Mayor Eric Adams has not dismissed the possibility of running as an independent candidate for re-election, as he faces a tough and crowded Democratic primary. He made these comments during his regular media briefing at City Hall on Monday.
When asked about speculation that he might consider an independent bid, Adams responded, “When I’m ready to roll out my official re-announcement and my plan, I will do so.”
In a follow-up, Adams was asked if he would consider running as an independent if he were to lose the Democratic primary. He replied, “Hypotheticals is not what I’m answering.”
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo currently leads in the polls by a considerable margin, and Adams has seen several key endorsements shift toward Cuomo in the two weeks since his campaign launch. One significant endorsement was from Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who heads the Brooklyn Democratic Party.
Bichotte Hermelyn was a key figure in the coalition that supported Adams in 2021, and she stood by him during his federal indictment in September and amid recent allegations that he had struck a quid pro quo deal with the Trump administration to dismiss those charges. Despite their past support, the assemblymember explained in her endorsement of Cuomo on Sunday that New Yorkers need “a battle-tested & visionary Democrat to keep leading NYC through challenging times.”
Despite this change in support, Adams maintained that his relationship with Bichotte Hermelyn remains unaffected, calling her “a very dear friend.”
“She was extremely supportive of me for these last 15 months. I can’t even tell you just how supportive she has been,” Adams said. “My relationship with Rodneyse is not political, it’s personal. So when she makes decisions, that doesn’t bother me.”
Adams did not reveal his recent fundraising totals, as the Campaign Finance Board has withheld matching funds due to the ongoing public corruption charges against him. However, he stated that he “started raising early,” though he acknowledged that other candidates are catching up to him in both fundraising and policy proposals.
“I’m not running against candidates. I’m running against myself. And there’s only going to be one person that’s going to come through the primary,” the mayor said. “I’m focused on one thing, focused on running the City of New York. And I can’t get into the political stuff like this, but in the next few days, I’m going be out in the street, you could ask me all these political questions you want.”
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