New York City mayoral elections facts for kids

The mayor of New York City is chosen in early November every four years. This happens the year after a United States presidential election. The mayor starts their job at the beginning of the next year. The city has five main areas, called the five boroughs (Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island). These boroughs joined together to form "Greater New York" on January 1, 1898.

The first mayor of this bigger city was Robert A. Van Wyck. He was elected in November 1897. Before this, mayoral elections had been held since 1834 for the City of Brooklyn and the smaller City of New York (Manhattan, which later included the Bronx).

Eric Adams became mayor at 12:01 AM on January 1, 2022. He is the second Black mayor in the city's history. He took over from Bill de Blasio, who served two terms after being elected in 2013 and 2017.

Understanding Mayoral Elections in New York City

What is a Mayor's Term?

The mayor of New York City serves a set amount of time, called a "term." This term has changed over the years.

• In 1834, mayors served for one year.
• After 1849, this changed to two years.
• In 1897, when the boroughs joined, the term became four years. Mayors could only serve one term.
• In 1901, the limit was removed, but the term went back to two years.
• In 1905, the four-year term came back, and there was no limit on how many times a mayor could serve. Some mayors, like Fiorello La Guardia, served for 12 years!
• In 1993, voters decided that a mayor could only serve two terms (eight years). They confirmed this again in 1996.
• In 2008, the New York City Council changed the limit to three terms.
• But in 2010, voters decided again to change it back to two terms. So, mayors today can serve a maximum of eight years.

What Happens if a Mayor Leaves Early?

Sometimes, a mayor might not finish their full term. This can happen if they resign (step down) or pass away. When this happens, someone else steps in temporarily. Then, a special election is held to choose a new mayor to finish the term or start a new one.

For example, Mayor Jimmy Walker resigned in 1932. Joseph V. McKee became the acting mayor until a special election was held.

How Do People Vote in New York City?

New York City mayoral elections have some unique features.

• Democrats vs. Republicans: For a long time, there was a big rivalry between the Democratic Party (especially a group called Tammany Hall) and their opponents, who often included Republicans and people who wanted to reform the government.
• Working Together (Fusion): Because New York City voters often lean Democratic, Republican candidates usually needed help from other parties to win. This was called "Fusion." It meant different parties would support the same candidate. For example, Fiorello La Guardia was a Republican who won with support from other groups.
• Third Parties: New York also has many smaller parties, like the Liberal Party of New York or the Conservative Party of New York State. These parties can be important because they can join with bigger parties to help a candidate win. Sometimes, candidates even create their own special party names, like the "Experience" party, to get more votes.

Recent Mayoral Elections

Here's a look at some of the most recent mayoral elections in New York City.

2021 Election: Eric Adams Wins

In 2021, Eric Adams, who was the Brooklyn Borough President, won the election. He was the candidate for the Democratic Party. He ran against Curtis Sliwa, who was supported by the Republican and Independent parties. Eric Adams won with about 67% of the votes.

This election was mostly about the two main parties. Other smaller parties didn't get as many votes. This was partly because the Working Families Party didn't support any candidate that year.

2017 Election: Bill de Blasio Re-elected

In 2017, Bill de Blasio was the mayor and he won re-election for his second term. He ran on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines. He won against Nicole Malliotakis, who was the candidate for the Republican and Conservative parties.

2013 Election: Bill de Blasio's First Win

The 2013 election was a big win for Bill de Blasio. He ran on the Democratic and Working Families lines. His main opponent was Joe Lhota, who ran on the Republican and Conservative lines. Bill de Blasio won by a large amount.

How Boroughs Voted in 2013

Here's how the votes broke down in each borough for the main candidates:

• Bill de Blasio (Democratic-Working Families)
  • Manhattan: 71.7%
  • The Bronx: 86.1%
  • Brooklyn: 77.5%
  • Queens: 70.3%
  • Staten Island: 44.2%
  • Total City Vote: 73.2%

• Joe Lhota (Republican-Conservative)
  • Manhattan: 25.5%
  • The Bronx: 11.0%
  • Brooklyn: 20.1%
  • Queens: 27.6%
  • Staten Island: 52.8%
  • Total City Vote: 24.3%

As you can see, Bill de Blasio won most boroughs by a lot, but Joe Lhota won Staten Island.

2013 Democratic Primary Election

Before the main election, parties hold "primary elections" to choose their candidate. In the Democratic primary on September 10, 2013, Bill de Blasio won with 40.8% of the votes. This was just enough to avoid a second round of voting (a "runoff") against Bill Thompson, who came in second with 26.1%. De Blasio won in all five boroughs.

2013 Republican Primary Election

In the Republican primary on the same day, Joe Lhota won. He won in every borough except Staten Island, which was won by John Catsimatidis. Far fewer people voted in the Republican primary compared to the Democratic one.

2009 Election: Michael Bloomberg's Third Term

In 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg ran for his third term. He ran as an independent, supported by the Republican and Independence Party lines. His opponent was Bill Thompson, the New York City Comptroller, who ran for the Democratic and Working Families Parties. Bloomberg won with 50.7% of the votes, while Thompson got 46%.

Bloomberg won in Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Thompson won in the Bronx and Brooklyn.

2005 Election: Bloomberg Wins Again

In 2005, Mayor Michael Bloomberg won re-election. He won every borough except The Bronx, where his Democratic opponent, Fernando Ferrer, used to be the Borough President. This was different from his first win in 2001, when he only won Queens and Staten Island.

2001 Election: Bloomberg's First Win

The 2001 mayoral election was held on November 6. The previous mayor, Rudy Giuliani, couldn't run again because of term limits. Many people thought a Democrat would win, since there are more Democrats than Republicans in the city.

However, Michael Bloomberg, a very wealthy businessman who had been a Democrat his whole life, changed to the Republican party a few months before the election. This helped him avoid a crowded Democratic primary.

The Democratic primary was supposed to be on September 11, but it was moved to September 25 because of the September 11 attacks. This primary led to a tough runoff between Fernando Ferrer and Mark Green. This left the Democratic party somewhat divided.

Bloomberg spent a lot of money on his campaign, a record $74 million at the time for a non-presidential election. With help from Mayor Giuliani, whose popularity grew after 9/11, Bloomberg won a very close election. He won with 50.3% of the vote.

How Boroughs Vote Over Time

Even though a candidate often wins all five boroughs, voting patterns can change.

• Since 1913, The Bronx has only supported one Republican mayor, Fiorello La Guardia.
• Manhattan has only voted against two winning candidates: Rudy Giuliani in 1993 and Michael Bloomberg in 2001.
• On the other hand, Queens and Staten Island often vote for Republican candidates. In many elections since 1965, they have only voted for two Democratic candidates: Abe Beame in 1973 and Ed Koch in 1985.
• The city as a whole has elected four Democratic candidates in the 11 elections from 1965 to 2009.

Past Mayoral Elections (1897-1925)

1925 Election: Jimmy Walker Becomes Mayor

Mayor John Francis Hylan, who was allied with newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, lost the Democratic primary election. He was defeated by Jimmy Walker, a Democratic leader in the New York State Senate. Walker was supported by Governor Al Smith, who was a rival of Hearst.

1921 Election: Hylan Wins Again

In 1921, John Francis Hylan won re-election as mayor. He was the Democratic candidate. His main opponent was Henry H. Curran, who was the Manhattan borough president and ran as a Republican. Curran had defeated Fiorello La Guardia in the Republican primary.

1917 Election: A Wartime Vote

The 1917 election was very interesting, happening after the United States entered World War I.

• The sitting mayor, John P. Mitchel, who was an independent Democrat, lost the Republican primary. He then ran as a Fusion candidate.
• The Socialist candidate, Morris Hillquit, strongly opposed the war. This helped the Socialists get their highest number of votes ever for mayor. However, it also led to strong criticism from many, including former President Theodore Roosevelt.
• John F. Hylan, the regular Democratic candidate supported by Tammany Hall and William Randolph Hearst, won the election. Hylan had been neutral about the war. He won with less than half of the total votes.

First Mayoral Elections (1897-1913)

The election of 1897 was the first mayoral election for the "Greater New York" City, just before the five boroughs officially joined in 1898.

• In 1897, Robert A. Van Wyck won as the Democratic candidate.
• Seth Low, a Fusion candidate, won in 1901.
• George B. McClellan, Jr. won in 1903 and 1905 as a Democrat.
• William Jay Gaynor won in 1909 as a Democrat. He passed away in 1913, and Ardolph Loges Kline became acting mayor.
• John Purroy Mitchel, a Fusion candidate, won in 1913.