Mayor Adams waved off concerns at a Thursday candidate forum that his decision to run as an independent could wind up giving a boost to Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa in this fall’s general election by splitting the Democratic vote.
Adams, speaking to the Rev. Al Sharpton at the packed Midtown forum, argued New Yorkers aren’t looking for the type of “buffoonery” offered by Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels and a perennial political candidate.
“If we had 20 people in the race, it would never help Curtis Sliwa be mayor,” Adams said in what marked his first mayoral candidate forum appearance of the 2025 cycle. “Let’s be clear: It’s going to be running on real issues, Curtis does not have any platform, there is no polling that will ever show that buffoonery is what people want in electoral politics, so Curtis is not an issue.”
Sliwa, for his part, scoffed at that criticism and said he can benefit from Adams’ decision to run as an independent.
The cat-loving candidate, who netted about 28% support in the 2021 mayoral election against Adams, argued the incumbent and the eventual Democratic nominee are going to end up fighting with each other. “It’s going to be a bloodbath and I think a lot of Democrats are not going to be happy with that and opt for Curtis Sliwa instead, who knows more about this city than all of them combined,” Sliwa told the Daily News.
Adams’ announcement he’ll run as an independent has sent shockwaves through the Democratic mayoral primary field, which is currently being dominated by ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who’s polling as the front-runner.
In Thursday’s forum, hosted by Sharpton’s National Action Network, Cuomo committed to serving a full term as mayor should he be elected, saying the only instance he wouldn’t is “if i die.” The question has come up amid speculation that Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid sexual misconduct accusations he denies, could mount a bid for his old job in the 2026 gubernatorial race.
Also looming large over Thursday’s forum was President Trump, whose spending cuts and campaign against migrants and DEI measures have come under sharp criticism in New York.
Cuomo vowed to fight the president after being asked by Sharpton how he’ll push back on his administration’s efforts to roll back equity, diversity and inclusion efforts nationwide. “I think the existential threat for New York and for this country is Donald Trump,” Cuomo said. “I don’t think you can fight him hard enough.”
Adams, on the other hand, has said he won’t criticize Trump in public. It was Trump’s Justice Department that pressed for a dismissal of Adams corruption charges in a way that many believed left Adams beholden to Trump and his policies. Those charges were dismissed Wednesday. Adams has denied any quid pro quo.
His response to the issue was more oblique in its criticism.
“I’m going to fight any White House that is not going to benefit our city, including the previous one that cost us $7 billion for dealing the migrant and asylum seeker crisis that should not have came off of our backs,” Adams said in a swipe at President Biden over what he sees as a lack of federal support under his tenure.
Oher candidates at the forum slammed Trump actions as well, with many specifically calling out his actions around DEI. Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a newcomer to the mayoral race, pointed out in her forum appearance that she has put in a resolution to condemn Trump’s stance on DEI, while Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani called the president’s actions on the programs an “attack.”
With Adams out of the primary, some attention is already turning to November’s general mayoral election. Unlike the primary, which uses a ranked-choice voting system, the general election uses a traditional system — making it possible votes could be split between candidates. Adams will be facing the winner of the Democratic primary, Sliwa, fellow independent Jim Walden and potentially a yet-to-be-determined Working Families Party candidate.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist surging in the polls, called the mayor’s independent switch a “betrayal.”
“I do think that we’re going to have a new mayor in this city, and I do not think that mayor is going to be either Eric Adams or Curtis Sliwa,” Mamdani said outside the forum.
Adams’ independent flip did give pause to Brooklyn Rev. Herbert Daughtry, an influential civil rights leader who Adams refers to as his lifelong mentor.
“If that’s his decision, then I wish him well, but in terms of what I’m going to do, that requires time and I’ve got to consult with my family, but I will always wish him well,” Daughtry, who has been a steadfast Adams supporter for decades, told The News outside the forum.
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