Eric Adams announced Thursday that he will not seek the Democratic nomination for mayor — instead pushing all his chips in on a longshot run as an independent candidate.
Hizzoner dropped the bombshell news in a campaign video announcement — just one day after a federal judge killed his corruption case for good.
“More than 25,000 New Yorkers signed my Democratic primary petition, but the dismissal of the bogus case against me dragged on too long, making it impossible to mount a primary campaign while these false accusations were held over me,” Adams said in the six-minute spiel.
“But I’m not a quitter. I’m a New Yorker,” he continued. “And that is why today, although I am still a Democrat, I am announcing that I will forgo the Democratic primary for mayor and appeal directly to all New Yorkers as an independent candidate in the general election.”
The embattled mayor insisted the Big Apple would be better off without clashing rhetoric from progressive and conservative sides — arguing that he has always put New Yorkers “before politics and party.”
“I firmly believe that this city is better served by truly independent leadership, not leaders pulled at by the extremists on the far left or the far right, but instead those rooted in the common middle, the place where the vast majority of New Yorkers are firmly planted,” Adams said.
Those close to Adams told The Post the mayor had been mulling an independent bid to retain his seat in City Hall for weeks as his historic criminal case dragged out.
The mayor, for his part, addressed the charges in his campaign update, acknowledging that the high-profile case may have shifted voters’ views.
“I know that the accusations leveled against me may have shaken your confidence in me and that you may rightly have questions about my conduct,” he said.
“And let me be clear, although the charges against me were false, I trusted people I should not have and I regret that. But the issues I face are nothing compared to yours.”
“Ultimately, it will be up to you who runs this city for the next four years,” he added. “As someone who has always fought for you and who is accountable to only you, I hope I can earn your vote.”
Still, the major shift to the general election, which was first reported by Politico, will be a steep uphill battle to change voters’ minds after a first term marred by scandals and plummeting poll numbers.
Some believe the prolific campaigner can make a “Lazarus-like” political comeback, while others believe his goose is cooked.
Adams will submit petitions to the Board of Elections on May 27 — instead of Thursday, on which other Democrats, including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, were planning.
The mayor, who needs roughly 3,750 more to qualify for the race, only has $3 million cash on hand as of last month after an abysmal first campaign filing period brought in just $36,000.
Meanwhile, his announcement came less than 24 hours after Manhattan federal Judge Dale Ho released his long-awaited decision on whether to accept the controversial dismissal of charges sought by President Trump’s Justice Department.
Ho dismissed the case with prejudice — meaning it can’t be brought again.
His opinion went further than DOJ officials’ request to dismiss without prejudice, which he wrote reeked of the Trump administration trying to hold future prosecution over Adams’ head.
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