Mayor Eric Adams says he’s not leaving the mayor’s race—despite News 12 reports that he was likely to bow out this week.
At a news conference in Fort Greene on Monday morning, News 12 asked Adams directly if he planned to stay in. He didn’t hesitate.
“When my campaign changes, I will tell y’all when it’s changed,” Adams said.
The response comes after a busy few days in city politics. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her endorsement of Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani over the weekend. Then, sources told News 12’s Tara Rosenblum that Adams was preparing to drop out of the race by the end of the week.
A Quinnipiac University poll released last week shows Mamdani leading the field with support from 45% of likely voters. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo trails him by 22 points, while Adams is at the bottom of the pack—behind Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Adams, meanwhile, is pushing back on all of it. He says rumors that he’s been offered jobs abroad or in Washington—or that he’s planning to step aside—are just not true.
“If y’all stop reporting, I’m going to Saudi Arabia, and I’m going to HUD, and I’m dropping out on Friday and Tuesday. Y’all undermining my campaign…I never seen anything like this in my life. Let me do what I do. When that changes, I will announce it,” Adams said.
The mayor also reminded reporters that he’s not just a candidate, but someone deeply tied to the city.
“I’m a lifetime New Yorker. I love this city, and I’m always going to serve this city in one capacity or another,” he said.
For now, Adams says the bottom line is simple: he’s still in the race, and voters—not rumors—will decide his future.