He’s gone from swagger to stagger.
Embattled Mayor Eric Adams is mulling running as an independent if he loses the upcoming Democratic primary — and that’s even if he decides to make a re-election bid as he faces increasingly hopeless electoral prospects, The Post has learned.
Hizzoner has been largely absent from the race, and even bailed on a recent high-profile forum with his challengers — with roughly 100 days until the June 24 primary.
Source close to the mayor said he’s unlikely to campaign while his federal corruption case hangs over his head — as Judge Dale Ho continues to weigh whether to agree with President Trump’s Department of Justice to drop the charges.
Adams has a lot of ground to cover — his poll numbers are abysmal against crowded field of challengers, including the formidable former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
He also has a mountain of debt to contend with, as he owes his defense lawyers more than $700,000.
“He has a decision to make,” a source said about Adams if and when the criminal case is dismissed. “He owes a lot of people a lot of money.”
Adams’ diminished current political stature contrasts wildly with the confident candidate who handily won 2021’s mayoral election after a prolific, energetic campaign.
He then rode into Gracie Mansion with a promise to bring “swagger” to the Big Apple after eight years of bumbling Bill de Blasio.
“When a mayor has swagger, the city has swagger,” he boasted just days into office.
But swagger only carried Adams so far, especially as his mayoralty became increasingly scandal-plagued.
The mayor’s fortunes fell as the feds investigated him and the longtime cronies he installed in his administration — and then collapsed in September as he became the first sitting New York City mayor to face a federal indictment.
Adams vigorously denied the corruption accusations and increasingly cozied up to Trump, with rumors swirling that he was seeking a pardon.
The dismissal move from up top at the DOJ eventually came to pass in February, as Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors to drop the case, albeit with the potential of bringing it back after the 2025 mayoral election.
Bove argued the case was politically motivated and interfered with both Adams’ ability to campaign and to help with Trump’s immigration crackdown.
But Bove’s assertions fueled accusations that Adams’ case was dropped as part of an improper “quid pro quo” that left him beholden to Trump, rather than New York City voters.
The ensuing political firestorm sparked calls for Adams to resign or to be removed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. It also prompted Adams’ re-election campaign to be put on pause — creating openings for Cuomo and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams to run for mayor and cut into his support.
Adams’ inner circle blames the mayor’s current state of political limbo on Bove’s sloppy dismissal.
“He could have just cited some statute and the judge would have rubber-stamped it,” one source said.
As Adams awaits a decision from federal Judge Dale Ho on whether to accept the dismissal, he has avoided making campaign events, such as when he abruptly bailed on a high-profile forum with his Democratic primary challengers.
His reason: his lawyer advised him not to participate.
“He has to be done with the legal stuff first,” one insider said. “Once that’s gone he can go full monty attacking Cuomo, because he knows he’s not going to jail.”
But until then, Adams’ campaign is practically nonexistent.
His campaign has seemingly no staff, with his former spokesman Evan Thies still not on the books and longtime public relations guru Todd Shapiro now volunteering to help.
The mayor only recently launched his 2025 campaign website — a single page that emphasizes he’s a “Democrat” and links to his old 2021 election social media accounts.
Those accounts have largely been dormant since that election. His “ericadamsfornyc” Instagram account – which most recently posted in 2023 – still identifies him as the “next Mayor of New York City” and includes “he/him” pronouns in the profile.
Adams has raised $4.3 million for his campaign, with $3.1 million available on-hand, records show. But he has been denied lucrative public matching funds and other candidates have been raising more money.
He also owes his defense lawyers a tidy sum — $730,000, as of January — which he can’t raise without campaigning.
“At this stage, his path to victory looks extremely narrow,” said Spencer Kimball, director of Emerson College Polling.
One of the few members remaining of Adams’ inner circle source said they weren’t sure where the mayor’s mind is at regarding his future.
“I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen,” the source said.
Former Gov. David Paterson, who saw his 2010 election prospects fade amid scandals, said Adams — if his case is indeed dismissed — has to contend with trying to run New York City while making up ground in a campaign.
He noted all the Democrats mayoral candidates but Cuomo are running to Adams’ left.
“Should have worked to his favor if he had not gone through this hell,” he said.
Adams had briefly looked into running as a Republican, but now is considering an independent run if he can’t pull ahead in the primary, sources said.
Kimball, the Emerson pollster, said either a Democratic or an independent run would be a tall order for Adams.
“Mayor Adams faces a significant challenge in this race, particularly in a ranked-choice system where his high unfavorable numbers—59% among Democrats in our latest poll—make it difficult for him to consolidate broad support to win majority support,” he said.
“In contrast, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, with a 55% favorable and 31% unfavorable rating among Democrats, is in a stronger position to pick up second-choice votes.”
Mary Snow, assistant director of Quinnipiac University Poll, was even more blunt.
“While it’s impossible to predict the outcome of the NYC mayor’s race, at the moment, Mayor Adams faces a difficult road to reelection,” she said.
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