2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary

2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary

← 2017 June 22, 2021[1] 2025 →
 
Candidate Eric Adams Kathryn Garcia Maya Wiley
First round 289,403
(30.7%)
184,463
(19.6%)
201,193
(21.4%)
Final round 404,513
(50.4%)
397,316
(49.6%)
Eliminated

 
Candidate Andrew Yang Scott Stringer
First round 115,130
(12.2%)
51,778
(5.5%)
Final round Eliminated Eliminated


Previous Democratic nominee

Bill de Blasio

Democratic nominee

Eric Adams[2]

The Democratic Party primary for the 2021 New York City mayoral election took place on June 22, 2021. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams defeated 12 other candidates, including Kathryn Garcia, Maya Wiley and Andrew Yang.[3] Adams went on to defeat Republican Curtis Sliwa and other candidates in the November 2, 2021 general election.

The New York City Board of Elections was substantially criticized for its handling of the race, the first after New York's initial implementation of ranked-choice voting (RCV). A week after election day, the Board announced a discrepancy in the initial results, posting in a tweet that approximately 135,000 additional votes, originating from a test run, had been added to the total count.[4][5]

Background

[edit]

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".[6] 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, though the first ranked-choice election with multiple rounds was held in the 31st council district in Queens on February 23.[7] The 2021 mayoral primaries were the first New York City mayoral election primaries to use ranked-choice voting.[8][9]

In 2019, journalists and political commentators predicted several potential 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.[10] All of the preceding candidates ended up joining the mayoral race with the exception of Williams, who instead decided to run for re-election as Public Advocate. Additionally, Díaz Jr. and Johnson dropped out before the primary election, with Johnson instead deciding to run for Comptroller.[11][12][13]

Candidates

[edit]

Major candidates

[edit]

The following candidates (listed alphabetically) appear on the Democratic primary ballot[14] and have held office, have been included in polls, or have been the subject of significant media coverage.

Democratic primary candidates
Candidate Experience Announced Withdrew Ref

Eric Adams
Brooklyn Borough President (2014–2021)
Former NY State Senator from the 20th district (2007–2013)
Former NYPD captain
November 17, 2020

(Website Archived 2021-12-01 at the Wayback Machine)
[15][16][17][18]

Shaun Donovan
Former Director of the US Office of Management and Budget (2014–2017)
Former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2009–2014)
Former Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (2004–2008)
February 3, 2020

(Website Archived 2021-06-23 at the Wayback Machine)
[19]

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)
December 10, 2020

(Website Archived 2021-01-21 at the Wayback Machine)
July 7, 2021 [20][21]

Raymond McGuire
Former Citigroup executive October 15, 2020

(Website Archived 2021-10-14 at the Wayback Machine)
June 29, 2021 [22][23]


Dianne Morales
Former social services non-profit CEO
Former teacher
November 19, 2020

Dianne Morales
(Website Archived 2021-01-25 at the Wayback Machine)
July 2, 2021 [24][25]

Scott Stringer
NYC Comptroller (2014–2021)
Former Manhattan Borough President (2006–2013)
Former NY State Assemblymember for the 67th district (1993–2005)
September 8, 2020

(Website Archived 2024-09-07 at the Wayback Machine)
June 27, 2021[26] [27][28][29]

Maya Wiley
The New School professor
Former chair of the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board (2016–2017)
Former counsel to Bill de Blasio
Former ACLU and NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney
October 8, 2020
(Website Archived 2021-02-11 at the Wayback Machine)
July 7, 2021 [30]

Andrew Yang
Candidate for President of the United States in 2020
Former Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship (2015–2017)
Founder of Venture for America
January 13, 2021

(Website Archived 2024-09-04 at the Wayback Machine)
June 22, 2021[31] [32][33][34][35]

Other candidates qualifying for the ballot

[edit]

Write-in candidates who did not qualify for ballot access

[edit]
  • Eddie Cullen, tech entrepreneur and professor at Purdue University[42]
  • Ävatar Daví, tech entrepreneur and artist[43]
  • Thomas Downs, restaurant worker[44]
  • Guiddalia Emilien, real estate agent and small business owner[45]
  • Garry Guerrier, paramedic and nurse[23]
  • Max Kaplan, director of social media at Talent Resources[46][43]
  • Ira Seidman, data scientist[45]
  • Ahsan Syed, candidate for NYC Mayor in 2017[23]

Withdrawn candidates

[edit]

Declined

[edit]

Campaign

[edit]

Early months

[edit]

Polling in late January and early February showed businessman Andrew Yang as the frontrunner, with Adams in second and Stringer in third place.[76][77] As of January 20, 2021, of the major declared candidates, New York City councilmember Carlos Menchaca and former Commissioner of the NYC Dept. of Veterans' Services Loree Sutton were considered the weakest candidates and most likely to drop out, as both of them posted very poor fundraising numbers.[78] Sutton withdrew from the race on March 10, 2021[57] and Menchaca withdrew on March 24, 2021.[79] By the middle of March, three candidates, Stringer, Dianne Morales, and Maya Wiley, were widely considered to be the chief competitors for the progressive vote.[80] In April, Yang faced criticism when he appeared on a video by Comedian Lawrence Reese in which he appeared to laugh when Reese asked him if he "choked bitches".[81]

Stringer sexual assault allegations

[edit]

In April, Stringer, who was generally polling in third-place, was accused of sexual abuse by Jean Kim, who claimed that Stringer had forcibly kissed and groped her when she worked on his 2001 campaign for Public Advocate.[82][83][84] Fellow candidates Morales, Adams, Yang, and Raymond McGuire condemned the acts in the allegation; while candidates Wiley, Kathryn Garcia, and Shaun Donovan called for him to drop out.[85] Stringer denied the allegations, claiming that the relationship had been consensual.[86] In June, a second woman accused him of sexual misconduct in 1992.[87]

Debates

[edit]

The first debate in the Democratic primary was sponsored by the Brooklyn Democratic Party and held on January 31, 2021. Eight candidates participated: Adams, former director of the US Office of Management and Budget Shaun Donovan, former commissioner of the NYC Dept. of Sanitation Kathryn Garcia, businessman Raymond McGuire, Stringer, Sutton, former counsel to Bill de Blasio Maya Wiley, and Yang.[88] Former non-profit CEO Dianne Morales boycotted the debate following comments perceived as sinophobic by a former Brooklyn Democratic Party official.[89]

The second debate took place on May 13, 2021. It was organized by the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) and sponsored by NY1. Eight candidates met the CFB's qualifications to participate in the debate. Those who participated were Adams, Donovan, Garcia, McGuire, Morales, Stringer, Wiley, and Yang.

The third debate was held on June 2, 2021. It was organized by the CFB and sponsored by ABC 7. Eight candidates met the CFB's qualifications to participate in the debate. Those who participated were Adams, Donovan, Garcia, McGuire, Morales, Stringer, Wiley, and Yang.

The fourth debate was held on June 10, 2021, and sponsored by CBS 2. Five candidates participated: Adams, Garcia, Stringer, Wiley, and Yang. Adams initially announced that he would skip the debate but later opted to attend.[90]

The fifth and final debate of the Democratic primary took place on June 16, 2021. It was organized by the CFB and was sponsored by NBC 4. Eight candidates met the CFB's qualifications and were required to participate: Adams, Donovan, Garcia, McGuire, Morales, Stringer, Wiley, and Yang.[91]

2021 New York City mayoral election Democratic primary debates
No. Date Host Moderator Link Participants
Key:
 P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Non-invitee   I  Invitee  W  Withdrawn
Eric Adams Shaun Donovan Kathryn Garcia Raymond McGuire Dianne Morales Scott Stringer Loree Sutton Maya Wiley Andrew Yang
1[88] Feb. 1, 2021 Kings County
Democratic Committee
Errol Louis Video P P P P A[a] P P P P
2 May 13, 2021 John Jay College
of Criminal Justice

NYC Votes
NY1
Brian Lehrer
Errol Louis
Josefa Velasquez
Video P P P P P P W P P
3 Jun. 2, 2021 ABC 7
League of Women
Voters NYC

NAACP NYS
NYC Votes
Bill Ritter
Dave Evans
Yisel Tejada
Video P P P P P P W P P
4 Jun. 10, 2021 CBS 2 Maurice DuBois
Marcia Kramer
Video P[b] N P N N P W P P
5[92] Jun. 16, 2021 NBC 4
Politico
NYC Votes
Sally Goldenberg
Melissa Russo
David Ushery
Allan Villafana
Video P P P P P P W P P

Closing weeks

[edit]

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.[93] On June 7, Spectrum News reported that Adams had maintained a lead in the Democratic primary.[94]

In early May, Donovan and McGuire were characterized as being out of touch with everyday New Yorkers for greatly underestimating the median cost of a home in Brooklyn.[95] In late May, Yang, who lives in Hell's Kitchen, faced some ridicule for answering that Times Square was his favorite subway station; the response was seen as akin to that of a tourist.[96] Yang was also criticized as being out of touch when he appeared before the Stonewall Democrats of New York City for an endorsement screening, in which he appeared to point to his gay colleagues and supporter on the basis of their gender and sexuality rather than why they were important to him.[97] Later in May, Morales's campaign lost three senior staff members amid allegations of a poor workplace culture and union-busting.[98] Morales's campaign lost some endorsements and support.[99]

In June, due to ongoing rumors that he lived in New Jersey,[100] Eric Adams invited reporters to Bedford-Stuyvesant to tour an apartment that he claimed was his residence.[101]

Yang asked his supporters to rank Garcia second, though she did not make a similar request of hers.[102] Adams claimed the alliance was an attempt to disenfranchise Black and Latino voters, a claim that Garcia and Yang disputed, with rivals and officials such as Wiley and Williams claiming that Adams was using race in order to undermine confidence in the election.[102][103]

Endorsements

[edit]
Eric Adams

US Representatives

State legislators

Local officials

Individuals

Organizations

Labor unions

Newspapers

Shaun Donovan

US Senators

State legislators

Local officials

Individuals

Organizations

Kathryn Garcia

State legislators

Individuals

Organizations

Labor unions

Newspapers

Raymond McGuire

US Representatives

State legislators

Individuals

Organizations

Labor unions

Newspapers

Dianne Morales

State legislators

Local officials

Organizations

Labor unions

Notes

  1. ^ Withdrawn after allegations against Morales's campaign surfaced
  2. ^ Previously second choice to Stringer, then first choice after allegations of sexual assault against Stringer surfaced, then withdrawn after allegations against Morales's campaign surfaced
  3. ^ Previously co-endorsed with Stringer, changed to sole endorsement after allegations of sexual assault against Stringer surfaced, then withdrawn after allegations against Morales's campaign surfaced
  4. ^ Previously second choice to Stringer, changed to co-endorsement with Wiley after allegations of sexual assault against Stringer surfaced, then withdrawn after allegations against Morales's campaign surfaced
Scott Stringer

US Representatives

State legislators

Local officials

Individuals

Organizations

Labor unions

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Withdrawn after sexual assault allegations against Stringer surfaced
  2. ^ Previously second choice, withdrawn after sexual assault allegations against Stringer surfaced
  3. ^ Previously co-endorsed with Morales, withdrawn after sexual assault allegations against Stringer surfaced
Loree Sutton (withdrew)

Individuals

Maya Wiley

US Senators

US Representatives

State legislators

Local officials

Individuals

Organizations

Labor unions

Isaac Wright Jr.

Individuals

Andrew Yang

US Representatives

State legislators

Local officials

Individuals

Organizations

Labor unions

Newspapers and other media

Opinion polling

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Graphical summary (first-past-the-post polls)

[edit]
Among those supporting a candidate (first-past-the-post polls)

Ranked-choice polls

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First-past-the-post polls

[edit]
Notes
  1. ^ Morales was invited to the debate, but decided to boycott it in protest of actions within the Kings County Democratic Committee.[88]
  2. ^ Adams originally declined to participate, but later opted to attend.[90]
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u First-choice results from a ranked-choice poll

Head-to-head polls

[edit]
Polling key and sponsors
  1. ^ a b c Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Before allocation (including undecided respondents)
  3. ^ Hypothetical scenario with Wiley eliminated instead of Garcia after round 7
  4. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by FairVote
  5. ^ a b c d e Hypothetical scenario based on FairVote's RCV simulations with various permutations of candidates
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i This poll was sponsored by WPIX and NewsNation
  7. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by New Generation of Leadership PAC, which supports Garcia for mayor
  8. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by Strong Leadership NYC, Inc., which supports Adams for mayor
  9. ^ a b c d This poll was sponsored by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
  10. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by the NYC-based lobbying group Capalino & Company, which is not working on behalf of any candidates
  11. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by WNBC, WNJU, and Politico
  12. ^ a b c d This poll was sponsored by Spectrum News NY1
  13. ^ Hypothetical scenario with Garcia eliminated instead of Yang after round 6
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n This poll was sponsored by Yang's campaign committee
  15. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by New Yorkers for a Better Future, Inc.
  16. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by Future Forward NYC, Inc., which supports Yang for mayor
  17. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by StudentsFirstNY, a pro-charter schools group, which released this poll just before its executive director formed a pro-Adams PAC
  18. ^ Hypothetical scenario with all candidates eliminated but Donovan and Yang
  19. ^ Hypothetical scenario with all candidates eliminated but Stringer and Yang
  20. ^ Hypothetical scenario with all candidates eliminated but Wiley and Yang
  21. ^ This poll was sponsored by the New York Post, whose editorial board endorsed Adams
  22. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by Univision 41 Nueva York (WXTV)
  23. ^ a b c This poll was conducted by Core Decision Analytics, which is working with Garcia's campaign, and was sponsored by the NYC-based lobbying group Fontas Advisors, which is not working on behalf of any candidates
  24. ^ Hypothetical scenario excluding Stringer
  25. ^ a b This poll was sponsored by Hotel Workers for Stronger Communities, which supports Adams for mayor
  26. ^ This poll was sponsored by Corey Johnson's comptroller campaign committee
  27. ^ This poll was sponsored by Democrats for Education Reform, a pro-charter schools group

Results

[edit]

On June 29, the New York City Board of Elections became aware of a discrepancy in the unofficial primary results and subsequently posted in a tweet that both test and election night results were tallied together in an error, adding approximately 135,000 additional votes.[250]

On July 6, after new vote tallies were released, the Associated Press declared Eric Adams to be the winner of the primary.[251] The Guardian stated that Adams had prevailed "after appealing to the political center and promising to strike the right balance between fighting crime and ending racial injustice in policing".[252] 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".[253] The Associated Press later added that Adams had made "his rejection of left-leaning activists’ calls to defund the police" a "centerpiece of his campaign".[254]

Adams was heavily favored to prevail in the general election.[255