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Is Mayor Adams dropping out of NYC's mayor race? He’s ‘not going into private conversations.’
By
Brigid Bergin
and
Elizabeth Kim
Published Sep 3, 2025
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By
Brigid Bergin
and
Elizabeth Kim
Published Sep 3, 2025
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Mayor Eric Adams returned from an unexpected trip to Florida on Wednesday to mounting speculation that he is on the verge of dropping his long-shot re-election bid as an independent.
The New York Times reported that advisers to President Donald Trump have weighed giving Adams a job in the administration – along with Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa – to clear a path for Andrew Cuomo to challenge Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani.
Former Gov. David Paterson said senior advisers in Adams’ campaign were becoming increasingly frustrated with a lack of strategy, messaging and direction from the campaign. The team hoped to double down on its outreach to Black voters.
“ They want to firm up that message in the communities that supported Adams very well in 2021, that we want to do the same thing in 2025,” said Paterson, who is the most prominent figure to have endorsed Adams’ re-election. “But it's hard to just do it on your own.”
Paterson said the advisers, including former state Sens. Malcolm Smith, John Sampson and Larry Seabrook, planned to gather on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Adams' campaign, Todd Shapiro, did not respond to a request for comment.
In recent weeks, Adams adamantly denied he’d drop out of the race. But on Wednesday, he was less definitive when asked about the Times report at an event in the Bronx.
“ I am not going into private conversations, and no matter what happens right now, I'm the mayor of the city of New York,” Adams said. During an interview on FOX5 earlier in the day, Adams tried to tamp down speculation that he was considering leaving the race. “Whenever I make a move, I make an announcement.”
He added that he’s received many job offers from the private sector.
“ I'm a CEO of 320,000 employees. People saw what I did, how I handled crises. So I've been getting job offers for the last year-and-a-half,” Adams said.
A campaign spokesperson said Adams had been in Florida on a personal trip. But in an interview on PIX11 Wednesday morning, Adams said he’d also met with “political figures.”
Sliwa said no one from the White House has contacted him. He repeated that he is not interested in a job in the Trump administration.
“My focus is right here in New York,” Sliwa said, “I’m the only candidate on a major party line who can defeat Mamdani, and I’m committed to carrying this fight through to Election Day. The people of New York City deserve a mayor who truly cares."
The speculation reflected the political bind for candidates hoping to defeat Mamdani in November. Cuomo, Adams and Sliwa are all vying for a similar set of voters. The polls show Mamdani leading with more than 40% support, compared to Cuomo around 25%, Sliwa with around 15% and Adams trailing the pack around 10%.
Paterson said Mamdani could only be defeated in a one-on-one contest.
“It really would have to be this organized situation with Curtis Sliwa being encouraged to drop out by the Republican Party and either Adams or Cuomo would drop out,” Paterson said. He added he’s been “pulling my hair out” over Mamdani’s ascension.
Mamdani, meanwhile, held an “emergency press conference” pointing to the possibility Adams might take a job in the Trump administration as an example of the politics that helped him win the primary.
“I am angry. I'm angry because so often we think of this solely in terms of the dynamics of politics. But the reason that so many New Yorkers are fed up with politics as they know it is because of news like this. Backroom deals, corrupt agreements, all of which serve to increase the sense of disaffection and despair as it pertains to how people feel about politics across this country,” Mamdani said.
He also announced a major rally with progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont at Brooklyn College on Saturday night.
The developments came after Jim Walden, another independent candidate for mayor, dropped out of the race.
The former federal prosecutor said Tuesday he decided to leave the race based on his “values.”
“I’ve been steadfast in my view that, unless there is a one-on-one race in November, a Trojan horse will take control of City Hall,” Walden said in a statement. Walden never polled above the single digits, trailing Cuomo, who is also running as an independent after losing the primary to Mamdani by nearly 14 points.
Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi released a statement that credited Walden with putting “ego and ambition aside for the good of New York City.”
“His decision underscores the existential threat our city faces in Zohran Mamdani — a dangerously inexperienced 33-year-old socialist with no meaningful work experience, no record of governing or accomplishment, and a reckless ideology that would jeopardize public safety, economic growth and the very future of New York City."
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new york city
Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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