CityAndStateNY.com
June 28, 2021 - July 5, 2021
“We have every reason to believe we can win this race.” – Maya Wiley, the day after the election, via The New York Times
Eric Adams’ election night celebration reflected the diverse coalition of support he has been forming for his whole career.
ADAMS IS NYC’S FIRST CHOICE FOR MAYOR
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has been waiting to become mayor of New York City for at least 16 years, when, as a newly minted captain in the New York City Police Department,
he started telling friends that one day he’d lead the city where he had lived his whole life. But even though Adams leads the Democratic primary for New York City mayor with 31% of the first-place, in-person votes, he will have to wait a little longer before he can officially declare victory.
“We know there’s going to be twos and threes and fours,” Adams said at his election night party Tuesday, referring to ranked-choice voting. “There’s something else we know – that New York City said, ‘Our first choice is Eric Adams.’” This is the first citywide election with ranked-
THE POST GETS OUT THE VOTE Eric Adams is comfortably ahead in the early New York City mayoral primary results, and while absentee ballot counting and rankedchoice tallies are still yet to come, Adams is already sending out thank you’s. The New York Post, which endorsed Adams in the Democratic primary, used its Election Day cover to remind New Yorkers to give him their vote.
“While there are still many votes to be counted, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the entire field of candidates – especially the women who ran.” – Kathryn Garcia, via Twitter
choice voting, and since Adams didn’t earn at least 50% of first-ranked votes, Democrats’ lower-ranked votes will be counted and allocated toward the total in the coming weeks, after absentee ballots are also received. That “instant runoff” may close the gap between Adams and either Maya Wiley, the former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is in second with 22% of first-place votes, or Kathryn Garcia, the former New York City sanitation commissioner, who is in third place with 19.5%. Garcia aggressively promoted ranked-choice voting by campaigning with another opponent, Andrew Yang, and polling suggested that Garcia was among the least polarizing candidates in the field, which should help her pick up lowerranked votes from New Yorkers who gave other candidates their No. 1 selection. However Adams’ lead was large enough that it’s unlikely for any other candidate to overtake him. In a celebratory, though measured tone, Adams came close to declaring victory Tuesday. “What a moment. The little guy won today,” Adams said, emphasizing his humble upbringing in South Jamaica, Queens, and presenting his success as a triumph for blue-collar New Yorkers. Adams would be the first mayor to have attended New York City public schools since Abe Beame, who left office in 1977. Adams later added: “We have been chosen by our neighbors to lead this city.”
JEFF COLTIN; THE WILEY CAMPAIGN; KATHRYN GARCIA CAMPAIGN; FRIENDS OF INDIA WALTON
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