NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Mayor Eric Adams has not ruled out an independent run at reelection as he faces a competitive and crowded Democratic primary, according to comments he made during his weekly media availability at City Hall on Monday.
When asked about reports that he may be considering independent candidacy, the mayor said “When I’m ready to roll out my official re-announcement and my plan, I will do so.”
Adams was asked in a follow-up question if he intended to run as an independent in the case he lost the Democratic primary, and he responded “Hypotheticals is not what I’m answering.”
Andrew Cuomo is leading the field in the polls by a significant margin, with Adams losing key endorsements to the former governor in the two weeks since he announced his campaign. This includes the endorsement of Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, leader of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.
Bichotte Hermelyn was part of the winning coalition of support Adams built in 2021, and she stood by the mayor amid his federal indictment in September and the more recent accusations that he entered a quid pro quo with the Trump administration to get those charges dismissed. Despite their history, the assemblymember said that New Yorkers deserves “a battle-tested & visionary Democrat to keep leading NYC through challenging times” in her Sunday endorsement of Cuomo.
But the shift in support has not altered the mayor’s feelings about Bichotte Hermelyn, who he called “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 would not disclose recent fundraising figures as the Campaign Finance Board continues to withhold matching funds while his public corruption charges remain intact, simply stating that he “started raising early” but that the other candidates are catching up to him on both fundraising and policy fronts.
“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.”