NYC Mayor Eric Adams will seek reelection as independent, blames criminal case for delay
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday morning that he will run for reelection as an independent after a scandal-plagued term.
The announcement comes the day after the Trump administration's Department of Justice formally dropped corruption charges against him. Adams blamed the criminal case for delaying his reelection campaign.
"There isn't a liberal way or conservative way to fix New York, but there is a right way and a wrong way," Adams said in video posted to X. "Though I am still a Democrat, I am announcing that I will forgo the Democratic primary for mayor and appeal directly to all New Yorkers as an independent candidate in the general election."
The embattled mayor's 11th-hour decision means he will not face a crowded field of nine candidates, including former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in June's Democratic primary.
Adams was elected mayor in 2021. The primary election for the mayoral seat is June 24, 2025 and the general election is Nov. 4, 2025.
Adams indicted on corruption charges, case dropped by Trump administration
In September, Adams was indicted on federal charges over allegations he accepted free travel and political donations from Turkish officials as bribes. It was the culmination of several probes into his administration as he led the biggest city in the U.S. He pleaded not guilty and has continuously denied wrongdoing.
In February, the Trump administration's DOJ intervened in the case, directing the prosecutors to drop it as it improperly interfered with Adams' reelection campaign. Initially, DOJ leadership wanted Adams to sign an agreement that charges could be filed against him again in the future.
But when the judge dismissed the case Wednesday, he did so with prejudice, meaning charges cannot be refiled in the future. Had the charges been dismissed without prejudice, Adams could have been beholden to the administration, which could have leveraged him in its immigration crackdown.
Who is Eric Adams?
Eric Adams is the mayor of New York City, which includes five boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island.
Adams has been in NYC's public eye for decades, formerly serving as an NYPD Captain, a state senator and Brooklyn borough president. He was elected as mayor in 2021.
Adams leads an overwhelmingly Democratic city and once aligned himself with former President Joe Biden. But Adams became critical of Biden when the city received a wave of migrants, and he has suggested his indictment was retribution for falling out with the Biden administration.
Trump, who has argued that his own criminal charges against him were politicized, has appeared to have grown sympathetic towards Adams. Trump previously said he would consider pardoning the mayor.
(This story has been updated with more information.)
Contributing: Paste BN's John Bacon, N'dea Yancey-Bragg; Reuters
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at Paste BN. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.