New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) dropped out of his re-election race over the weekend, potentially boosting Andrew Cuomo’s chances of defeating Zohran Mamdani.
“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my re-election campaign,” Adams announced on Sunday. “The constant media speculation about my future and the Campaign Finance Board’s decision to withhold millions of dollars have undermined my ability to raise the funds needed for a serious campaign.”
'We face destructive extremist forces that would devastate our city through incompetence or ignorance, but it is not too late to stop them.'
Adams warned New Yorkers about growing “extremism” in politics, seemingly referring to Democratic front-runner Mamdani.
“Our children are being radicalized to hate our city and our country. Political anger has turned into political violence,” Adams continued.
“Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer [is] to destroy the very system we built together over generations. That is not change; that is chaos.”
Adams has not endorsed any of the remaining candidates.
Mamdani is facing off against former New York Gov. Cuomo (D), who is running a third-party bid, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
RELATED: Trump slams Hochul’s endorsement of ‘communist’ Mamdani: ‘No reason to be sending good money’
While Adams’ decision to drop out of the race has likely boosted Cuomo’s chances, it may not be enough.
In a July poll, Mamdani held a 23-point lead over Adams. While Cuomo had better odds than either Adams or Sliwa, the results still showed Mamdani winning by three points.
“Cuomo is the strongest candidate against Mamdani, but for him to have any chance of winning, he’ll need (a) Sliwa and Adams to drop out AND (b) to turn out moderate and conservative lower-propensity voters (who may have sat out previous mayoral general elections) at very high rates,” the poll stated.
Three other polls also showed Mamdani winning by a margin of four to 10 points. However, polls by Wick and HarrisX showed Cuomo securing a one- to 15-point victory.
RELATED: Is Trump meddling with Mamdani's candidacy?
Cuomo reacted to Adams leaving the race, noting that it was “not an easy” decision.
“We face destructive extremist forces that would devastate our city through incompetence or ignorance, but it is not too late to stop them,” Cuomo wrote in a post on X, also presumably referring to Democratic socialist Mamdani.
Mamdani stated that Adams’ decision would have little impact.
“I think it’s very much the same race,” he said, noting that he beat Cuomo by 13 points in the Democrat primary.
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President Donald Trump criticized New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and floated potential consequences for her endorsement of Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayoral race.
Hochul held off on an endorsement for several months, previously expressing skepticism about Mamdani. “You have a lot of healing to do with the Jewish community. Many of your words have been hurtful and hateful to people in their interpretation,” Hochul told Mamdani in July.
On Sunday, the New York Times published an opinion column from Hochul where she announced her support for the Democratic socialist. The governor explained that the two had been in communication over the past few months to discuss their priorities. Hochul noted that while she and Mamdani "had our disagreements," they were aligned on their commitment to ensure New York City is safe and affordable.
'They deserve each other.'
"I also shared with him my priorities, making it very clear that our police officers should have every resource to keep our streets and subways safe. I urged him to ensure that there is strong leadership at the helm of the NYPD — and he agreed," Hochul wrote. "We discussed the need to combat the rise of anti-Semitism urgently and unequivocally."
"And in light of the abhorrent and destructive policies coming out of Washington every day, I needed to know the next mayor will not be someone who would surrender one inch to President Trump," Hochul added.
She labeled anyone who "accepts [Trump's] tainted influence or benefits from it" as "compromised from the start."
"Governor Hochul has made affordability the centerpiece of her work. I look forward to fighting alongside her to continue her track record of putting money back in New Yorkers' pockets and building a safer and stronger New York City where no one is forced to leave just so they can afford to raise a family," Mamdani said.
"I'm grateful to the Governor for her support in unifying our party — as well as the work she's done standing up to President Trump, securing free lunch meals for our kids, and expanding access to childcare."
RELATED: Is Trump meddling with Mamdani's candidacy?
Trump responded to Hochul's endorsement of Mamdani in a post on Truth Social.
"Governor Kathy Hochul of New York has Endorsed the 'Liddle' Communist,' Zohran Mamdani, running for Mayor of New York. This is a rather shocking development, and a very bad one for New York City. How can such a thing happen?" Trump wrote.
"Washington will be watching this situation very closely. No reason to be sending good money after bad!" he stated.
RELATED: NYC Mayor Adams reveals 'important' campaign announcement as dropout speculations swirl
Mamdani's challengers include current Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent; former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D); and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
"The worst governor in America just endorsed the worst candidate for mayor. They deserve each other. New Yorkers see through the backroom politics and know Curtis Sliwa is fighting for them, not the insiders," stated Daniel Kurzyna, a spokesperson for Sliwa's campaign.
"Curtis will be mayor this year, [Rep.] Elise Stefanik will be governor next year, and the nonsense will finally end," Kurzyna added.
Stefanik stated that it was "only a matter of time before the Worst Governor in America Kathy Hochul would bend the knee to the Communist Antisemite Zohran Mamdani."
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The frail condition that Millennial young men like Mamdani find themselves in should be a wake-up call to parents, educators, and policymakers to look for ways to encourage young men to lead, build, and — at very least — lift.
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