His address also comes as former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), who resigned after facing sexual harassment accusations while in office, is rumored to be running for mayor of New York this year. While facing a possible challenger and federal charges, Adams made his case for another term, insisting that “no one will fight harder” for New York City.

“Today, I want to talk about how we can make New York City the best place to raise a family,” He said in the address.

‘MY WORD AS A BIDEN’: JOE DAMAGES PUBLIC TRUST WITH FLIP-FLOP HUNTER PARDON

In the address, Adams outlined his 2025 agenda for the remainder of his term. He unveiled his “Manhattan Plan” to build 80,000 new homes in Manhattan over the next decade. If completed, it would be equivalent to creating a brand new Upper West Side neighborhood. 

“In the past year alone, our administration passed historic housing legislation, shattered the record for the most jobs in city history, drove major crimes down, and did so much more to build a family-friendly city. As a result of all these efforts, the state of our city is strong,” Adams said. “But there is no denying that many New Yorkers — especially our families — are still anxious about the future.”

Adams also announced that the city will invest $650 million to bolster that work and expand support for homeless New Yorkers as well as those with serious mental illness at risk of entering city shelters. His administration will add 900 new Safe Haven beds for city residents experiencing homelessness.

“Too many New Yorkers cycled between the hospital and homelessness, so we’re going to build a new housing facility just for unsheltered New Yorkers with serious mental illness,” Adams said.

Adams also used the address as an opportunity to air his campaign strategy for his re-election bid.

“There were some who said, ‘step down.’ I said, ‘No, I’m gonna step up. I’m gonna step up,’” Adams said.

The speech comes as rumors have swirled that Cuomo is preparing to enter the race, potentially challenging Adams in a primary in six months. According to a Politico report, Cuomo is expected to hire his longtime ally Charlie King as he builds a campaign.

“As far as I know, there is no Cuomo campaign for mayor but should that change, I’m sure everyone will know who is on board,” King told Politico. “Judging by the unsolicited proposals and resumes that have flooded in, should the former governor decide to run, I’m sure he’ll have his pick.”

According to the report, Cuomo is considering announcing his mayoral campaign in early February. New York City Mayoral elections will take place on Nov. 4, 2025.