Mayor Eric Adams has ended his campaign in the New York City mayoral race.

News 12's Senior Political Reporter Tara Rosenblum first reported that he made the decision two weeks ago. On Sunday, he made it official in a video announcement on social media.

The mayor recently reiterated his desire to stay in the race during an appearance on News 12's Ask the Mayor.

"This has been going on and on for weeks and it's hurt my fundraising and it's hurt my endorsers...but you have to deal with this and keep moving. I'm in this race and I'm going to continue to run,” he said. “Imagine the arrogance that's attached to someone predicting what's going to happen tomorrow...God is in charge of my life. Whatever happens next in my life I'm looking forward to it."

In the video released on social media, Adams spoke with pride about his achievements as mayor, including a drop in violent crime. But he said that “constant media speculation” about his future and a decision by the city’s campaign finance board to withhold public funding from his reelection effort, made it impossible to stay in the race. “Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign.”

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, Democratic nominee and the frontrunner in the race, released a statement after Adams dropped out:

“Donald Trump and his billionaire donors might be able to determine Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo’s actions but they will not dictate the results of this election. New York deserves better than trading in one disgraced, corrupt politician for another. On November 4th, we are going to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas and deliver a government every New Yorker can be proud of.”

EXCLUSIVE: Zohran Mamdani's first 1-on-1 reaction to Eric Adams dropping his reelection bid

Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa's campaign also responded:

"Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who can defeat Mamdani. Our team, our resources, and our funding are unmatched. Most importantly, we have the best solutions to help working people afford to stay in New York City and feel safe."

Adams did not endorse any of the remaining candidates in the race, but he warned of “insidious forces” using local government to “advance divisive agendas.”

“That is not change, that is chaos," Adams said. "Instead, I urge New Yorkers to choose leaders not by what they promise, but by what they have delivered."

It is unclear, though, whether enough Adams supporters will shift their allegiances to Cuomo to make a difference.

Mamdani, 33, would be the city’s youngest and most liberal mayor in generations if elected. He beat Cuomo decisively in the Democratic primary by campaigning on a promise try to lower the cost of living in one of the world’s most expensive cities.Mamdani, Cuomo and Sliwa remain in the race

Speculation that Adams wouldn’t make it to Election Day has been rampant for a year. His campaign was severely wounded by both the bribery case and liberal anger over his warm relationship with President Donald Trump. He skipped the Democratic primary and got on the ballot as an independent.

Polls conducted in early September illustrated his challenges. One poll by The New York Times and Siena University and another by Quinnipiac University showed likely voters favoring Mamdani over Cuomo, with Sliwa and Adams trailing further behind.

The Quinnipiac poll suggested the gap between Mamdani and Cuomo could narrow if Adams dropped out. The Times/Siena poll suggested that if both Adams and Sliwa withdrew, Mamdani’s advantage over Cuomo could shrink even further.

Sliwa, though, has repeatedly insisted he will not quit.

“Curtis Sliwa is the only candidate who can defeat Mamdani,” his spokesperson, Daniel Kurzyna, said Sunday. In recent weeks, Trump administration intermediaries interested in blocking Mamdani’s path to victory by getting him into a one-on-one matchup with Cuomo had approached Adams to see if he could be coaxed out of the contest with an offer of a government job.

Amid reports on those discussions, Adams called a news conference where he pledged to keep running and derided Cuomo and Mamdani as “spoiled brats.” Later, on social media, Adams called Cuomo “a liar and a snake.”Indictment overshadows progress

Adams, 65, is the city’s second Black mayor. A former New York City police captain and Brooklyn borough president, he took office in 2022 promising to crack down on crime and revitalize a city still bouncing back from the coronavirus pandemic.

On his signature issue, he succeeded. Crime rates that ticked upward after COVID-19 hit the city have fallen back to pre-pandemic levels, though it's unclear how much that had to do with Adams’ policies.

But scandals and corruption probes have crippled Adams’ chances at another term.

Over a head-spinning period of weeks last year, his police commissioner, schools chancellor and several deputy mayors resigned following a series of federal raids on their homes. None have faced criminal charges.

Then, in late September, federal prosecutors brought fraud and bribery charges accusing Adams of accepting illegal campaign contributions and steep travel discounts from a Turkish official and others, and in exchange later accelerating the opening of Turkey’s diplomatic building, among other favors.

Adams denied wrongdoing and pledged to remain in office. He also began speaking warmly about Trump, then seen as having a growing chance of regaining the White House. He defended Trump in media briefings, urged his party to tone down rhetoric against the Republican and refrained from criticizing him.

After Trump won, Adams met with Trump’s border czar, Thomas Homan.

Then, in February, Trump’s Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors in New York to drop the charges against Adams so the mayor could assist with the Republican president’s immigration agenda.

The extraordinary intervention triggered fresh tumult in City Hall and the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office, with some of Adams’ closest allies suggesting he had struck a deal with the White House for his freedom.

Adams announced he would skip the June Democratic primary but would stay in the race.

In late August, Adams former top adviser - who served as a campaign volunteer - was hit with fresh bribery charges. Another former aide was removed from the campaign after handing a potato chip bag full of cash to a local reporter.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has endorsed Mamdani, said after Adam’s announcement that she has been proud to have worked with him for the past four years, adding in her statement that he leaves the city “better than he inherited it.”