New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams, who won as a Democrat in his first mayoral bid in 2021, launched his reelection campaign on Thursday as an independent, after the surprise victory of progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic primary earlier this week.
The mayor did not name Mamdani during the event held on the steps of New York City Hall, but he alluded to some of the self-described Democratic socialist’s positions and background.
“This election is a choice between a candidate with a blue collar and one with a silver spoon,“ Adams said. “A choice between someone who delivered lower crime, the most jobs in history and the most houses built in decades and an assembly member who did not pass a bill.”
“I understand what he’s doing,“ Mamdani said of Adams on Thursday evening in an interview with CNN. “He’s trying to distract from his own record. His is a record where he raised rents on more than 2 million New Yorkers by 9% and he’s considering another 8% increase.”
Adams saw his popularity plummet following his indictment on corruption charges and the subsequent decision by the Department of Justice after President Donald Trump took office to drop the case. In April, Adams said he would run for reelection as an independent, avoiding the Democratic primary that included Mamdani and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Since Mamdani’s win, Adams has criticized the 33-year-old state assemblyman from Queens, saying he lacked experience and was campaigning on policy proposals he could not deliver.
“He’s a snake oil salesman,“ Adams said Wednesday in an interview with Fox News.
Mamdani’s victory in the primary and potential win in the general election has prompted strong reactions from progressives, who have cheered his campaign’s upbeat tone and focus on economic issues, as well as conservatives and some in the business community, who have criticized his Democratic socialist policies.
Trump, a native New Yorker, called Mamdani a “100% Communist Lunatic” in a post Wednesday on social media.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who supported Trump in the 2024 election, offered financial backing for a challenger.
“New York City under Mamdani is about to become much more dangerous and economically unviable,“ Ackman said Wednesday in a post on X.
Ackman, a major shareholder in real estate development company Howard Hughes Holdings, said he has “a superb candidate who I can believe can win” but added “if I were to say his name or even reach out to him, it would have a negative effect on his candidacy, as I am a supporter of President Trump...”
Ackman instead offered to crowdsource “the best centrist candidate.”
“If someone is ready to raise their hand, I will take care of the fundraising,“ Ackman said.
When asked on CNN if he would meet with Ackman and others with concerns about his tax proposals, Mamdani said he would “meet with anyone.”
“I will meet with them, and I’ll explain why I believe in the necessity of raising the top corporate tax rate,“ Mamdani said.
The Republican candidate this fall will be Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels. Jim Walden, a former federal prosecutor, is running as an independent, as well. Cuomo also retains the ability to run as an independent, though he has not yet formally announced whether he will do so.
CNN and Fox News reported - both media outlets citing sources - late on Thursday that Cuomo would not drop out of the New York City mayoral race by the Friday deadline to remove himself from the general election ballot. (Reporting by Christian Martinez; additional reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Paul Thomasch, Diane Craft and Kate Mayberry)
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