New York City Mayor Eric Adams just made it crystal clear: he’s not backing out of the mayoral race. Running as an independent, Adams declared Friday that he’s the “only one that can beat” Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the radical socialist who clinched the Democratic nomination earlier this summer.
Adams didn’t mince words about former Gov. Andrew Cuomo either, calling him a “snake and a liar” and blasting his history of pushing Black candidates out of political races. Adams said New Yorkers shouldn’t forget what the city was like before he took over—sky-high crime, COVID chaos, unsafe subways, and collapsing housing confidence. “This city can’t go backwards,” Adams said. “I committed myself and dedicated myself to a city that I love, and I’m going to continue to do that.”
The mayor’s comments came after reports in the New York Times claimed that advisers to President Trump had floated the idea of offering Adams—or even Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa—a role in a future Trump administration. The theory was that clearing the field might help Cuomo take on Mamdani in November. Adams, however, isn’t budging.
And let’s be clear about Mamdani: this isn’t your garden-variety liberal. He’s openly campaigned on socialist policies straight out of Europe’s failed playbook. In a resurfaced 2021 video, Mamdani argued for buying up private housing and converting it into government-owned “communes.” He’s pushed the idea of city-run grocery stores, and his comments in a 2020 podcast—where he appeared to downplay domestic violence concerns—have already sparked outrage from survivors and advocacy groups.
Adams framed himself as the only real firewall between New York City and Mamdani’s socialist vision. With Democrats fractured between Cuomo’s comeback attempt and Mamdani’s radical base, Adams believes his independent run is the sole path to victory.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. New Yorkers must now decide: stick with Adams, who says he’s kept the city safer and steadier, or gamble on Mamdani’s socialist experiment that sounds more like Venezuela than the Big Apple.
