With fewer than 100 days before voting begins in the New York City primary, NY1 is sitting down with candidates running for mayor.

On Wednesday, former assistant U.S. attorney Jim Walden joined “Mornings On 1” to make his case to voters as the only independent in the race.

“When it comes to safety, affordability and education, I've been studying those issues through the litigations that I filed,” Walden said. “I understand the issues. I've got ideas that are going to move us forward, and that's really what people want. They want hope, and they want someone to move them forward and stop the blood sport of politics that we've been seeing for years. And that's why I decided to run.”

Asked why he chose to run as an independent, Walden said he sees an opportunity in a crowded Democratic field.

“I've looked closely at the options, and the Democratic field is crowded with career politicians. I'm not one of them, and that's exactly what people want right now,” he said. “They want someone who is going to fight to do their job—to get the trains running on time, to get the buses running on time, to make the streets safe, to bring down egg prices. They want someone who's dedicated to doing the job, not just enjoying the job. And these career politicians, that's what you can expect from them. When you make bad choices, you're going to have bad policy.”

Walden pointed to recent polling as a sign that voters are looking for an alternative.

“The Emerson poll that was just released, it's the first poll for November, and I broke through. I'm only 7% behind [Mayor Eric] Adams. Adams has been in office, he's got tons of name recognition, and for me, only being seven points behind him in the first poll for November was huge for my campaign, and it's just an indication that people want something different,” he said.

Public safety has been a central issue in the race, and while crime is down in the first quarter of the year compared to last year, Walden wants to use the position as mayor to further support the NYPD.

“We have a record low in the number of police officers. We have age limits on cops who can serve even though we need more cops,” Walden said. “City Hall needs to support the NYPD and give officers what they need to do their jobs. And that's what people want. We need more cops. We need to retain them, and then we need better policing strategies.”

Walden also laid out his plan to scrap the congestion pricing tolling program, saying he’d instead implement a “congestion pricing light” program.

“I would scrap congestion pricing in its current form, and I would start with planning, then I'd go to incentives to get drivers out of their cars, which includes safe subways and buses that run on time,” Walden said. “Why force drivers out of their cars when we can't even give them the transportation that they deserve? And only then, if those two things didn't work, would I consider some form of—let's call it ‘congestion pricing light’—where we have a program that is fair and has lots of exceptions for people that need it.”