Daijiworld Media Network - New York

New York, Sep 29: New York City Mayor Eric Adams has officially ended his struggling reelection campaign, paving the way for a three-way contest in the November 4 mayoral election between Democrat Zohran Mamdani, former Governor Andrew Cuomo running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa.

Adams, 65, who assumed office in January 2022, posted a video on X announcing his withdrawal, though his name will remain on the ballot. He cited the combined impact of media speculation and the campaign finance board’s withholding of funds, which undermined his ability to raise necessary campaign resources.

“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign,” Adams said. “The constant media speculation and funding challenges have made it impossible to run a serious campaign.”

Adams’ tenure had been dogged by corruption allegations and criticism over cooperating with former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. He skipped the Democratic primary and filed as an independent, polling consistently below ten per cent.

Veiledly addressing Mamdani, 33, who won the Democratic primary and campaigned on lowering living costs with promises of regulated rents, free bus travel, and daycare, Adams remarked, “Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer is to destroy the very system we built together over generations. That is not change, that is chaos.”

In response, Mamdani criticised Cuomo, saying, “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.”

Cuomo, 67, welcomed Adams’ decision, praising him for “putting the well-being of New York City ahead of personal ambition,” and warned against “destructive extremist forces that would devastate our city through incompetence or ignorance.”

Political analysts, however, suggest Adams’ late withdrawal—just 37 days before the election—may have limited impact on the outcome. Evan Roth Smith, founding partner at Slingshot Strategies, noted, “It’s too little, too late to really make this a whole new ballgame.”

Since Adams has surpassed the September 11 deadline to remove his name, voters will still see him on the ballot, leaving the final race uncertain but clearly favouring Mamdani given current polling trends.