Eric Adams drops out of Democrat primary, announces run for NYC mayor as an Independent

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has decided to run as an independent in his reelection bid for NYC mayor, ditching the Democratic Party primary.

Speaking with Politico, Adams said that he would "mount a real independent campaign" and would gain support from "a solid base of people" located outside of Manhattan. His campaign will also place an emphasis on ethnic minority communities that helped get him into office four years ago.

He said that the federal corruption case, which was dismissed on Wednesday, had "handcuffed" him, but he promised to be "uninhibited" out on the campaign trail. "I have been this racehorse that has been held back. This is so unnatural for me," Adams said.

"I’m in the race to the end. I’m not running on the Democratic line. It’s just not realistic to turn around my numbers and to run a good campaign (from) where we are right now. It hurts like hell," Adams said.