On September 2, 2025, independent New York City mayoral candidate James Walden (I) suspended his campaign for mayor.

In an interview, Walden cited the rise of candidate Zohran Mamdani (D) as the factor for his withdrawal, saying, “The math is the math. And it doesn’t make sense for me to continue to push to surge, only to take votes away from another candidate or other candidates who are going to need it.” He also asked other candidates to consider suspending their mayoral campaigns by the end of September, saying, “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.”

In his responses to Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey, Walden, a former federal prosecutor, listed the following as his top priorities: stopping government corruption, ensuring public safety, and improving affordability. Walden averaged 1% in polls showing a five-way contest. His campaign received the endorsement of former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. (D).

Associated Press’ Jake Offenhartz wrote that Walden “had positioned himself as a free-market technocrat in the mold of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. But he struggled to register among voters already contending with several familiar names.”

In three polls conducted without Walden between Eric Adams (I), Mamdani (D), Curtis Sliwa (R), and Andrew Cuomo (I), Mamdani leads with an average of 36%, followed by Cuomo with 23%, Sliwa with 17%, and Adams with 10%. An average of 13% voters were undecided in these polls, and the average margin of error was about 5%. The most recent of these polls was conducted between August 4 and August 7 by Sienna College.