New York City Mayor Eric Adams has ended his long-shot bid to run for a second term leading the nation's largest city.

Adams’ decision to drop out of the race as a one-term mayor, announced Sept. 28, narrows the field and likely improves the chances of fellow independent candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. State representative and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani upset Cuomo in June's Democratic primary in the overwhelmingly blue city.

Adams announced his departure from the race in a video address posted to X on Sunday. "It has been my honor to be your mayor," he said.

A 65-year-old Democratic mayor elected in 2021, Adams had been pressured to drop out of the race for months, with his administration plagued by scandal, resignations and corruption allegations. That pressure came most recently from Washington, D.C., where President Donald Trump has pushed for a one-on-one race against Mamdani, 33, who represents Queens in the New York state legislature.

Without Adams, Cuomo likely gets a more favorable rematch against Mamdani in the November general election. Notably, Trump has not backed fellow Republican Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol group.

On Sept. 5, news outlets reported the Trump administration was considering Adams to serve as ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Adams initially said he hadn't received a formal offer and had always wanted to be New York City's mayor.

Adams' rocky tenure marked by corruption charges

Earlier in 2025, Trump's Justice Department intervened to drop federal corruption charges against Adams related to allegedly soliciting and accepting illegal gifts and campaign donations from wealthy foreigners, including the Turkish government.

At the time, Trump administration officials said the criminal case was politically motivated. Adams has denied any quid pro quo took place to drop the charges.

Facing calls to resign or even be removed from office, Adams opted not to run in a crowded Democratic primary against Mamdani, Cuomo and a handful of other candidates. Instead, he ran as an independent until he dropped out on Sept. 28.

Adams is a former police officer, state senator and Brooklyn borough president who first took office in 2022 promising to address crime as a “blue-collar mayor.” A former Republican, he has said he remains a Democrat, even after he decided to run as an independent.

Mamdani, Sliwa react to Adams' departure from mayoral race

In response to Adams' decision, Mamdani released a statement slamming both the mayor and Cuomo.

“Donald Trump and his billionaire donors might be able to determine Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo’s actions but they will not dictate the results of this election," Mamdani said. "New York deserves better than trading in one disgraced, corrupt politician for another. On November 4th, we are going to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas and deliver a government every New Yorker can be proud of.”

Daniel Kurzyna a spokesperson for Curtis Sliwa's campaign, didn't mention Adams at all in response to the news, instead focusing squarely on the race's front-runner, Mamdani.

"Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who can defeat Mamdani," Kurzyna said. "Our team, our resources, and our funding are unmatched. Most importantly, we have the best solutions to help working people afford to stay in New York City and feel safe."

NBC's "Meet the Press" host Kristen Walker said on Sunday, Sept. 28 that Cuomo was set to appear on the show, but canceled the appearance on Saturday. The former governor instead gave an address to congregants at Bethany Baptist Church in Brooklyn on Sunday morning, before Adams' social media announcement, where he discussed housing, gun violence and touted his experience in government.

In a statement, Cuomo struck a different tone, saying he believes Adams was "putting the well-being of New York City ahead of personal ambition" in dropping out. Cuomo also referred to unnamed "destructive extremist forces" he says could devastate New York City, adding that it is "not too late to stop them" but did not go into further detail.

"Mayor Adams has much to be proud of in his accomplishments," Cuomo said in his Sept. 28 statement. "Only in New York can a child raised in a tenement in Bushwick, who once worked as a squeegee boy and a mailroom clerk, rise to become mayor. Whatever differences we may have, Eric Adams’ story is undeniably one of resilience, a testament to the spirit of this city.”

Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NYC Mayor Eric Adams ends longshot re-election bid

Reporting by Eduardo Cuevas and Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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