Who is Eric Adams, Zohran Mamdani’s main rival in New York City mayoral polls?
Zohran Mamdani has risen to clinch the Democratic nomination for the New York City mayoral polls, and his biggest rival is the incumbent Eric Adams.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams looks down during an event announcing his re-election campaign as an independent after leaving the Democratic Party, at City Hall in New York City.(REUTERS)
Mamdani defeated former New York governor Andrew Cuomo in the democratic primary on Tuesday and might be the first Muslim and person of South Asian descent to become the mayor of New York City, largely seen as a Democratic stronghold.
In November, he will face Eric Adams, who replaced Bill de Blasio as NYC mayor in 2022, and Republican Curtis Silwa.
Adams, who himself won on a Democratic ticket in the 2021 snap elections, is running as an independent. While Mamdani identifies as a Democratic Socialist, Adams is seen as a moderate.
Who is Eric Adams, Zohran Mamdani’s main rival for the New York City mayor’s post?
Eric Adams was born on September 1, 1960, in Brownsville, Brooklyn, as the fourth of six children of his parents, Leroy Adams and Dorothy Mae Adams-Streeter. He grew up in poverty in Brunswick before moving to the South Jamaica neighbourhood.
As a teenager, Adams joined a local gang and was even arrested for criminal trespassing at 14. He later joined the New York City Police Department and served for 22 years.
During the 1990s, Adams served as president of the Grand Council of Guardians, an African American patrolmen’s association. He also served as the escort of Mike Tyson after the boxing legend’s release from jail in 1995.
Eric Adams co-founded 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care the same year. It was an advocacy group for black police officers seeking criminal justice reform. He retired from the department as a Captain in 2006.
Adams ran for Congress in 1994 and for the New York State Senate in 2006. While he lost the 1990s Congressional bid, he was successful in getting elected to the state Senate 12 years later. In 2013, he became the Brooklyn Borough President and served until 2021.
Eric Adams won the 2022 NYC mayoral snap elections and has been serving in that capacity since. For the 2025 elections, he decided to run as an independent after facing low poll numbers in Democratic primaries, primarily due to a federal indictment.
