There’s no precedent for what Adams is hoping to do: In fashionable occasions, no candidate has ever been elected New York Metropolis mayor solely on an unbiased line.
On prime of that, Adams has sagging ballot numbers, low fundraising {dollars} and the looks of a corrupt cut price with President Trump.
Plus, his hungry challengers, together with ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani and even GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa, all pose a risk.
And his transfer on Thursday to drop out of June’s Democratic major and announce an unbiased bid for November’s normal election solely stands to slim his tough street to reelection, in line with political observers.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks on the New York Metropolis District Council of Carpenters whereas campaigning for mayor of New York Metropolis, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Picture/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Howard Wolfson, a longtime adviser to Mayor Michael Bloomberg who labored in his administration and on his campaigns, all however declared Adams’ unbiased candidacy useless within the water.
“I didn’t think he had a path to reelection before and I don’t think he has a path to reelection now,” he mentioned.
Bloomberg, who was first elected as a Republican however left to run on the road of the now-defunct Independence Get together, narrowly received his second time period in 2009. Nonetheless, Bloomberg maintained the Republican poll line in that election, through which he beat Democratic candidate Invoice Thompson by simply over 4%.
“Even Mike, who had high popularity, would have had a very, very hard time in that election had he not also had the Republican line,” Wolfson mentioned. “For Eric Adams, even if his poll numbers were good you would say the odds are stacked against him because it’s really hard to be elected without a major party line. Then you throw in that his poll and approval numbers are awful, it just seems close to impossible.”
State Assemblyman and New York Metropolis mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is pictured at a discussion board hosted by DC 37 at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Heart in Manhattan on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 in New York Metropolis. (Barry Williams / New York Each day Information)
Adams’ approval rankings dropped to a historic low of 20% final month, after Trump’s Division of Justice moved to dismiss his federal corruption case, arguing that the case prevented him from serving to execute Trump’s immigration agenda in New York Metropolis.
The mayor has denied accusations that he entered right into a corrupt settlement with Trump in an effort to get the case lifted, however the decide in his case wrote that the actions of Adams and the DOJ had the stink of a “disturbing” deal.
“Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the Indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,” Ho wrote in his 78-page ruling.
Adams has mentioned that with the goalposts shifted to November, he hopes to drag collectively a stronger marketing campaign. A part of the problem forward of him will probably be convincing voters that he’ll put the pursuits of New Yorkers forward of his personal or Trump’s.
Curtis Sliwa is pictured exterior Mayor Eric Adams’ condo constructing on Lafayette Ave. in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. (Shawn Inglima for New York Each day Information)
Norman Siegel, a civil rights lawyer who has thought-about Mayor Adams an in depth private buddy for many years, mentioned Adams “didn’t have a chance” within the Democratic major, however he didn’t wish to depend him out for the final election simply but, particularly given waning occasion loyalty and the usually weird political second for town and nation.
“It’s still swimming upstream, but I don’t think it’s impossible given the times we’re in,” mentioned Siegel, who has soured on the mayor amid his budding relationship with Trump.
Siegel volunteered on John Lindsay’s first mayoral marketing campaign in 1965. In 1969, Lindsay received reelection as a third-party candidate after dropping the Republican major.
“John Lindsay created hope, and inspired many of us with leadership that was idealistic,” Siegel mentioned. “That was a period of time that you needed that sort of strong, principled person in charge. Today is a much different day and I’m not sure any of the current candidates for mayor are able to do something like that.”
Barry Williams/ New York Each day Information
Mayor Eric Adams seems at a press convention at One Police Plaza on Thursday, April 3, 2025 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams/ New York Each day Information)
Jackie Rowe-Adams, an anti-gun violence activist and Adams supporter, argued the mayor might get reelected regardless of his occasion affiliation.
“He knows what he’s doing, I feel that he’s going to win whatever party he runs on, and you know why he’s going to win? Because he did a lot for this city and everything he has done, the media tried to take him down,” she mentioned in an interview on the sidelines of the Nationwide Motion Community convention in Manhattan final week.
“Nobody could have stood up like the mayor stood up, they would have been in a hospital with a heart attack and everything else. You know why? Because he’s taking care of the city.”
Although extraordinarily skeptical of Adams’ prospects, Wolfson mentioned it’d be momentous if he pulls off a victory in November.
“It would be the single greatest comeback in the history of American politics,” he mentioned.
