NEW YORK MAYOR ERIC ADAMS WITHDRAWS FROM RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN

NEW YORK, Sept 29 (Bernama-dpa) -- New York Mayor Eric Adams is withdrawing from the race for his re-election, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

"Despite all we've achieved, I cannot continue my re-election campaign," the now-independent candidate – formerly a member of the Democrats – said in a video published on the platform X on Sunday. 

He said the reasons included media speculation about his future. Additionally, Adams accused the responsible financial commission of withholding funds, making it impossible for him to campaign.

In April, Adams had announced his renewed candidacy for the November election after a corruption charge against him was dropped following pressure from US President Donald Trump. 

Adams, who has been in office since 2022, was charged last year at the federal level as the first head of the largest US city with bribery.

Proximity to Trump made him unpopular

After Trump's election as US president, Adams approached him, repeatedly praising Trump publicly, flying to Florida to visit him, and even appearing on one of the president's favourite TV shows.

Shortly thereafter, Trump pushed for the charges to be dropped. Due to his rapprochement with Trump, Adams has fallen out of favour with many New Yorkers.

However, the former police officer's chances of re-election in the liberal stronghold of New York were already seen as relatively slim after the scandal.

Still in the race are the left-wing candidate Zohran Mamdani, the former governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo and the Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.

--BERNAMA-dpa