Independent Eric
Eric Adams exits the Democratic primary
In my twice weekly column for New York Magazine, I wrote about how Trump could try for a third term and how his tariff regime is going to break him politically. I also went on a German TV station to talk about Trump and the Democrats. (I don’t speak German.)
Eric Adams is still a registered Democrat, as far as we know. Once he’s no longer mayor, which will be on January 1st of next year, a job in the Trump administration or somewhere MAGA affiliated seems inevitable. Trump saved him from prison and he’s returned the favor by spending his remaining time in office as a MAGA sycophant. He has nary a negative word to say about the president who is locking up green card holders, eviscerating the federal government, and tanking the stock market. So it goes.
Adams announced yesterday he would run for re-election as an independent. He didn’t say the obvious—he was bound to lose the upcoming Democratic primary quite badly—and framed it as a necessary decision to be made as he navigated his legal hurdles. He flashed Kash Patel’s tome about the Deep State, which gives you an idea of where his head might be. He does have a few million in the bank but hasn’t qualified for the city’s public matching funds program. Given the corruption case that was brought against him and the irregularities of his fundraising, he may never. His odds of winning in the general election as an independent are close to zero. He is deeply unpopular and there will be no opportunities to claw his way back. New Yorkers have moved on.
But that doesn’t mean Adams, in a general election, wouldn’t be a non-factor. If he can’t win, he can disrupt. And that isn’t great news for the man most likely to win the Democratic nomination, Andrew Cuomo.