This afternoon, Mayor Eric Adams announced that he is dropping out of the race for Mayor and will no longer be running for reelection. This long overdue step recognizes a simple reality: Adams had no realistic path back to Gracie Mansion. Under his Democratic Administration, crime skyrocketed in New York and he opened the door for Zohran Mamdani, a Marxist-socialist-Islamist, to have a shot at the mayorship. Mayor Adams’ decision, while a step in the right direction, is not laudable by any means. By dropping out so late in the race, Adams prevented voters from unifying around a candidate that has a realistic shot at victory, sabotaging the chances that New Yorkers will defeat Zohran Mamdani.
“Eric Adams is proving that he really is the Biden of Brooklyn. He served one term, dropped out in disgrace, and never really had a grasp of what’s going on,” said Stefano L. Forte, President of the New York Young Republican Club. “It’s time for us all to focus our attention on defeating Zohran Mamdani. We must push to have him deported and disqualified. Please read the NYYRC’s Master Plan for more information.” The NYYRC Master Plan is available here.
The Democratic Party has proven incapable of governing America’s largest cities, from Eric Adams in New York, to Brandon Johnson in Chicago, and Muriel Bowser in Washington. Their ineptitude, incompetence, and corruption allowed radical outsiders like Mamdani pathways to offices they have no business holding. Change for our City must begin at the grassroots level and it must begin now. In future campaign cycles, Republicans must organize amongst ourselves, hold primaries for every elected office, field candidates in every Council District, and establish the infrastructure required for systematically winning elections. At the New York Young Republican Club, we are committed to creating a place for young New Yorkers to organize in just the manner our City needs at this critical moment in its history.
What options remain for New Yorkers? First, Zohran Mamdani must be defeated at the ballot box. Second, despite what the media says, Andrew Cuomo is not moderate, full stop. A Cuomo mayorship would be barely better for New York City than four years of Zohran Mamdani, and Andrew Cuomo is not entitled to every anti-Zohran vote. He is the godfather of bail reform, which will go down as the single most destructive policy choice of the century for New York. His decision, as well, in the early days of the Covid pandemic to force sick patients into nursing homes led to the deaths of tens of thousands of New Yorkers who should still be with us today – a fact Cuomo has neither acknowledged nor apologized for.
Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate remaining who has had no role in the destruction, dysfunction, and decline of this great City. New Yorkers deserve strong Republican leadership, but today’s choice by Eric Adams is a significant step in the right direction.