NYC Mayoral Primary Race Nears End: Here's What You Missed So Far

NEW YORK CITY — Voters unsure who should be New York City's first new mayor in eight years are running out of time.

The June 22 primary is fast approaching and eight top-tier Democrats and two Republicans know it. They're scurrying around the city and dropping last-minute ads to make their final pitches to voters.

But many voters likely still don't know how they'll fill out their new ranked-choice ballots. Mayor Bill de Blasio is among them, or so he says.

"I'm going to keep examining the candidates and make a decision quickly as I can," he said Thursday, with just days to go.

For those who missed the race, or just want to relive some highlights, Patch has a quick recap.

Crowded field, Yang grabs attention

As 2021 dawned, nearly 40 candidates declared some intention of running to succeed de Blasio, who is term-limited.

But one candidate quickly garnered the most buzz above long-time public servants and long-shot candidates.

Andrew Yang burst into the primary with name recognition from his stint as a Democratic presidential candidate and sunny promise of fresh ideas and leadership. Critics quickly seized on gaffes — such as seeming to imply the A train went to the Bronx, a visit to a bodega that didn't look like a bodega, spitballing a casino on Governors Island — and the fact he didn't vote in any previous mayoral elections.

But many voters didn't seem to care. Yang still drew excitement for his proposed $2,000 universal basic income and People's Bank for small business loans.

"We need a change from the failed leadership of the past that has dragged our city down. I am not of the special interests," Yang told Patch in a questionnaire. "If I'm elected mayor, I won't have an obligation to anyone other than the people of New York. This is a historic chance for change for New York City, to have a government that works for no one but us, our families, and our communities."

Steadily, though, other Democratic candidates crept up in the polls — and one above all.

Adams consolidates support

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams never trailed far behind Yang in early polls.

Unlike some Democratic candidates, such as former sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, who were longtime public servants but not-quite-household names, Adams carried name recognition from his days as an NYPD captain and state senator.

Adams, although he stressed racial justice issues, was also seen as a moderate. That allowed him to consolidate support from voters wary of Yang.

And as violent crime became more of an issue in the campaign, Adams sought to claim the mantle as both public safety candidate and police reformer.

"Fighting crime is both intervention and prevention," he said at a debate.

But progressive candidates, particularly Maya Wiley, a civil rights attorney, have warned Adams would bring back stop-and-frisk.

Progressives jockey for position amid scandals

If Adams and Yang represent more moderate voices, then Wiley, Comptroller Scott Stringer and nonprofit leader Dianne Morales are the clear progressive wing of the field.

For months, they jockeyed for progressive support, with varying degrees of success.

But eventually scandals broke apart the field.

First, Stringer faced an accusation of sexual misconduct that caused endorsements and supporters to peel off. He has stayed in the race, even after a second accusation, but polls show him lagging.

Then, Morales's campaign tore itself apart from the inside amid a unionization drive, as detailed in the New York Times.

That left Wiley to consolidate progressive support. She has risen in the polls in the campaign's final weeks, but so has another woman.

Garcia goes from also-ran to front-runner

Garcia spent the campaign's early days polling low.

But her experience as a longtime public servant slowly began to attract support, particularly from the New York Daily News and New York Times editorial boards.

The momentum eventually built up to a poll showing she led the field. Other polls have shown Adams with a lead, but Garcia, Wiley and Yang aren't far behind.

Garcia's final campaign pitch tied her rise to the city's recovery.

"They said commissioners don’t become mayor," she said. "They said New York won’t come back, They’re wrong. Because, New Yorkers show up. It’s who we are."

Heated final days

Tensions and acrimony between candidates were clear by the time Democratic candidates took the stage for their last debate.

Shaun Donovan and Ray McGuire both jockeyed for airtime to rise above the pack. Donovan, by calling out the bickering; McGuire, by going on the attack.

Adams and Yang sniped at each other. And Wiley attacked Adams as well.

Indeed, Adams's perceived status at front-runner garnered him the most scrutiny in the race's final days.

A POLITICO report raised doubts about Adams's residency in New York City and prompted a bizarre news conference in which Adams invited reporters into a basement Bed-Stuy apartment he said was his home.

But the acrimony arguably hasn't reached the levels seen between Republican rivals.

Republicans spar

Republicans Fernando Mateo and Curtis Sliwa have spent their campaigns, when not pressing for more police, slinging mud at each other.

As the New York Times put it, they're two former friends turned bitter rivals.

The city is becoming increasingly Democratic and either Mateo or Sliwa likely would face an uphill battle in November.