(The Center Square) — Independent New York City mayoral candidate Jim Walden has dropped out of the race and is urging other hopefuls to consolidate to help defeat frontrunner and Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, calling him a “Trojan Horse” candidate.
Jim Walden, an attorney and former prosecutor who once represented Robert F. Kennedy Jr., bowed out of the race Tuesday in a social media post that warned time was “slipping away” for the other candidates in the race to gain momentum in the crowded field seeking to unseat incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who is running as an independent.
“For those still trailing in the polls by month’s end, I implore each to consider how history will judge them if they allow vanity or stubborn ambition to usher in Mr. Mamdani,” Walden said in a statement. “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. I cannot spend more public money in the futile hope I am the one called to battle.”
Walden struggled to gain traction in the crowded field of mayoral candidates, and the latest polls showed him trailing behind the pack. To date, he has raised $1.1 million but received more than $2.3 million in public funds. Because he is dropping out before the election, he will need to return the $1.2 million in public funds remaining in his campaign account.
Last month, Walden issued a “challenge” to other candidates in the race, arguing that they would maximize their chances of beating Mamdani if they agreed to rally behind the poll leader.
None of the candidates agreed to the proposal, though both Adams and former and independent Gov. Andrew Cuomo have called on the other to drop out of the race.
Mamdani, who defeated Cuomo in last month’s Democratic primary, has sent shockwaves through New York’s political establishment and drawn national attention from Republicans who have criticized the city’s dramatic shift to the left. The latest polls show Mamdani is the frontrunner in the race. Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee and Guardian Angels founder, will also appear on the Nov. 4 ballot.
“While support of Zohran’s vision for an affordable New York continues to grow across all five boroughs, the billionaire class is narrowing their selection process — and Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams are pulling out all the stops to charm them alongside Donald Trump,” Mamdani’s spokesperson, Dora Pekec, said in a statement.
