Analysts split on what Eric Adams’ exit means for socialist Zohran Mamdani in NYC mayor race

Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams has officially ended his reelection bid — but analysts are split on what this means for the socialist frontrunner in the Big Apple’s mayoral race.

Adams announced the end of his longshot reelection campaign in a video posted to X on Sunday afternoon. In the announcement, the mayor also warned viewers to “beware of those who claim the answer is to destroy the very system we built together over generations,” seemingly in reference to Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, an avowed socialist.

Adams’ withdrawal came after recent polls have shown him trailing well behind Mamdani, former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican mayoral nominee Curtis Sliwa. Analysts spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation about how Adams’ recent might affect the dynamic of the race to run the nation’s largest city.

“If this boils down to Cuomo versus Mamdani, it’s going to be much tighter than Mamdani’s people would like,” Sam Kay, a pollster at OnMessage Inc., a Republican consulting firm, told the DCNF. “Every poll I’ve seen between the two has it close enough to be interesting. And with Adams now out, the only thing standing in the way of that one-on-one is Republican Curtis Sliwa.”

“The big question is whether Sliwa drops out as pressure mounts for him to do so,” Kay continued. “But the numbers suggest Adams’ voters actually drift toward Sliwa, not Cuomo, which I predict will only embolden him to stay in. It’s no coincidence Mamdani recently praised Sliwa’s integrity. If this remains a three-way race into November, Mamdani will win convincingly.”

Mamdani’s campaign and Cuomo’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Some Republicans have reportedly been pressuring Sliwa to drop out of the mayoral race in the hopes of creating a one-on-one matchup between Mamdani and Cuomo. Sliwa has thus far maintained that he intends to stay in the race.

“With Mayor Adams stepping aside, the race is reset, and New Yorkers need now more than ever a mayor who is not corrupt, who did not resign in disgrace to avoid impeachment, and who is not a radical socialist,” Sliwa said in a statement provided to the DCNF. “Curtis Sliwa is that choice, an independent, proven leader focused on safer streets, lower costs, and a City Hall that answers to the people.”

Multiple outlets reported in early September that Trump officials had been in talks with Adams about him joining the administration. However, Adams denied the reports in a Sept. 5 press conference.

Adam Weiss, CEO of AMW PR and host of “Media Exposed” on Real America’s Voice News, told the DCNF that Adams’ ending his reelection bid may not drastically alter the race.

“Eric getting out is big news because he’s New York City’s mayor, but I don’t think it’s going to change the dynamics of the race,” Weiss told the DCNF.

“If Curtis gets out and it’s one-on-one, he [Cuomo] has got a shot,” Weiss added. “I still think Mamdani at this point is the frontrunner. The population of New York has changed so much over time, and it’s not what it used to be under [former New York City Mayor Mike] Bloomberg. Just as a whole, the Democratic Party has shifted so radically to the left and most of those radical left voters and activists are in the big cities, so they’re here.”

While Mamdani has gained support from some prominent Democratic lawmakers, other Democrats have denounced or declined to endorse him over his far-left agenda. House Speaker Mike Johnson previously told the DCNF that Mamdani’s “extreme” political views spell “bad news” for New York City, but “great news for House Republicans.”

Similarly, President Donald Trump said Monday in a Truth Social post that Mamdani’s rise “will prove to be one of the best things to ever happen” to the GOP.

“Self proclaimed New York City Communist, Zohran Mamdani, who is running for Mayor, will prove to be one of the best things to ever happen to our great Republican Party,” the president wrote in the social media post. “He is going to have problems with Washington like no Mayor in the history of our once great City. Remember, he needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his FAKE Communist promises. He won’t be getting any of it, so what’s the point of voting for him? This ideology has failed, always, for thousands of years. It will fail again, and that’s guaranteed!”

Moreover, veteran political consultant Hank Sheinkopf blasted Mamdani’s views as “dangerous for democracy.”

“[Mamdani] signifies the demagoguery potential [in the Democratic Party] and the shift that’s happening in this country,” Sheinkopf told the DCNF. “And he is dangerous, in my view, to democracy over time. Because democracy is not the issue, they are not interested in democracy, they’re interested in revolution. And that is dangerous — people being told things that are dangerous for democracy. I said in public earlier this year that he was the guy to watch, and people thought I was nuts. So there you have it.”

“Cuomo thinks he is going to win, and I don’t see it [happening] today. This [race] is about who is better on the street and can turn out a vote,” Sheinkopf said. “And thus far, Mamdani wins that discussion.”

“I am supporting Curtis Sliwa and I believe he is the best candidate,” former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind told the DCNF. “I believe he would be a great mayor. I am hoping people will take a second look at him. So many people up there are saying to me, ‘we like Curtis, we think he’s the best guy, but can he win, or he can’t win,’ and if all those people would support Curtis, he would be ahead in the polls. I also don’t believe Cuomo can win, as his negatives are very high. He lost the primary, he resigned as governor, and that was his choice because of the scandals involving his difficulty keeping his hands in his pockets.”

Cuomo, who was elected as governor of New York in 2010, resigned in disgrace in August 2021 following sexual harassment accusations. Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing.

The Democrat notably told The New York Times in early June that if he “had to do it again,” he would not have resigned from the governorship in 2021.

“Sometimes the [political] party, the city, the town or a state has to go rock bottom and elect someone so bad that it finally opens up people’s eyes to see what a reckless voting pattern has done to a city, a town or state,” Weiss told the DCNF, when asked about the prospect of Mamdani winning the mayoral race. “That might start a comeback, in a sense, for the GOP. It might be the best thing that ever happens to the Republican Party in New York.”

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