”
Three anonymous sources told the New York Times on August 6 that President Donald Trump had recently had a phone call with Cuomo to discuss the city’s mayoral race. Though, Cuomo has denied that the reported phone call with the president took place.
“During the first Trump administration, the governor worked with the federal government when it wanted to help New York and stood up to defend New York when the Trump administration sought to hurt it,” Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi told Politico in a statement. “No one has a longer or stronger record of that than the governor. The mayor, I believe, was spending a lot of time in Turkey back then and may have missed it.”
Adams’ campaign did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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