Unlike the eleven Democratic mayoral candidates, Mayor Eric Adams isn’t worried about the upcoming primary election.

“In a general election you’re not restricted by a party,” Adams said.

Instead, he’s focused on the general election as he looks to get voters from both parties to support his longshot independent re-election bid.

“I want them to say no matter if you’re Democrat or Republican to state that this is a man that’s turned around the city,” he said.

What You Need To Know

  • Unlike the eleven Democratic mayoral candidates, Mayor Eric Adams isn’t worried about the upcoming primary election

  • Instead, he’s focused on the general election as he looks to get voters from both parties to support his longshot independent re-election bid

  • Getting Republicans to support Adams is going to be an uphill battle

  • Adams, in some ways, has been looking to get Republican support by not criticizing President Donald Trump and regularly going on conservative news show

Getting Republicans to support Adams is going to be an uphill battle.

Curtis Sliwa is already running as the GOP nominee in the race.

“Of course, he would court them because he’s for many of the things we stand for, but he’s still a Democrat and the Republicans are going to vote for the Republicans,” Ed Cox, chair of the New York Republican Party, said.

Adams, in some ways, has been looking to get Republican support by not criticizing President Donald Trump and regularly going on conservative news shows.

Cox said in the past there were some attempts to put the mayor on the party line, but that no longer is a possibility. Sliwa remains the party’s pick and is backed by the city’s five GOP chairs.

“He came up to me two times before. It has not come up to me this time - this was in other situations. It hasn’t come up to me now, so I suspect it’s not very serious,” Cox said.

Meanwhile, Sliwa has no plans of giving up his candidacy.

“As you can see, he’s a man without a party and he’s looking for any kind of lifeline,” Sliwa said. “He’ll be lucky if he gets over ten percent of the vote.”

Sliwa said Adams’ advocacy and passage of a housing bill, his handling of the migrant crisis, and the ongoing public safety concerns, have been a hard pill to swallow for the party.

Adams will also have to choose only one independent line. On Tuesday, NY1 learned the Board of Elections will not allow him to run on both “End AntiSemitism” and “Safe and Affordable” lines.

“I think that’s unfair,” Adams said. “I think that the rules for everyone should be the same.”

“Our team is now looking at that and to determine if it’s constitutionally sound,” he added.

The mayor refused to say which line he would be choosing.

The general election is on Nov. 3.