Cuomo, who is controversial because of past sexual harassment allegations that he has denied, is the front-runner in the race. A poll from last week showed him leading contenders with 38% support, with assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, at 10%, being the next closest.

When asked for comment by the Washington Examiner on Adams dropping out of the race, a Cuomo spokesperson sent a local outlet’s three-way race poll between Cuomo, Adams, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. The poll showed Cuomo winning with 43% support, Sliwa at 13%, Adams at 11%, and 29% undecided.

That could come to fruition if Cuomo can win the Democratic primary in June, which still features a progressive mishmash of city comptroller Brad Lander, assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, former city comptroller Scott Stringer, and a menagerie of others.

Adams’s exit could help Cuomo in the primary even though it could also help his opponents narrow their focus on him instead of splitting their focus on Adams as well, New York political strategist Lawrence Levy told the Washington Examiner.

“Adams out of the primary probably helps Cuomo because any of the few votes the mayor would have gotten would probably come from moderates, black or otherwise,” he said. “Now it’s likely they drift to Cuomo or lose interest. The latter is less likely because Cuomo will have a lot of money and proxies to keep current supporters engaged. Then again, with Adams out of the race, Cuomo’s opponents would be able to focus whatever they’ve got even more tightly on stopping his comeback.”

And Cuomo’s opponents have already seemingly pivoted. The progressive D.R.E.A.M. PAC, which supports many of the progressive candidates running, changed its acronym from Don’t Rank Eric or Andrew for Mayor to Don’t Rank Evil Andrew for Mayor. Cuomo’s first sexual harassment accuser, Lindsay Boylan, pointed the Washington Examiner to a social media video urging voters not to rank Cuomo and to make sure they fill out their ranking list “with five good apples.”

She also said she’s donated to Lander, Mamdani, state senators Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie, and New York City Council speaker Adrienne Adams. Boylan said those five are likely to be in her ranking, and she expects them “to continue to raise their profiles with the money that many have brought in.”

Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso has also chimed in to say that New Yorkers should unite against Cuomo. “Now that the Democratic primary is set – it’s time to unite against Andrew Cuomo and make sure he does not become mayor,” he said in a post on X. “New York deserves better.”

The campaign dynamic has changed for Cuomo in the short term, but what about Adams’s chances?

As for the general election, Adams remains a long-shot candidate. Levy called his independent bid a “desperation move” and that it “reads like political science fiction.” He said his best shot would be if Cuomo were to lose the primary and “someone with the word socialist in their resume wins” or if the Republican nominee disavows his own campaign and President Donald Trump decides to spend millions to ensure Adams wins. Another step that would help is if Trump grows more popular and Democrats sink.

The best-case scenario for Adams is unlikely. But what about Adams potentially running on the Republican ballot line while remaining an independent like Michael Bloomberg did in 2009? Adams will not be on the Republican line and was never in consideration, the Washington Examiner learned.

There’s also a scenario similar to the one Cuomo’s team pointed out, where Cuomo could win the Democratic primary and not get the endorsement of the Working Families Party while Adams and Sliwa scramble for support in the general election. The Working Families Party ballot line commonly endorses the Democratic nominee, but it has signaled it will not endorse Cuomo and let him run on its line, opening it to someone like Mamdani or Lander.

That would be good for Cuomo, Levy said. “Whatever party or ideology, they all will be splitting the ABC vote – Anybody But Cuomo,” he said. “In other words, with each new opponent, he would need fewer and fewer votes (or a lower percentage of the total) to win in the general election.”

Mamdani and Lander, the two top progressive candidates in the Democratic primary, both mocked Adams for leaving the primary. Lander reposted an old social media post from statistician Nate Silver that said Adams could be a presidential candidate with the comment: “This aged well.”

Mamdani was more direct, criticizing Adams’s association with Trump. “Just one day after a slimy deal from Donald Trump got his corruption charges dropped, Eric Adams has officially left the Democratic Party,” he said in a statement. “The irony is, there is nothing ‘independent’ about Eric Adams, who is completely beholden to real estate moguls, billionaires, and the far-right. Regardless of what party Adams flees to, New Yorkers deserve better than a self-interested, disgraced mayor who has and always will put his needs before their own.”

While Adams had been largely quiet about the city’s Democratic primary before his criminal case was dropped, the news seems to have boosted his confidence. Before declaring his independent bid, Adams announced the dropped charges at Gracie Mansion and took the time for one election-related question.

He answered with a smile.

TRACKING WHAT DOGE IS DOING ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

“I’m running for reelection, and you know what, I’m gonna win,” he said.

Now, he’ll likely hope voters can skip the Democratic line, which could have Cuomo’s name.