The race for New York City’s top job has taken a dramatic turn just weeks before Election Day, as Mayor Eric Adams announced his withdrawal from the contest, sending shockwaves through the city’s political landscape. With Adams stepping aside, the mayoral race is now a three-way showdown between Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa—a trio whose differences have come into sharp relief as the campaign enters its final stretch.
Adams, who was sworn in as mayor on January 1, 2022, and once hailed as a rising Democratic star, made his exit official this past weekend in a nearly nine-minute video posted to social media. In the video, Adams explained his decision, citing his inability to raise the necessary funds for a “serious campaign” in the wake of a now-dismissed federal corruption case and what he described as “constant media speculation” about his future. “Although this is the end of my reelection campaign, it is not the end of my public service,” Adams vowed. “I will continue to fight for this city—as I have for 40 years, since the day I joined the NYPD to make our streets safer and our systems fairer.”
Despite Adams’ withdrawal, his name will remain on the ballot when voting begins in less than a month, as the deadline to formally remove candidates has already passed. Polls conducted in September 2025 indicated Adams’ support among New Yorkers was already quite low, and his decision to opt out of the Democratic primary earlier this year to run as an independent had left him politically isolated. According to Hell Gate, Adams has refused to endorse any other candidate, and his remaining campaign funds—estimated at $3.8 million—may be redirected to pay off legal debts or transferred to a state election account.
With Adams out, the contest’s dynamics have shifted but not as dramatically as some might have expected. Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state lawmaker and self-described democratic socialist, emerged as the presumed favorite after decisively beating Cuomo in the Democratic primary. Fox News polling indicates Mamdani leads Cuomo by 16 points among likely voters, with Curtis Sliwa trailing behind. In a three-way race, Cuomo is still 10 to 15 percentage points behind Mamdani, who is approaching the crucial 50 percent threshold, according to Hell Gate.
Cuomo and his supporters have repeatedly called for both Adams and Sliwa to step aside, arguing that a one-on-one rematch with Mamdani would be more favorable for the former governor. Even former President Donald Trump has weighed in, suggesting Cuomo has a better shot than Sliwa and deriding the Republican candidate as “not exactly prime time.” But Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group and a perennial fixture in city politics, has flatly refused to end his campaign. “I'm the only consistent candidate, and I'm in it to win it,” Sliwa declared on Fox 5’s ‘Good Day New York,’ adding a touch of bravado to an already colorful race.
Cuomo, for his part, insists that Adams’ exit “changes the entire dynamic of the race.” “There’s now more attention on just me and just Mr. Mamdani,” Cuomo told reporters, framing the contest as a two-person battle for the city’s future. Yet political experts remain skeptical. “I don’t know if this dramatically changes the overall narrative of the race,” Basil Smikle, a Democratic strategist and Columbia University professor, told City & State. “If it were earlier in the summer or after the primary, I think there would have been a lot more time to frame that matchup between Cuomo and Mamdani.”
As the frontrunner, Mamdani has wasted no time casting Cuomo as the candidate of the city’s wealthy elite and, more pointedly, as an ally of Trump. “We know that Andrew Cuomo will be the greatest thing that can happen for Donald Trump, because he isn’t simply clearing the way or looking to Andrew Cuomo out of a sincere belief in what Cuomo will present for the people of the city, that he, Cuomo will clear the way for Donald Trump’s agenda,” Mamdani told reporters on Monday. He also dismissed Trump’s threat to withhold federal funds from New York City if Mamdani is elected, telling reporters that Trump is “going through the stages of grief” over his campaign.
Republican voices have also entered the fray, warning of dire consequences should Mamdani prevail. “Do we steady the ship with leadership that at least keeps the city functioning, or do we hand over America’s largest and greatest city to a socialist experiment that could unravel public safety, bankrupt our economy, and poison our schools?” New York State Rep. Jake Blumencranz asked Fox News Digital. Blumencranz praised Adams for putting the city ahead of himself and called on New Yorkers to “unite around a credible alternative to extremism.” City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov echoed these sentiments, urging Adams to ensure “no vote is wasted” and to help consolidate opposition to Mamdani.
Meanwhile, the money and intrigue swirling around the campaign have not gone unnoticed. Adams’ campaign coffers, as reported by Hell Gate, are substantial, but questions remain about how these funds will be used. The Empower NYC super PAC, closely associated with Adams, has amassed a $2.5 million war chest, mostly spent on attacking Cuomo. Its most notable donor is Brock Pierce, a crypto enthusiast and former child actor, who contributed $1,111,111 just last week. In a theatrical gesture, Pierce convened reporters at Fraunces Tavern to launch a “Draft Eric Back” campaign, expressing his continued support for Adams and blaming campaign insider Frank Carone for Adams’ woes—a claim Carone dismissed, saying he only learned of Pierce the previous day.
All the while, Adams has signaled that his commitment to public service is far from over. “The quest for justice is far from over. Inequality persists. Innocents still suffer. New Yorkers deserve better every single day, and until the last day of my term, I will fight for just that,” Adams said in his announcement video. He will serve out his term through early 2026 and plans to take some time with family and friends in the immediate aftermath of his campaign’s end.
Despite the drama, the numbers tell a clear story: Mamdani remains the strong favorite, with both Cuomo and Sliwa struggling to close the gap. Even if all of Adams’ remaining supporters were to back Cuomo, he would still trail Mamdani by at least 10 points, according to Fox News polling. The calls for unity among anti-Mamdani forces have so far gone unheeded, and Sliwa’s continued presence in the race complicates any effort to consolidate the opposition.
With just weeks to go, New Yorkers face a stark choice. The city’s political future hangs in the balance, shaped by shifting alliances, big personalities, and the perennial question of what kind of leadership America’s largest city truly needs.
