With the political world in New York City and beyond still abuzz over Zohran Mamdani’s ascendance as the likely Democratic mayoral candidate, the current mayor, Eric Adams, held a news conference on Thursday to deliver a countermessage: Don’t forget about me.
Mr. Adams appeared on the steps of City Hall to formally kick off an independent bid for re-election in November, with a crowd of supporters holding up “Re-elect Eric for Mayor” signs, echoing Mr. Mamdani’s campaign ads that primarily use his first name.
The obstacles the mayor faces are substantial. His approval rating was abysmal even before he was indicted last fall on charges of bribery and soliciting illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals. He grew more unpopular after the charges were dropped by the Trump Justice Department, leading to accusations of a quid pro quo that Mr. Adams has denied.
The mayor was denied public matching funds because of the charges of soliciting straw donations. His management of the city has been questioned. The diverse coalition he put together to win election in 2021 is completely fractured. And his third-party bid puts him at an immediate disadvantage in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans six to one.
As evidence of his divisiveness, the mayor’s speech was repeatedly interrupted by protesters who called him a criminal and accused him of selling out the city to President Trump. Nearby in City Hall Park, protesters blew whistles and engaged in profane chants aimed at disrupting the announcement.
At the news conference, the mayor seemed to sense the skepticism.
“Why am I running for re-election?” Mr. Adams said, surrounded by supporters. “Because we’ve got more to do.”
That Mr. Adams could consider himself a viable candidate might have seemed far-fetched last year. Exactly nine months ago, he gathered supporters under a tent outside Gracie Mansion to declare his innocence after federal prosecutors unveiled the five-count corruption indictment. Mr. Adams became the first sitting mayor in the city’s modern history to face criminal charges.
A victory would not only represent a Lazarus-type resurrection for Mr. Adams, 64, who is fond of comparing himself to biblical figures, but would also make him the first Black mayor to be elected to a second term in New York City.
“Eric has no shot,” said Trip Yang, a Democratic consultant who was not affiliated with any primary campaign. “Party loyalty reigns supreme for Democrats in a November general election, especially when Donald Trump is in office.”
The exact makeup of the November ballot is unclear. Mr. Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman from Queens, appears destined to be the Democratic nominee, after he shocked the city by gaining enough votes on the first ballot of ranked-choice voting to force a concession from Andrew M. Cuomo, 67, the former governor who had been leading in polls for months.
Mr. Cuomo petitioned for an independent ballot line called Fight and Deliver and may still decide to run in the fall. He said he is waiting for the final tabulation of ranked-choice voting to be released on July 1 and that he will evaluate his options then. Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, will be on the ballot, as will Jim Walden, a lawyer who became the first independent candidate for mayor to qualify for public matching funds.
If Mr. Cuomo were to drop out, Mr. Adams would seem to be the logical beneficiary of his supporters, especially New York business leaders who have expressed fear about Mr. Mamdani’s plans for expansive new government programs funded with tax increases on corporations and the wealthiest New Yorkers. Some have quickly begun to throw their support behind Mr. Adams, who met as recently as Wednesday — the day after the primary — with Daniel S. Loeb, the hedge fund manager, and other business leaders and political brokers to discuss how to stop Mr. Mamdani.
Mr. Adams has already taken steps to oppose him, calling him a “snake oil salesman” in an interview on “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday.
At his City Hall news conference, Mr. Adams sent some veiled shots toward Mr. Mamdani, apparently making reference to the popular social media videos that drew early attention to his campaign.
“Let’s be clear: They have a record of tweets. I have a record on the streets,” the mayor said. “They talk about problems, I fix them. That’s the difference. You don’t lead this city from a soapbox; you lead it from the ground up.”
In a statement on Thursday, Mr. Mamdani criticized Mr. Adams’s mayoralty as an “era of corruption, incompetence and the betrayal of working-class New Yorkers” and expressed confidence that voters would reject the incumbent in November.
“When we launched this campaign, we did so to defeat Eric Adams’ second term,” he said. “New Yorkers have been suffocated by a cost-of-living crisis and this mayor has taken almost every opportunity to exacerbate it, all while partnering with Donald Trump to tear our city apart.”
The diverse crowd of about 200 people who showed up to support the mayor was energetic, chanting “four more years” to drown out protesters. Some of his usual supporters were present, including members of the clergy, but also small business owners from boroughs outside Manhattan.
“I agree with Eric that Mamdani is a snake oil salesman. He’s promising things he can’t deliver,” said Hazra Ali, a landlord from Brooklyn who has long supported Mr. Adams. Asked if the mayor’s indictment had factored into her decision to support him, she said no.
“He was never convicted of anything,” Ms. Ali said. “We have a president who was convicted, not just indicted.”
Jeffery C. Mays is a Times reporter covering politics with a focus on New York City Hall.
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