Fresh off the dissolution of his criminal corruption case, New York City Mayor Eric Adams says he’s back to focusing on working for New Yorkers. He just plans to do it with another party. The embattled Democrat announced Thursday that he will run instead for mayor as an independent, leaving An drew Cuomo, who resigned as governor of New York amid a sexual harassment controversy, the primary contender at the top of the blue ticket. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is also running. In a video, Adams, said he will not run in the Democratic primary in June because the case “dragged on too long” while the “false accusations were held over me.” “I firmly believe that this city is better served by truly independent leadership, not leaders pulled at by the extremists at the far left or the far right, but instead those rooted in the common middle, the place where the vast majority of New Yorkers are firmly planted,” Adams said. I have always put New York’s people before politics and party—and I always will. I am running for mayor in the general election because our city needs independent leadership that understands working people.— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) April 3, 2025 The development comes with three months to go until a Democratic primary that is likely to choose the city’s next mayor. Adams faces a large field of challengers and several Democrats who say he’s now too indebted to Trump for New Yorkers to be sure he’ll prioritize their interests. A recent poll shows Cuomo trouncing him. Adams has said he’s “solely beholden to the 8.3 million New Yorkers that I represent, and I will always put this city first.” As recently as Jan. 6, the assistant U.S. attorneys in New York who were prosecuting Adams wrote in court papers that they continued to “uncover additional criminal conduct by Adams.” But a month later, their new superiors in Washington decided to abandon the case. More coverage New York City Mar 24 NYC mayor's race: Adams, Cuomo trade jabs as Mamdani touts record fundraising As seen on Apr 1 Mayor Eric Adams goes on the offensive against Andrew Cuomo in mayoral race As seen on Mar 6 NYC mayor's race: As Adrienne Adams announces run, Cuomo takes questions for 1st time In court filings and a hearing, acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove has said he was “particularly concerned about the impact of the prosecution on Mayor Adams’ ability to support” Trump’s immigration objectives. Bove also has questioned the prior administration’s motives in pursuing Adams, who had criticized then-President Joe Biden’s handling of an influx of migrants. The Trump administration’s acting U.S. attorney in New York, Danielle Sassoon, resisted Bove’s order, saying she couldn’t defend a dismissal linked to political considerations. Adams, a retired police captain and former state lawmaker and Brooklyn official, was elected in 2021 as a centrist Democrat in one of the United States’ liberal strongholds. But since his indictment in September, Adams has cultivated a warmer relationship with Trump, telling his staff not to criticize the president publicly and making media appearances with administration officials. Adams insists that he’s just looking out for the city by having a working relationship with the administration. ...read more read less