New York Mayor Adams to run as independent after Turkish bribery case dismissal

New York Mayor Eric Adams has decided to bypass New York City’s Democratic primary and run for reelection as an independent candidate, a day after a federal judge dismissed corruption charges against him related to alleged gifts from Turkish nationals.

In an exclusive interview with POLITICO, Adams said he would “mount a real independent campaign” focused on “a solid base of people” outside Manhattan, particularly the ethnic minorities who helped secure his victory four years ago.

“I have been this racehorse that has been held back,” Adams told POLITICO. “This is so unnatural for me.”

The bribery charges, which were permanently dismissed on Wednesday, had alleged Adams received more than $100,000 worth of plane tickets and luxury hotel stays from Turkish nationals over nearly a decade while serving in local government. U.S. District Judge Dale Ho dismissed the case with prejudice, ensuring the charges cannot be used as leverage against Adams in the future.

“To the extent that the Government may be seeking to extract policy concessions from the Mayor, dismissal with prejudice rather than continuation of the prosecution best addresses that concern,” Judge Ho wrote in a 78-page order.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department had moved to dismiss the charges under the rationale that the case would interfere with the mayor’s ability to govern and could threaten “federal immigration initiatives and policies.”

Adams, who now has a 20% approval rating, faces significant challenges as he seeks to persuade traditionally Democratic voters to support a politically unaffiliated incumbent. He has also been denied more than $4 million in public matching funds, though he vowed to “go to court if need be and fight for our matching funds.”

“It’s just not realistic to turn around my numbers and to run a good campaign (from) where we are right now,” he said. “It hurts like hell.”

Three-way race to take place in November New York elections

The mayor’s decision creates a potential three-way race in November between Adams, a Republican candidate, and the winner of the Democratic primary, which former Governor Andrew Cuomo is currently leading according to polls.

After learning his case was dismissed, Adams held up a book titled “Government Gangsters” by FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump appointee. The book warns of a politicized justice system and contains numerous MAGA talking points. “Read it and understand how we can never allow this to happen to another innocent American,” Adams said.

With 3.3 million registered Democrats in New York City compared to 1.1 million independents and 558,778 Republicans, Adams faces a steep uphill battle. However, his team notes that 220,346 more voters have enrolled as independents over the last eight years.

Adams criticized his rivals during the interview, specifically targeting Cuomo for signing bail reform laws that the mayor blames for a COVID-era rise in crime. “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 recently defended his approval of cashless bail: “Bail reform righted a terrible social wrong. We were putting people in Rikers, in jail, who hadn’t been found guilty of anything, just because they couldn’t make bail.”

“If I’m able to come back, with all that I went through,” Adams concluded, “people were celebrating my demise, and I’m able to come back and be elected again as mayor, no citizen in this city will ever give up.”