Overview

• Adams announced his withdrawal in a video posted on X on September 28, saying he could no longer continue his campaign.
• He blamed persistent media speculation and the New York election authority’s decision to withhold millions in donations, which he argued made campaigning impossible.
• The U.S. Department of Justice ordered a corruption case against Adams dropped in April, after which his alignment with President Trump drew sharp criticism from liberals.
• Adams, elected in 2022 as a Democrat, had been running as an independent for the November 4 vote.
• The race now centers on Democrat Zohran Mamdani, independent Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, with some reports suggesting Adams’s exit could boost Cuomo’s prospects.