Race for New York City mayor scrambled again after Adams ends bid for reelection

NYC Mayor Eric Adams at the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City, on September 11, 2025. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

New York City Mayor Eric Adams ended his reelection bid Sunday to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way,” walking down the stairs of Gracie Mansion, the official mayoral residence, and sitting down next to an enlarged photo of his late mother to say he was exiting the field.

“Only in America can a story like this be told,” Adams said.

It was an ending similar to the beginning, when Adams, standing in the middle of Times Square held a photo of his mother as he was sworn in as New York City’s second Black mayor , promising to represent the interests of working-class New Yorkers.

Nearly four years later, Adams said he was ending his bid for r