New York: The polls closed in New York City’s hotly contested mayoral primary election on Tuesday night and Eric Adams held a 10-point lead in the Democratic field, but it expected to be a few weeks before the vote count becomes official.
“Tonight all of us, we are on the precipice of gaining the keys to the prosperity of our city,” he said, according to the New York Post.
Andrew Yang, the former presidential candidate, announced Tuesday night that he will end his bid for the job after coming in a distant fourth place, the media reported.
On Thursday Eric Adams vote share stood at 31.7%, and his nearest rivals Maya Wiley was at 22.3% and Kathryn Garcia at 19.5%.
It could be several days or even weeks before final results are officially determined in a race that will have major implications for the city’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and an ongoing crime wave.
A total of 13 Democratic candidates and two Republican candidates were on the ballot. The primary utilized ranked-choice voting, meaning that voters were permitted to rank up to five candidates in order of their preference.
A final result may not be known until early July, the New York Daily News reported.
Adams, a former captain in the New York City Police Department and the current Brooklyn borough president, was considered the frontrunner heading into the primary vote, according to an average of recent polls. He has pledged to lead a crackdown on gun violence and reform law enforcement tactics even as he rejected calls among some contenders to “defund” the police.
Top contenders included Yang, the tech entrepreneur best known for seeking the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2020, and Kathryn Garcia, the former New York City sanitation commissioner. Maya Wiley, a prominent civil rights attorney, drew support from progressives, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ahead of the vote.
Other notable Democratic candidates included City Comptroller Scott Stringer.
The winner of the Democratic primary is considered the presumptive favorite to become the next mayor of New York City replacing Bill dd Blasio after November’s general election. Curtis Sliwa, an activist and radio talk show host is the GOP nominee for Mayor.
