Could Eric Adams actually switch political parties? Here’s how it would work.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams declined to commit to the Democratic Party on Friday morning during a NY1 interview in his “City of Yes” victory lap. “The party that’s most important to me is the American party,” he said when asked if he would consider becoming a Republican again. In light of his recent comments about immigration, praise of Elon Musk, cozying up to Donald Trump and previous Republican affiliation, this deflection quickly became the talk of the town. 

“That is a very eyebrow-raising comment, even for Eric Adams,” said Democratic strategist Trip Yang. “When you’re a mayor of the largest city that has a 7-to-1 Democratic voter registration advantage, it’s pretty bananas.”

The mayor clarified he indeed plans to run in the Democratic primary in a hit on Pix11. But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t also run in the Republican one – and then run as an independent in the general election for good measure. It would all just require some advance planning. He can’t wait to find out if he wins the Democratic primary before deciding to run as an independent, for example.

The viability of Adams running as a Republican is far from a sure thing. “I can’t imagine Republicans embracing Mayor Adams with open arms for mayor, but they’d certainly welcome him into the party. He has a common-sense streak that aligns well with the political right,” Republican consultant Bill O’Reilly wrote in an email. “With all the ongoing problems in the five boroughs, though, the mayor’s reelect will be a tough sell, regardless of what ballot line he appears on.”

Right now, it’s pretty unlikely that the mayor would switch parties, ditch parties or run for reelection on both the Republican and Democratic ballot lines at once, but it’s an intriguing thought. Here’s a trip down that rabbit hole. 

If Eric Adams personally wanted to switch parties, when would he have to do it?

If Adams wanted to change his personal party enrollment before the 2025 primary in order to vote in that party’s primary, he would have to do so by mid-February. However, he doesn’t have to register as a Republican to run in the Republican primary. 

Wait, he doesn’t have to switch his voter registration to run in the Republican primary?

That’s right. He can get permission from the GOP to run in their primary without being registered. It’s called a Wilson-Pakula – so named for legislation passed by 20th Century Republican state lawmakers Malcolm Wilson and Irwin Pakula. Many New York politicians take advantage of this system so they can run on multiple ballot lines, including conservative City Council Members Bob Holden and Kalman Yeger. The Working Families Party issues a lot of Wilson-Pakulas to registered Democrats who run on their party line.

Of course, the GOP would have to be really on board with Adams to go this route. And if they’re issuing him a Wilson-Pakula, it would probably mean they’re clearing the primary field for him. 

OK, so say he got a Wilson-Pakula. Would he have to only run in the Republican primary?

Nope. He could run in both the Democratic and the Republican primaries at once. He would have to petition for both though.

When would we start to see him petitioning?

The state BOE has not yet posted their 2025 political calendar, which is annoying. But we can look at their 2024 calendar as a loose guide. Petitioning for both the Republican and Democratic primaries will kick off in the spring. In 2024 it started in late February and ended in early April.

What if he wanted to run as an independent?

Adams can also run outside of the four political parties with automatic ballot access in New York, by filing an independent nominating petition. But he couldn’t wait until finding out the results of a primary to get that process underway; he’d have to start gathering signatures for an independent petition in the spring, around the same time as running in the primary. He could also forego the primaries altogether and just run as an independent. Again, we’re just talking hypotheticals here.

Can you transfer your matching funds if you switch parties?

The New York City Campaign Finance Board is nonpartisan, meaning public matching funds can be used regardless of party affiliation, and they just follow the campaign committee. 

Wasn’t Eric Adams previously a Republican? What was that all about?

Depending on who you ask, some would say he still acts like one. But Adams was also officially a registered Republican from 1995 to 2002. A few years ago, Adams looked back on that time, calling the seven-year stretch a “personal protest” over Democratic actions on the Rockefeller drug laws and public housing, among other issues.

Would he stand a chance of winning in New York City as a Republican?

Unclear. The last Republican to become mayor in New York was Mike Bloomberg, who spent $74 million of his own money to elect himself and who won in the wake of 9/11. So that’s sort of difficult to replicate. “Bloomberg wasn’t really Republican, and he definitely wasn't a MAGA Republican,” Yang said. He also noted that Rudy Giuliani – the second-most-recent Republican mayor – was elected on his record as a U.S. attorney. 

Adams’ relative warmth to the incoming Trump administration isn’t totally surprising in the wake of the GOP’s gains in New York City this year (and his legal troubles). “Enrolling in a party is a personal choice, but I assume the mayor came to the same conclusion as a lot of New Yorkers, that the far left of the Democratic Party have gone off the rails and implemented policies that are to the detriment of the city,” said Republican City Council Member Joe Borelli. Borelli has eyed a run for mayor in the event of a special election, back when Adams resigning or being removed from office after his indictment seemed like a more distinct possibility.

Has any other politician done this?

Yes.