Eric Adams’ political journey has come to a dramatic and, for many, surprising end. On Sunday, September 28, 2025, the 64-year-old mayor of New York City announced he was suspending his campaign for re-election, abruptly closing the chapter on a tenure that began with high hopes and ended in controversy, scandal, and a city in political flux. The announcement, delivered in a somber video message posted to social media, cited “constant speculation” and campaign finance woes as the reasons for his decision. Yet, the roots of Adams’ downfall run far deeper, entwined in legal battles, political missteps, and shifting tides within the city’s Democratic base.
Just four years ago, Adams was riding high. Fresh off a razor-thin victory in the 2021 Democratic primary, he declared himself the “face of the new Democratic Party,” promising to bring City Hall closer to the working class and dispossessed. As the city’s second Black mayor, following in the footsteps of David Dinkins, Adams vowed to “get stuff done” and champion the needs of everyday New Yorkers. “The campaign was never, never, never about me,” he told supporters in November 2021, as reported by The New York Times.
Adams’ platform as a pro-police moderate set him apart in a city where calls to “defund the police” echoed loudly from the progressive left. He boasted of his working-class roots, his time as a police officer, and his ability to bridge divides. “We can’t be so idealistic that we’re not realistic,” Adams said in a July 2021 interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, emphasizing the need to address gun violence and inequality with practical solutions. For a moment, it seemed Adams might indeed be the new face of Democratic leadership, not just in New York but nationally.
But Adams’ administration was dogged by controversy almost from the outset. Questions swirled about his character, decision-making, and the company he kept. Early in his term, he was caught lying about personal matters, including his diet and real estate holdings, as noted by The New York Times. His inner circle, populated by loyalists with checkered pasts, drew scrutiny and eventually, federal investigators.
The most damaging blow came in September 2024, when Adams was indicted by federal prosecutors on charges of bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud, and soliciting foreign contributions. The case centered on allegations that he accepted luxury travel and favors from Turkish nationals and organizations in exchange for political support tied to the construction of the Turkevi Centre in Manhattan. Prosecutors accused Adams of knowingly soliciting illegal foreign donations routed through straw donors. The indictment, and the subsequent swirl of media coverage, immediately cast a long shadow over his re-election hopes.
In early 2025, the Department of Justice moved to dismiss the charges. The decision was deeply controversial: several DOJ officials reportedly resigned in protest, alleging the dismissal was politically motivated. Critics, including some within Adams’ own party, suggested that his cooperation with the Trump administration’s immigration agenda may have influenced the outcome. Adams, for his part, denied any wrongdoing, insisting the case was “politically driven.” Yet the cloud of suspicion never truly lifted, and the episode left many New Yorkers questioning the integrity of both the mayor and the justice system.
Meanwhile, Adams’ campaign was faltering on other fronts. The New York City Campaign Finance Board withheld public matching funds due to irregularities in donation records, citing unverifiable addresses and other discrepancies. Deprived of these crucial resources, Adams found himself unable to compete with his rivals’ advertising and grassroots mobilization. As reported by BBC, analysts pointed to the loss of public financing as a decisive blow, feeding the narrative that his campaign was on life support.
Political battles and public backlash further eroded Adams’ support. His attempt to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park angered the carriage drivers’ union, which launched a $1 million advertising campaign accusing him of betrayal and corruption. He clashed repeatedly with the City Council, most notably over plans for a supportive housing site for formerly incarcerated individuals in the Bronx—a project he tried to relocate, only to be overruled by council members. Even his much-publicized efforts to tackle the city’s rat problem took a hit when “rat czar” Kathleen Corradi resigned, a symbolic blow to the administration’s credibility.
Behind closed doors, Adams’ City Hall was in turmoil. High-profile resignations and constant investigations left the administration weakened and demoralized. Former aides described an atmosphere of frustration and exhaustion, as the mayor’s attention seemed increasingly focused on loyalty tests and damage control rather than governing. Speculation about the abrupt dismissal of Adams’ federal charges—officially attributed to insufficient evidence—continued to swirl, with critics alleging political deals were at play.
Adams’ political isolation deepened in 2025. After recognizing his slim chances in the June Democratic primary, he mounted an independent run for mayor, but it never gained traction. Polls showed him trailing far behind Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, a progressive state assembly member, as well as former Governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. His fundraising dried up, and the city’s Campaign Finance Board denied him public matching funds, citing the ongoing irregularities. Adams even considered other jobs, including a potential ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia, but nothing materialized.
As his campaign sputtered, Adams’ relationship with President Donald Trump came under increasing scrutiny. His public and private overtures to the Republican president, including support for Trump’s deportation agenda, were viewed as a betrayal by many in the Democratic base. According to the Rev. Al Sharpton, as quoted by The New York Times, “The thing that hurt him more than anything was the perception that he had become compromised by Donald Trump.”
On September 28, 2025, Adams finally acknowledged political reality. In his exit video, he took a veiled swipe at Zohran Mamdani, warning New Yorkers to “beware of those who claim the answer is to destroy the very systems we built together over generations. That is not change. That is chaos. Instead, I urge New Yorkers to choose leaders not by what they promise, but by what they have delivered.”
With Adams out of the race—though his name will remain on the November ballot due to state election deadlines—the city’s political landscape is in upheaval. Attention has shifted to Mamdani, whose progressive platform has energized voters, and Cuomo, who seeks a comeback. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries praised Adams’ years of public service but stopped short of endorsing a successor, leaving the contest wide open.
For New York City, Adams’ rise and fall is a cautionary tale about the perils of political hubris, the corrosive effects of scandal, and the shifting winds of urban politics. As the city looks ahead to a new mayoral era, the story of Eric Adams will serve as a stark reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in the nation’s largest city.
