Jim Walden, a lawyer who mounted a long-shot, independent bid for mayor of New York City, announced on Tuesday that he would suspend his campaign and called on his rivals to follow suit.
He urged the other candidates to consolidate around a single alternative to Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor whose democratic socialist views they have all denounced.
“The math is the math,” Mr. Walden said in a brief interview on Tuesday. “And it doesn’t make sense for me to continue to push to surge, only to take votes away from another candidate or other candidates who are going to need it.”
He declined to immediately endorse another candidate in the race, but urged the remaining contenders to unify against Mr. Mamdani, whom he described as the “most dangerous” option.
“In a choice between values and ambitions, values must win,” Mr. Walden said. “For months I have been steadfast in my view that, unless there is a one-on-one race in November, a Trojan horse will take control of City Hall.”
Mr. Walden added that he intended to “encourage all of the candidates remaining in the race to coalesce around the front-runner at the end of the month.”
The decision, just two months before Election Day, was the latest twist in an already chaotic and crowded race for mayor. But given Mr. Walden’s lackluster support, it was not clear that it would immediately change the race’s dynamics.
Mr. Walden broke the news to his staff in a meeting on Tuesday afternoon. He told his aides he was considering declaring Connecticut his residence as a way to have his name removed from the ballot, three people who participated in the call said.
“I plan to take all reasonable and legal steps to try to avoid voter confusion by having my name removed from the ballot,” Mr. Walden said in an interview. “I’m consulting with experts to make sure that I abide by all rules.”
Mr. Walden, a prominent former prosecutor and lawyer, had launched his campaign hoping to provide a credible third-party alternative to Mayor Eric Adams and other Democrats in the race. He proved an effective fund-raiser, garnering well over $3 million in donations and matching funds, and still has $1.2 million in his campaign. But in a five-way general election including far-better-known candidates, he struggled to gain traction.
Mr. Walden had tried to persuade other candidates in the race to consider dropping out this September and consolidating around a single alternative to Mr. Mamdani, if polls suggested they could not win.
No other candidate formally agreed to the pledge, though former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat running on an independent ballot line, has said he would “defer” to Mr. Adams if the mayor led him in the polls. The mayor is also facing considerable pressure to drop out from donors and former allies who fear he could splinter the anti-Mamdani vote with Mr. Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate.
Most recent polls had showed Mr. Walden winning just 1 percent of voters’ support. They showed Mr. Mamdani with a comfortable lead after handily defeating Mr. Cuomo and other Democrats in June’s primary.
A spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, who is running second in the polls, lauded Mr. Walden’s decision.
“Jim Walden put ego and ambition aside for the good of New York City,” said the spokesman, Rich Azzopardi. “His decision underscores the existential threat our city faces in Zohran Mamdani.”
A spokesman for Mayor Adams was adamant that his candidate was staying put despite his own lagging poll numbers.
“While others may choose to exit the race, Mayor Adams is focused on the future — delivering results and leading this city forward,” said the spokesman, Todd Shapiro. “We are confident millions of New Yorkers will proudly stand with him at the polls.”
Mr. Walden said in the interview that he considered Mr. Mamdani the most dangerous candidate because of his since-disavowed calls to defund the police, his longstanding criticism of Israel and his affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America.
“If we’ve learned anything from the last several elections, believe someone when they say something,” Mr. Walden said. “He is on the record repeatedly with extreme bigotry against police; what I view is antisemitism; and, you know, a predilection toward communism.”
A spokeswoman for Mr. Mamdani had no immediate comment.
Dana Rubinstein covers New York City politics and government for The Times.
Nicholas Fandos is a Times reporter covering New York politics and government.
The post Jim Walden Suspends Campaign for Mayor of New York City appeared first on New York Times.
