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New York City Mayor Eric Adams has officially announced his plans to run for re-election. He will not participate in the Democratic Primary. And will be running—not as a Democrat, but as an Independent.

The announcement came via a video posted Thursday on X, just one day after federal corruption charges brought by the Biden-era Department of Justice were formally dropped. The Trump administration had previously declined to pursue the case, The New York Times reported.

"More than 25,000 New Yorkers signed my Democratic primary petition, but the dismissal of the bogus case against me dragged on too long, making it impossible to mount a primary campaign while these false accusations were held over me," Adams said in the video.

"But I’m not a quitter. I’m a New Yorker," he added.

Adams: “I’m Still a Democrat, But Running as an Independent”

Despite distancing himself from the Democratic primary, Adams maintains he hasn't left the party.

“And that is why today, although I am still a Democrat, I am announcing that I will forgo the Democratic primary for mayor and appeal directly to all New Yorkers as an independent candidate in the general election,” he declared.

He framed the move as a necessity caused by politically motivated charges:

“I know that the accusations leveled against me may have shaken your confidence in me and that you may rightly have questions about my conduct,” Adams said. “Let me be clear, although the charges against me were false, I trusted people I should not have, and I regret that.”

https://usaherald.com/government-gangsters-federal-corruption-case-against-nyc-mayor-eric-adams-dismissed/

Cites Deep State, Recommends “Government Gangsters”

Adams implied a broader political motivation behind the charges, pointing to the so-called “deep state” and encouraging people to read Government Gangsters, a book authored by new FBI Director Kash Patel, a Republican.

“Read it and understand how we can never allow this to happen to another innocent American,” he said.

Cuomo in the Race

At least nine candidates are competing in the June Democratic primary, including former Governor Andrew Cuomo, according to The Washington Post. Adams has already aimed at Cuomo’s past policies:

“Look at bail reform -- that’s Andrew,” Adams said. “He can’t say, ‘I’m going to save the city from the far left’ when he surrendered to the far left.”

Cuomo defended his position on bail reform, stating, “Bail reform righted a terrible social wrong... It shouldn’t be that because you’re wealthy, then you can make bail... but if you can’t make bail, then you stay in jail even though you haven’t been found guilty of anything yet.”

Polls Show Adams Struggling

Adams faces an uphill battle. A March Quinnipiac Poll found just 20% of voters approved of his job performance, with 67% disapproving.

He believes that his low approval rating is the result of the legal fights he has been experiencing for months.

He is also counting on New York City’s recent shifts to the right last November, with Trump gaining 95,000 votes and the Democrats losing a half million voters in the 2024 Election cycle.

Despite the numbers, Adams remains confident:

“I firmly believe that this city is better served by truly independent leadership... not leaders pulled at by the extremists on 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.”

Links and References

• Politico: Adams announces independent bid
• New York Times: Adams forgoes Democratic primary
• Quinnipiac Poll
• Government Gangsters