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New York City Mayor Eric Adams officially launched his re-election campaign Thursday on the steps of City Hall, delivering a fiery speech that was nearly drowned out by a chaotic crowd of protesters and supporters shouting over one another.
The raucous rally comes one day after Zohran Mamdani’s surprise Democratic primary win over former NYC governor Andrew Cuomo.
Adams, a 64-year-old former police captain and self-described “blue-collar mayor,” announced he will run as an independent this year, following low approval ratings and the dismissal of federal corruption charges against him.
The reigning mayor declared New York a “city of hands up, not handouts,” railing against Mamdani’s affordability platform.
"This is a city not of socialism. There's no dignity in someone giving you everything for free. There's dignity in giving you a job, so you can provide for your family and the opportunities that you deserve,” Adams said Thursday, rejecting Mamdani’s vision of tuition‑free city colleges, rent freezes, free bus services, and publicly-run grocery stores.
But as Adams spoke, demonstrators heckled him as a “Trump Democrat” and “f****** criminal,” referencing past federal investigations into his campaign and criticizing his cozying up with the current administration.
Supporters responded by chanting “four more years,” which Adams appeared thankful for, before waving his hand at the crowd to calm down so he could get through the announcement.
Adams went on to contrast himself with Mamdani, calling him “someone with a silver spoon” who “would say and do anything to get elected.”
Mamdani, a 33-year-old Assembly member backed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, won the primary on Tuesday with 43.5 percent of the vote, marking a major progressive shift despite his limited experience.
Also in the race are Republican Curtis Sliwa, whom Adams previously defeated in 2021, and independent candidate Jim Walden. There remains speculation that Cuomo might re-enter the race as an independent.
With ranked-choice voting set to conclude on July 1, the stage is set for a fierce general election on November 4, 2025.
