The highly publicized and hotly contested 2025 New York City Mayoral Election is undoubtedly unique. A lengthy list of well-known Democrats began gathering money in hopes of unseating incumbent Mayor Eric Adams in the Democratic primary on June 24th after a historic indictment of the current mayor. In a startling reversal of circumstances, however, Adams is no longer accused of wrongdoing and is not seeking reelection as a Democrat.
On September 25, 2024, following a series of criminal investigations into his administration, Adams was indicted on federal bribery, fraud, and conspiracy charges, and faced calls to resign from office. The Department of Justice ordered prosecutors to drop the charges in February 2025, and the case was dismissed with prejudice in April. Just one day after a court granted a plea by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department to have the charges against him dropped, Mayor Adams said that he was now running for reelection as an independent, which will help him avoid a direct matchup with leading Democratic contenders like former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani in the primary.
Adams is the only Mayor of New York City to face criminal charges while in office, and he has been called upon to step down multiple times before the end of his tenure. Political insiders say Mayor Eric Adams has a slim chance of winning reelection despite no longer being bound by his legal issues or the Democratic Party, where he is still unpopular. Instead of competing for votes in the Democratic primary in June, he now has until November to convince voters to give him a second term, which will give him much-needed time to heal from the damage to his character caused by his now-dismissed case.
With just weeks until the New York City mayoral primary, a high-stakes Democratic debate is set to take place on Wednesday, June 4 at 7 p.m., drawing increased attention to the race. Nine Democratic candidates have officially qualified for New York City’s first mayoral primary debate, according to the city’s Campaign Finance Board. Candidates were required to join the city’s Matching Funds Program and meet other criteria to participate.
The candidates who qualified were, Speaker of the New York City Council Adrienne Adams, Former Assemblyman Michael Blake, Ex-Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, NYS Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani who represents Queens, NY State Senator Zellnor Myrie who represents Brooklyn, NY State Senator Jessica Ramos representing Queens, Former NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, and Investor and Editor at Stansberry Research Whitney Tilson.
Again, Mayor Adams, now running as an Independent, escapes the usual sparring that will come from the Democratic primary candidates who will surely attack both him and his controversial first term in office. Jim Walden, 59, a longtime NYC lawyer, is also running as an independent candidate for mayor. Despite both Mayor Adams and Walden running as independent candidates, they will not face each other in a primary election. They will likely be competing in the general election in November against candidates who emerge from the Democratic and Republican primaries. Walden has been openly critical of Mayor Adams’ “City of Yes” plan, claiming it has serious flaws and doesn’t address the housing crisis effectively.
Running unopposed on the Republican line is Curtis Sliwa, 67, who is a longtime New York City activist and founder of the Guardian Angels, a 1970s nonprofit known for its crime-fighting efforts and signature red berets. Sliwa says he’s running for mayor to “finally end the disastrous reign of de Blasio-Cuomo,” with public safety and police funding at the core of his campaign.
Meet The Democratic Candidates For NYC Mayor
In early 2025, polls showed former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (2011-2021) leading all other candidates among Democratic voters. Cuomo resigned as NY governor following sexual harassment allegations. After the announcement, a campaign calling on voters not to list him on the multi-choice ranking system for the Democratic primary grew.
Adrienne Adams, 64, jumped in as a contender to enter the race, directly after former Governor Cuomo. Adams, who was first elected to the City Council in a 2017 special election, is nearing the end of her term due to term limits. If elected, she would make history as the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first City Council speaker to become mayor of New York City.
Brad Lander, 55, is the current NYC comptroller and a progressive who advocates for police reform, affordable housing, and better management of the migrant crisis. He has criticized Adams’ handling of migrant services and aims to improve workforce development for migrants.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos, 39, announced that she would be running for NYC mayor amid calls for Eric Adams to resign. Ramos focuses on affordable housing, tackling human trafficking, and improving city services.
Whitney Tilson, 58, is an investor and lifelong Democrat who has emphasized the need for a city that is safe, affordable, and prosperous, criticizing career politicians for failing to address key issues. Tilson, who is not a career politician, pledges to restore common sense to City Hall and fight for real change in leadership.
Zellnor Myrie, 38, is a Brooklyn native focused on affordable housing and electoral reform. Myrie is known for legislative victories on tenant protections and voting rights. As Chair of the Elections Committee, Myrie has worked on improving election processes and policies.
Zohran Mamdani, 33, is a self-declared socialist with a focus on rent freezes, free bus rides, and no-cost childcare. He advocates for housing affordability and aims to redirect funds to public institutions like CUNY.
Scott Stringer, 64, former NYC comptroller, is focused on transparency and good governance. Stringer was the first mayoral candidate to qualify for public matching funds.
Michael Blake, 42, a former Bronx assemblyman and vice chair of the DNC, is known for his focus on economic equity and social justice. He previously ran for New York’s 15th congressional district, where he lost to Ritchie Torres.
Primary elections are scheduled to be held on June 24, 2025, with the early voting period beginning on June 14. In New York City, primaries are held using ranked-choice voting. You can find early Voting schedule and locations at https://vote.nyc/elections#pe-june-24.
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