New York City Mayor Eric Adams commenced his reelection campaign in front of City Hall with several punches at Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
Adams’s campaign is viewed as a long shot with tanking popularity among city residents, but he is likely the best hope for anyone opposed to Mamdani, who has troubled some with his socialist policies.
The mayor sought to brand himself as the “blue-collar” elected official against Mamdani, whom he suggested was spoiled and clean. “This election is a choice between a candidate with a blue-collar and one with a suit and a silver spoon,” he said. “A choice between dirty fingernails and manicured nails. A choice between someone who delivered lower crime, the most jobs in history, the most new housing … and an Assembly member who did not pass a bill.”
The mayor stood alongside many of his supporters, who were waving blue “Re-elect Eric for Mayor” signs. He dropped out of the Democratic primary in April after polls showed he was a heavy underdog to win, with his exit coming shortly after his criminal indictment for corruption was dropped by the Trump administration.
The red beret community is split in the general election between @CurtisSliwa and @EricAdamsforNYC. pic.twitter.com/1cHBHo5mih
— Jeff Coltin (@JCColtin) June 26, 2025
Adams is running against Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and independent candidate Jim Walden.
The mayor took shots at Mamdani’s successful social media strategy, which ultimately played a significant role in drawing attention to him. “Let’s be clear: They have a record of tweets. I have a record on the streets,” the mayor said. “They talk about problems. I fix them. That’s the difference. You don’t lead this city from a soapbox; you lead it from the ground up.”
The mayor has also called Mamdani a “snake oil salesman.” Mamdani has promised to freeze the rent, make buses and child care free, and create government-run grocery stores.
Mamdani’s decisive win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), considered a shock to many, made the ideological difference between the candidates in the city’s mayoral race much more stark. Adams, a centrist like Cuomo, is running on a continuation of his pursuit to lower crime.
Mamdani has focused more on affordability and bucking the establishment as a liberal Democrat. He called Adams’s mayoralty an “era of corruption, incompetence, and the betrayal of working-class New Yorkers.”
“When we launched this campaign, we did so to defeat Eric Adams’s second term,” he said. “New Yorkers have been suffocated by a cost-of-living crisis, and this mayor has taken almost every opportunity to exacerbate it, all while partnering with [President] Donald Trump to tear our city apart.”
One of the main boons to Adams’s reelection campaign will be his association with Trump. Adams has been accused of accepting a quid pro quo agreement with the Trump administration, promising to yield to the administration’s immigration priorities in exchange for his case being dropped.
HOCHUL SIDESTEPS ENDORSEMENT OF MAMDANI AFTER SOCIALIST WINS NYC MAYORAL PRIMARY
Adams’s proximity to the administration may hinder him in the first November election since Trump took the White House.
“Eric has no shot,” said Trip Yang, a Democratic consultant. “Party loyalty reigns supreme for Democrats in a November general election, especially when Donald Trump is in office.”