New York City Mayor Eric Adams will forgo the Democratic primary and seek reelection as an independent, launching a long-shot campaign that deepens his break with the city's dominant political party and comes just one day after a federal judge permanently dismissed corruption charges against him.
"I have always put New York's people before politics and party - and I always will," Adams wrote Thursday on X. "I am running for mayor in the general election because our city needs independent leadership that understands working people."
The announcement marks a stunning reversal for the first-term mayor, who won office in 2021 as a moderate Democrat. Now, with his public approval hovering around 20% and his political future jeopardized by a recently dismissed federal bribery case, Adams is charting a new path, hoping to tap into a growing bloc of unaffiliated voters and bypass a crowded Democratic primary led by former Governor Andrew Cuomo.
In a Thursday interview with Politico, Adams said the federal investigation "handcuffed" him but his new campaign would be "uninhibited." "I have been this racehorse that has been held back," he said. "This is so unnatural for me."
Adams was indicted last September after prosecutors alleged he accepted over $100,000 in flights and hotel stays from Turkish nationals while in local office. But U.S. District Judge Dale Ho ruled Wednesday that continuing the prosecution could allow the federal government to leverage immigration policy concessions from the mayor. "Dismissal with prejudice rather than continuation of the prosecution best addresses that concern," Ho wrote.
The Justice Department had already moved to drop the case in February, stating it interfered with Adams' ability to govern and posed risks to federal immigration initiatives. With the legal cloud lifted, Adams now aims to gather the required 3,750 petition signatures by May 27 to appear on the general election ballot.
Despite remaining a registered Democrat, Adams will run on a newly created "public safety-focused" line. In a six-minute campaign video released Thursday, he acknowledged the damage from the investigation. "Although the charges against me were false, I trusted people that I should not have, and I regret that," he said. "Let me be clear: I am still a Democrat, but I am appealing directly to all New Yorkers."
His path forward is fraught. The Democratic field remains crowded with nine candidates, and any Republican bid will further fragment the electorate. Running without party support means Adams loses access to over $4 million in public matching funds, though he said he's prepared to "go to court if need be and fight for our matching funds."
He and his campaign chair, Frank Carone, emphasized Adams' accomplishments, including reductions in crime, record job creation, and housing construction. "New York is just objectively in a better place today than it was Jan. 1, 2022," Carone said.
The mayor has struggled with consistent messaging and internal scandals. At least six top aides have faced controversy, and Adams has repeatedly sparred with both national Democrats and local progressives. He has threatened to sue the Biden administration over migrant-related costs and cited the book Government Gangsters-a screed against the "deep state" by Trump adviser Kash Patel-when speaking about his case.
Adams declined to criticize Trump directly and has taken more frequent aim at Democrats. In his Politico interview, he rebuked Cuomo over bail reform laws and for resigning amid sexual misconduct allegations. "What happens the next time he has a personal crisis?" Adams asked. "Is he going to abandon the city?"
Democrats remain dominant in New York City, with 3.3 million registered voters, compared to 1.1 million independents and 558,000 Republicans. Still, independents have grown by over 220,000 in the last eight years, and Adams hopes that bloc, along with moderate Democrats and disengaged voters, can form a viable base.
"This is why you elected me in the first place," Adams said. "Now I need this runway until November to redefine and remind people." He called his life story "my most potent weapon" and added, "If I'm able to come back, with all that I went through... no citizen in this city will ever give up."
