Mayor Eric Adams formally launched his re-election bid Thursday with a fiery and defiant speech on the steps of City Hall—just two days after Zohran Mamdani, a socialist state assembly member from Queens, appeared to secure the Democratic nomination for mayor in a sweeping primary victory.
Flanked by a diverse group of supporters and political allies, Adams declared that “the race didn’t stop on June 24, it started on June 24,” as he outlined his campaign for a second term under a newly formed independent ballot line.
“We’ve got people from all across the city and different ethnicities and groups, not people who read about me, but people I have touched individually,” Adams said. “Look at the display that’s here of different languages and different cultures, all of wanting the same thing. I’m so proud to be here to say to the people of the City of New York: I am seeking reelection.”
The rally—chaotic at times—was held inside the gates of City Hall, while a chorus of protesters gathered in the adjacent park, chanting “shut it down” and heckling Adams as he delivered his remarks. At least two protesters briefly broke through the crowd of reporters, with one yelling “Eric Adams sold us out to Trump” and another calling him a “f**king criminal,” referencing the mayor’s recently dismissed federal investigation and speculation about a deal with the former president.
Adams, who did not participate in the Democratic primary as his campaign sought to regroup amid the legal scrutiny, now faces a steep challenge in the general election. Mamdani, his likely Democratic opponent, won the primary with an affordability-focused agenda and strong support from working-class neighborhoods—although he was beaten by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Bronx.
Mamdani’s platform includes proposals to freeze rents for the city’s more than one million stabilized tenants, create city-run grocery stores, and make bus service free and more efficient—plans he says can be funded by increasing taxes on wealthy residents and corporations.
Adams, who rose to power as a moderate in 2021 with support from business leaders and real estate interests, is expected to court those same sectors again. On Wednesday night, just before his campaign launch, Adams reportedly met with hedge fund billionaire Daniel Loeb and other influential backers to strategize ways to prevent Mamdani from winning in November, according to The New York Times.
“This election is a choice between a candidate with a blue collar and one with a suit and a silver spoon,” Adams said during Thursday’s event. “A choice between dirty fingernails and manicured hands. A choice between someone who delivered lower crime, the most jobs in history, the most new housing built in decades, and an Assembly member who did not pass a bill. This election is a choice between real progress and empty promises. A future for working people and not a fantasy state.”
The event included remarks from former Council Members Inez Dickens and Fernando Cabrera, as well as faith leaders Bishop Chantel Wright and Sheikh Musa Drammeh. Also present were Rev. Herbert Daughtry, Adams’ longtime mentor; Brianna Suggs, the mayor’s campaign fundraiser whose home was raided by federal agents in 2023; and Winnie Greco, a former aide who stepped down last year amid a separate federal probe.
Supporters chanted “four more years” while some of the speakers aimed sharp critiques at Mamdani’s self-identification as a democratic socialist. Mijal Bitton, a Jewish spiritual leader and co-founder of the Downtown Minyan, warned that socialism “ravaged” her home country of Argentina and expressed concern about similar policies being introduced in New York City.
“I’ve seen what happens when politicians weaponize envy, when they use frustration to divide instead of lifting up,” Bitton said. “My family has lived what happens when socialist promises collapse economies.”
Other contenders in the November general election include Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, and independent attorney Jim Walden.
Mamdani, responding to Adams’ campaign launch, pointed to what he described as the mayor’s failure to address the city’s worsening affordability crisis—particularly in the outer boroughs like the Bronx, where many families are struggling with rent, food, and transit costs.
“Since Oct. 23, I have run on a promise to end this era of corruption, incompetence, and the betrayal of working-class New Yorkers,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Today is no different. Just as voters made clear on Tuesday, they will do so again in November – choosing a city they can afford and bringing an end to the politics and politicians of the past.”
For Bronx voters, the general election is shaping up to be a choice between starkly different visions for the future of the city. Mamdani has built strong support in neighborhoods like Mott Haven and Kingsbridge by pushing for bold housing and transit reforms, while Adams is expected to double down on public safety, job creation, and keeping the city’s business community engaged.
It remains unclear whether former Governor Andrew Cuomo—who finished second to Mamdani in the Democratic primary—will continue his campaign under a third-party banner, or what role, if any, he will play in the general election.
