New York Mayor Eric Adams, who saw corruption charges against him dismissed this week, said on Thursday he would run as an independent, after being heavily criticized by members of his Democratic Party over his cooperation with President Donald Trump.
The move allows Adams to bypass an upcoming Democratic primary election ahead of the mayoral vote in the United States’ largest city in November.
On Wednesday, a federal judge dismissed corruption charges against Adams, while sharply criticizing apparent efforts by Trump’s administration to use the case as political leverage over the city leader.
“The dismissal of the bogus case against me dragged on too long, making it impossible to mount a primary campaign while these false accusations were held over me,” said Adams in a short video on Thursday.
“But I’m not a quitter. I’m a New Yorker,” said Adams, whose approval rating was down to 20 percent by last month, according to a Quinnipiac poll.
Adams has come under fire for cozying up to Republican Trump since he took office, agreeing to enforce the White House’s crackdown on immigration despite New York’s policy of being a “sanctuary city.”
On Wednesday, while dismissing the charges against the mayor, Judge Dale Ho was nonetheless excoriating about the circumstances.
“Everything here smacks of a bargain: dismissal of the Indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,” Ho wrote.
In his video, Adams vowed that he would remain a Democrat, despite running as an independent.
The 64-year-old would have faced a crowded field in the Democratic primary, led by former governor Andrew Cuomo, who like Adams was once a rising star in the party before being disgraced and forced to resign after allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
Cuomo is leading in the polls, followed by Zohran Mamdani, a grassroots organizer and political outsider who is gaining momentum.
“There is nothing ‘independent’ about Eric Adams, who is completely beholden to real estate moguls, billionaires, and the far-right,” said Mamdani, reacting to Adams’s announcement.
A former police officer from a modest family, and New York’s second African-American mayor, Adams was initially popular but saw his star wane under the weight of corruption allegations, rising costs of living and other challenges.
The mayor was accused of wire fraud, soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations and a bribery conspiracy involving Turkish citizens and at least one Turkish official. He denies the charges.
New York is a bastion of the Democratic party, and the party’s candidate will be the favorite to win November’s election.
