2021 New York City mayoral election

2021 New York City mayoral election

← 2017 November 2, 2021 2025 →

Nominee Eric Adams Curtis Sliwa Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 753,801 302,680 Percentage 67.0% 27.8%

Borough results Adams:      50–60%      70–80%      80–90% Sliwa:      60–70%

Mayor before election Bill de Blasio Democratic Elected Mayor Eric Adams Democratic

Elections in New York State
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v t

This article is part of a series about Eric Adams
Electoral history New York City Police Department Police career New York City Transit Police 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care 1994 Congressional campaign Elections 1994 Brooklyn Borough President Tenure Elections 2013 2017 2021 Mayor of New York City campaign Elections Primary General election
v t

The 2021 New York City mayoral election was held on November 2, 2021. Incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio was term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election.

On June 22, 2021, the primary elections for the Democratic and Republican primaries were held. The 2021 primaries were the first New York City mayoral election primaries to use ranked-choice voting rather than the plurality voting of previous primaries.^[1][2] On election night, Guardian Angels founder and radio talk show host Curtis Sliwa won the Republican primary with 67.9% of the vote, defeating New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers founder Fernando Mateo.^[3] Brooklyn Borough President and former police officer Eric Adams had a lead on election night in the Democratic primary but did not reach 50% of the vote, meaning that ranked-choice voting would come into play.^[4] In the final round of ranked-choice voting in the Democratic primary, Adams defeated former New York City Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, 50.4%–49.6%.

In the general election, Adams handily defeated Sliwa with 67.0% of the vote to become the 110th Mayor of New York City and the city's second African-American Mayor.

History[]

In 2019, New York City voters passed Ballot Question #1 to amend the City Charter to "give voters the choice of ranking up to five candidates in primary and special elections for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and city council beginning in January 2021".^[5] The first election in the city to use ranked-choice voting was in the 24th council district in Queens, which took place on February 2, 2021.^[6] This was the first time ranked-choice voting was used in the New York City mayoral election.

In 2019, journalists and political commentators predicted several potential 2021 mayoral candidates, including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr., NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson, NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer, and NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.^[7][8]

Incumbent Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio was barred by term limits from seeking a third term.^[9]

By May 2021, thirteen candidates had qualified for the Democratic Party primary, and two for the Republican Party primary. There are also minor party and independent campaigns for the general election in November.^[10]

Democratic primary[]

Polling in late January and early February 2021 showed businessman Andrew Yang as the Democratic primary frontrunner, with Adams in second place and Stringer in third place.^[11][12]

In April, Scott Stringer was accused of sexual abuse by Jean Kim.^[13][14][15] Stringer denied the allegations, claiming that the relationship had been consensual.^[16] In June, a second woman accused him of sexual misconduct.^[17]

On May 5, 2021, Politico reported that a recent poll found that Eric Adams was leading the Democratic primary contest; this marked the first time since January that any Democratic candidate other than Yang had led in a public poll.^[18] On June 7, Spectrum News reported that Adams had maintained a lead in the Democratic primary.^[19]

On July 6, the Associated Press reported that Adams had won the Democratic primary.^[4] The Guardian stated that Adams, a "former police captain", had prevailed "after appealing to the political center and promising to strike the right balance between fighting crime and ending racial injustice in policing".^[20] An earlier report from The New York Times asserted that Adams had run as a "working-class underdog" and had "hammered away at the message that he was the only candidate who could tackle both crime and police reform".^[21]

Candidates[]

Nominee[]

• Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President, former NY State Senator from the 20th district (2007–2013), former NYPD captain^{[22][23][24][25]}

Eliminated in primary[]

• Art Chang, former JPMorgan Chase managing director, founder of NYC Votes^[26]
• Shaun Donovan, former Director of the US Office of Management and Budget (2014–2017), United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2009–2014), former Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (2004–2008)^[27]
• Aaron Foldenauer, attorney^[28][29]
• Kathryn Garcia, former Commissioner of the NYC Department of Sanitation (2014–2020), former Interim Chair and CEO of the NYC Housing Authority (2019), former Chief Operating Officer of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (2012–2014)^[30][31]
• Ray McGuire, former Citigroup executive^[32][33]
• Dianne Morales, former social services non-profit CEO, former schoolteacher^[34][35]
• Paperboy Love Prince, Brooklyn rapper^[36]
• Scott Stringer, New York City Comptroller, former Manhattan Borough President (2006–2013), former assemblymember for the 67th district (1993–2005)^[37][38][39]
• Joycelyn Taylor, CEO of TaylorMade Contracting^[28][40]
• Maya Wiley, The New School professor, former chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (2016-2017), former counsel to Bill de Blasio, former ACLU and NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney^[41]
• Isaac Wright Jr., lawyer^[42]
• Andrew Yang, candidate for President of the United States in 2020, former Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (2015-2017), founder of Venture for America^{[43][44][45][46]}

Write-in candidates who did not qualify for ballot access[]

• Nickie Kane, web designer, entrepreneur and paralegal student at City University of New York^[47]
• Eddie Cullen, tech entrepreneur and professor at Purdue University^[47]
• Thomas Downs, restaurant worker^[48]
• Guiddalia Emilien, real estate agent and small business owner^[49]
• Garry Guerrier, paramedic and nurse^[33]
• Max Kaplan, director of social media at Talent Resources^[10][50]
• Barbara Kavovit, CEO of Evergreen Construction and former Real Housewives of New York City cast member^[51]
• Ira Seidman, data scientist^[49]
• Ahsan Syed, candidate for NYC Mayor in 2017^[33]

Withdrawn candidates[]

• Michael DeName, former independent US presidential candidate^[50][52]
• Rubén Díaz Jr., Bronx Borough President (2009–present), former NY State Assemblymember (1997–2009) (endorsed Eric Adams)^[53][54][55]
• Quanda S. Francis, president of Sykes Capital Management (withdrew to run as an independent)^[33]
• Zach Iscol, entrepreneur, United States Marine Corps veteran (running for NYC Comptroller; lost election)^[56][57]
• Corey Johnson, Speaker of the NYC Council (2018–present), NYC Councilmember for the 3rd district (2014–present) (running for NYC Comptroller)^[58][37][59]
• Carlos Menchaca, NYC Councilmember for Brooklyn's 38th district (2013–present) (endorsed Andrew Yang)^[60][61]
• Julia Qing Reaves, LGBT+ activist^[62][63]
• Stephen Bishop Seely, actor^[33]
• Loree Sutton, former Commissioner of the NYC Department of Veterans' Services (2017–2019), former US Army brigadier general^[64][65] (endorsed Kathryn Garcia)^[66]

Declined[]

• Andy Byford, former president of the NYC Transit Authority (2018–2020)^[67]
• Melinda Katz, Queens County District Attorney (2020–present), Queens Borough President (2014–2020), NYC Councilmember for the 29th district (2002–2009), NY State Assemblymember for the 28th district (1994–1999)^[68]
• Melissa Mark-Viverito, former NYC Council Speaker (2014–2017)^[68]
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, US Representative for New York's 14th congressional district (2019–present) (endorsed Maya Wiley)^[69][70][71]
• Christine Quinn, former NYC Council Speaker (2006–2013)^[72][73]
• Max Rose, former US Representative for New York's 11th congressional district (2019–2021) (formed exploratory committee but did not run)^{[74][75][76][77]}
• Ritchie Torres, US Representative for New York's 15th congressional district (2021–present) (endorsed Andrew Yang)^[78][79]
• Jumaane Williams, NYC Public Advocate (2019–present), former NYC Councilmember for the 45th district (2010–2019) (running for re-election as NYC Public Advocate)^[80][81] (endorsed Maya Wiley)^[82]
• Jeff Zucker, chairman of Warner Media News & Sports (2019–present)^[83][84]

Results by round[]

2021 New York City mayoral Democratic primary election[85]
Candidate	Round 1		Round 2		Round 3		Round 4		Round 5		Round 6		Round 7		Round 8
	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%	Votes	%
Eric Adams	289,403	30.7%	289,603	30.8%	290,055	30.8%	291,806	31.2%	295,798	31.7%	317,092	34.6%	354,657	40.5%	404,513	50.4%
Kathryn Garcia	184,463	19.6%	184,571	19.6%	184,669	19.6%	186,731	19.9%	191,876	20.5%	223,634	24.4%	266,932	30.5%	397,316	49.6%
Maya Wiley	201,127	21.4%	201,193	21.4%	201,518	21.4%	206,013	22.0%	209,108	22.4%	239,174	26.1%	254,728	29.1%	Eliminated
Andrew Yang	115,130	12.2%	115,301	12.2%	115,502	12.3%	118,808	12.6%	121,597	13.0%	135,686	14.8%	Eliminated
Scott Stringer	51,778	5.5%	51,850	5.5%	51,951	5.5%	53,599	5.7%	56,723	6.1%	Eliminated
Dianne Morales	26,495	2.8%	26,534	2.8%	26,645	2.8%	30,157	3.2%	30,933	3.3%	Eliminated
Raymond McGuire	25,242	2.7%	25,272	2.7%	25,418	2.7%	26,361	2.8%	27,934	3.0%	Eliminated
Shaun Donovan	23,167	2.5%	23,189	2.5%	23,314	2.5%	24,042	2.6%	Eliminated
Aaron Foldenauer	7,742	0.8%	7,758	0.8%	7,819	0.8%	Eliminated
Art Chang	7,048	0.7%	7,064	0.8%	7,093	0.8%	Eliminated
Paperboy Prince	3,964	0.4%	4,007	0.4%	4,060	0.4%	Eliminated
Joycelyn Taylor	2,662	0.3%	2,683	0.3%	2,780	0.3%	Eliminated
Isaac Wright Jr.	2,242	0.2%	2,254	0.2%	Eliminated
Write-ins	1,568	0.2%	Eliminated
Inactive ballots	0 ballots		752 ballots		1,207 ballots		5,314 ballots		8,062 ballots		26,445 ballots		65,714 ballots		140,202 ballots

Republican primary[]

2021 New York City Republican mayoral primary

← 2017 June 22, 2021[86] 2025 →

Candidate Curtis Sliwa Fernando Mateo First round 40,794 16,719 Percentage 67.9% 27.8%

First round results by borough Sliwa   60–70%   70–80%

Previous Republican nominee Nicole Malliotakis Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa[3]

Candidates[]

Major candidates[]

The following candidates appear on the Republican primary ballot and have held office, have been included in polls, or have been the subject of significant media coverage.

Sliwa has run on a platform opposing the Defund the Police movement, supporting a property tax overhaul so that wealthy citizens pay more in comparison to working-class residents, keeping in place the Specialized High School Admissions Test while increasing opportunities for vocational training in charter schools, and focusing on fiscal restraint.^[87][88][89] He also opposes the killing of unwanted animals and supports making all animal shelters no-kill shelters.^[90]

Republican primary candidates

Candidate	Experience	Announced	Ref
Fernando Mateo	Founder of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers	February 4, 2021 (Website)	[91][92]
Curtis Sliwa	Founder of the Guardian Angels Radio talk show host	March 8, 2020 (Website)	[93]

Failed to qualify for ballot access[]

• Abbey Laurel-Smith, businesswoman^[50]
• Adam Oremland, attorney and social media personality^[94]
• Bill Pepitone, retired NYPD officer (running as the candidate for the Conservative Party)^[95]
• Sara Tirschwell, CFO of Foundation House^[96]

Withdrawn[]

• Cleopatra Fitzgerald, activist

Declined[]

• Nicole Gelinas, fellow at the Manhattan Institute^[97]
• Andrew Giuliani, son of Rudy Giuliani, former special assistant to the president, former associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement^[98] (running for governor in 2022)
• Randy Levine, president of the New York Yankees^[99]
• Kelly Kennedy Mack, president of Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group^[97]
• Scherie Murray, businessperson, candidate for NY State Assembly in 2015, candidate for NY District 14^[100]
• David B. Samadi, urologist^[101]
• Eric Ulrich, NYC Councilmember (2009–present)^[102][103]

Endorsements[]

Opinion polling[]

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[A]	Margin of error	Fernando Mateo	Curtis Sliwa	Undecided
Emerson College[B]	Jun 7–8, 2021	250 (LV)	± 6.2%	27%	33%	40%

Polling key and sponsors

Debates[]

2021 New York City mayoral election Republican primary debates

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Participants
Key:  P  Participant    A  Absent    N  Non-invitee    I  Invitee  W  Withdrawn
					Curtis Sliwa	Fernando Mateo
1[113]	March 31, 2021	WABC	Dominic Carter	Video	P	P
2[104]	June 3, 2021	PIX11	Ayana Harry Dan Mannarino Henry Rossoff	Video	P	P

Results[]

2021 New York mayoral Republican primary election^[86]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Curtis Sliwa	40,794	67.9
	Republican	Fernando Mateo	16,719	27.8
	Write-in		2,536	4.2
Total votes			60,049	100%

Third parties[]

Conservative Party[]

Nominee[]

• Bill Pepitone, retired NYPD officer^[114]

Working Families Party[]

Candidate[]

• No candidate nominated^[115]

Declined[]

• Deborah Axt, former director of Make the Road New York^[116]
• Maya Wiley, The New School professor^[117]

Empowerment Party[]

Nominee[]

• Quanda S. Francis , Sykes Capital Management President and Accountant^[117]

Libertarian Party[]

Nominee[]

• Stacey Prussman, activist and comedian^[118]

Party for Socialism and Liberation[]

Candidate[]

• Cathy Rojas, teacher and socialist activist^[119]

Independents[]

Declared[]

• Thomas Downs, activist^[120]
• Quanda Francis, president of Sykes Capital Management^[47][121]

General election[]

Debates[]

2021 New York City mayoral election general election debate

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Participants
Key:  P  Participant    A  Absent    N  Non-invitee    I  Invitee  W  Withdrawn
					Eric Adams	Curtis Sliwa
1	October 20, 2021	Citizens Budget Commission NBC 4 New York New York Urban League Politico Telemundo 47	Sally Goldenberg Melissa Russo David Ushery Allan Villafaña	Video	P	P
2	October 26, 2021	ABC 7 Hispanic Federation League of Women Voters NAACP NYS Conference Univision 41	Dave Evans Bill Ritter Mariela Salgado	Video	P	P

Endorsements[]

Polling[]

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Eric Adams (D)	Curtis Sliwa (R)	Undecided
Emerson College	October 22–23, 2021	615 (LV)	± 3.9%	61%	25%	14%

Polling key and sponsors

Results[]

General election results^{[176][177][178]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Eric Adams	753,801	66.99%	+0.82%
	Republican	Curtis Sliwa	302,680	26.90%	+2.95%
	Independent	Curtis Sliwa	9,705	0.86%	N/A
	Total	Curtis Sliwa	312,385	27.76%	+0.17%
	Socialism and Liberation	Cathy Rojas	27,982	2.49%	N/A
	Conservative	Bill Pepitone	12,575	1.12%	-2.13%
	Empowerment	Quanda S. Francis	3,792	0.34%	N/A
	Libertarian	Stacey Prussman	3,189	0.28%	+0.04%
	Humanity United	Raja Flores	2,387	0.21%	N/A
	Save Our City	Fernando Mateo	1,870	0.17%	N/A
	Out Lawbreaker	Skiboky Stora	264	0.02%	N/A
	Write-in		7,013	0.62%
Total votes			1,125,258	100.0%
	Democratic hold

See also[]

• 2021 New York City Public Advocate election
• 2021 New York City Comptroller election
• 2021 New York City Council election
• 2021 New York City borough president elections
• List of mayors of New York City

References[]

External links[]

• Wikinews interviews candidate for New York City mayor Vitaly Filipchenko at Wikinews