Following a quiet weekend on the campaign trail, Mayor Eric Adams on Monday again insisted that his reelection bid is full steam ahead, amid continued speculation that he may bow out of the race.
Less than 50 days from the Nov. 4 election that will decide his fate, Adams was nowhere to be found over the weekend. While all of his opponents made various stops across the city, Hizzoner kept out of the spotlight.
During various television and radio appearances on Sept. 22, the mayor attributed his completely blank campaign schedule to having to focus on his official duties.
“You know what’s unique about them? They don’t have day jobs. I have a day job,” Adams said of his opponents during an interview Monday morning with conservative host Sid Rosenberg on WABC-AM radio. “I have to run the most complex city in the entire country, if not the globe. And I have to stay focused on doing that. And that’s what I’m doing. I am straight ahead in the campaign. I’m going to continue to run the city and run for re-election.”
However, Adams’ official mayoral public schedule also had no events listed for either Saturday or Sunday.
Adams’ campaign spokesperson Todd Shapiro said the mayor had attended fundraisers and other smaller events over the weekend while keeping up with his official duties.
Hizzoner, who has been polling in last place in the four-candidate field, was steadfast in maintaining during a series of TV and radio interviews on Monday morning that he has no intention of suspending his long-shot independent campaign. He complained that the media continues to report on rumors that he is considering dropping out and taking a job in either President Trump’s administration or the private sector, no matter how many times he has denied the chatter.
“I’ve made it clear, and it doesn’t matter what I say, people are writing stories anyway,” Adams told Rosenberg. “I’m focused on this race, and I’m focused on running the city.”
Adams further charged that the deluge of reports about his impending exit from the race has “undermined” his ability to fundraise, secure endorsements, and secure votes among his base. The rumors continued even after Adams called reporters to Gracie Mansion on Sept. 5 to forcefully deny that he was speaking to Trump administration officials about taking a job inside the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or as ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
“When the question was asked, I said no. They wrote it anyway,” Adams said during the interview with Rosenberg. “When the question was asked, ‘Am I going to Saudi Arabia?’ I said no.”
Trump has said that he wants the mayor’s race to narrow down to one candidate who has the best chance of taking on Democratic mayoral nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani and blocking the democratic socialist’s path to City Hall. That candidate appears to be former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has consistently been polling in second place to Mamdani.
In addition to Adams, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, who is polling in third place, has also faced pressure to end his bid.
