New York City Mayor Eric Adams officially launched his re-election campaign on Thursday, delivering a fiery speech on the steps of City Hall that was nearly drowned out by a chaotic crowd of protesters and supporters. The event came one day after Zohran Mamdani’s surprise Democratic primary win over former governor Andrew Cuomo.
Adams, a 64-year-old former police captain and self-described “blue-collar mayor,” announced he will run as an independent this year, following low approval ratings and the dismissal of federal corruption charges against him. He declared New York a “city of hands up, not handouts,” rejecting Mamdani’s affordability platform of tuition-free city colleges, rent freezes, free bus services, and publicly-run grocery stores.
“This is a city not of socialism. There's no dignity in someone giving you everything for free,” Adams said. But as he spoke, demonstrators heckled him as a “Trump Democrat” and “criminal,” referencing past federal investigations. Supporters chanted “four more years,” and Adams waved his hand to calm the crowd.
Adams contrasted himself with Mamdani, calling him “someone with a silver spoon” who “would say and do anything to get elected.” Mamdani, a 33-year-old Assembly member backed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, won the primary with 43.5 percent of the vote, marking a major progressive shift.
Also in the race are Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent candidate Jim Walden, with speculation that Cuomo might re-enter as an independent. Ranked-choice voting concludes on July 1, and the general election is set for November 4, 2025.
