Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Mayor 2021

Mayor 2021

  • Andrew Yang's Strengths and Weaknesses as He Runs for Mayor

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    Andrew Yang at a campaign event (photo: @AndrewYang)


    [This article is part of a series on the leading Democratic mayoral candidates' strengths and weaknesses.]

    Andrew Yang, the entrepreneur and former Democratic presidential candidate, has consistently been among the frontrunners in the Democratic mayoral primary to replace the term-limited Mayor Bill de Blasio. Yang’s charisma combined with a lack of previous political trappings have found appeal within the electorate

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  • Can the Next Mayor Save NYCHA? Democratic Candidates Offer Varied Plans for City's Crumbling Public Housing

    Few Mayoral Candidates Offer Plans for Rescuing City's Crumbling Public Housing

    NYCHA (photo: governor's office)


    The New York City Housing Authority, home to more than 400,000 New Yorkers, is falling apart. Long plagued by mold, lead paint, structural cracks, and failing elevators, boilers, and locks, the authority of over 177,000 units in 335 developments across the five boroughs is in need of a staggering $40 billion in physical repairs over the next ten years and faces an immediate operating budget deficit of about $300 million.

    Long the victim of official

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  • Shaun Donovan's Strengths and Weaknesses as He Runs for Mayor

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    Shaun Donovan, seated, with President Obama (photo: The White House, by Pete Souza)


    [This article is part of a series on the leading Democratic mayoral candidates' strengths and weaknesses.]

    He has responded to major health and environmental crises. He has worked on large and complicated budget matters. He has experience with building housing and reducing homelessness, among the most pressing issues affecting life in New York City. But Shaun Donovan, an eight-year member of

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  • Max Politics Podcast: Where The Mayor's Race Stands with Under 3 Weeks To Go

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    City Hall (photo: Rob Bennett/Mayoral office)


    June 2, 2021 - Max Politics Podcast: Where The Mayor's Race Stands with Under 3 Weeks To Go

    With just under three weeks until primary day, June 22, the mayoral race is wide open and unpredictable. Joe Anuta of Politico New York joined host Ben Max to discuss what we know and don't know about the Democratic primary.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- we're on Twitter @TweetBenMax. You can listen to the

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  • What is Kathryn Garcia's Mayoral Campaign Platform?

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    Kathryn Garcia as sanitation commissioner (photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)


    Kathryn Garcia, long a relatively unknown bureaucrat who has lept toward the top of the heap of Democrats vying to be the next Mayor of New York City, is running on her extensive government career, where she has been called upon to respond to catastrophe and mismanagement and deliver key city services. Garcia and the warwick New York Times editorial board that endorsed her last month have framed her as a "crisis manager" who knows how to make

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  • With Progressive Rivals in Trouble, Can Maya Wiley Consolidate The Left in Mayor's Race?

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    Maya Wiley with supporters (photo: Wiley campaign)


    [Update: Since publication of this article, Maya Wiley has picked up several more endorsements, including from the New York Progressive Action Network and Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, which had both endorsed Dianne Morales, State Senator Julia Salazar, the Working Families Party, and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman, among others, some of whom had previously endorsed Scott Stringer]

    Moderate candidates Eric Adams and Andrew Yang have been leading in the Democratic

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  • Four Democratic Candidates Get Major Matching Funds Boost for Stretch Run

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    (l-r) Dianne Morales, Maya Wiley, Kathryn Garcia, Andrew Yang


    With under four weeks to go till the June 22 primary, the top Democratic mayoral candidates are receiving another round of public matching funds from the Campaign Finance Board, giving several of them the boost they need in the crucial period ahead. Particularly, the payout will help four candidates better compete with several of their competitors who had already banked larger sums, some of whom have been running for mayor for much longer.

    Campaigns have little time left to

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  • Where They Stand: Compare NYC Mayoral Candidates On The Issues

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     (l-r) Top: Shaun Donovan, Kathryn Garcia, Andrew Yang, Ray McGuire; Bottom: Eric Adams, Dianne Morales, Maya Wiley, Scott Stringer


    The Democratic primary in the race to become the next Mayor of New York City is fast-approaching, with early voting June 12-20 and primary day June 22. With ranked-choice voting at play for the first time and voters able to rank their top five choices in order of preference, there's even more reason to carefully compare where the candidates stand on the issues and what they are promising to do if elected.

    Use the

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  • Consultants, Advisors and Staff: Who's Running the Democratic Mayoral Campaigns

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    There is no one formula for victory in the Democratic mayoral primary and the top eight candidates are running vastly different campaigns. The popularity of each candidate’s message and chances of victory depend not only on the strength of their personal appeal to voters but also their campaign infrastructure – including the tacticians, advisors, consultants, and campaign staff members who mostly go unseen but whose work informs the candidates’ policies, positions, fundraising, advertising, and

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  • Poll Shows Adams Ahead, Garcia Jump, and 'Undecided' Leading the Field in Mayoral Primary

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    Eric Adams, Andrew Yang, Kathryn Garcia


    A new poll released late on Tuesday shows Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams in the lead in the Democratic mayoral primary, with entrepreneur Andrew Yang and former sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia tied in second place, though half of all likely primary voters continue to remain undecided. 

    The poll was the final of three “Pulse of the Primary” polls released ahead of the June primary election by Fontas Advisors and Core Decision Analytics, which had previously surveyed likely primary voters in January and

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  • The Money Race in the Mayoral Primaries: May Filing Shows Cash on Hand for Final Month

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    The road to City Hall (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayoral Photo Office)


    NOTE: Since this article was published, candidates received additional public matching funds. Those sums do not change the information below in terms of number of donors, average contributions, in city/out of city fundraising, and spending. See the updated public funds and cash on hand numbers here.

    With just under a month till primary election

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  • Democratic Mayoral Candidates Discuss Taking on Family Homelessness

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    Shelter in the Bronx (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayor's Office)


    Tens of thousands of parents and children are living in city shelters. Some of the worst effects of the pandemic may not be felt until the next mayor is in office in 2021, when New York City and State may have to reckon with the fallout from an expiring eviction moratorium, mass income losses, and diminishing federal stimulus.

    Three of the front-runners for the Democratic nomination for mayor -- civil rights attorney Maya Wiley, city government veteran Kathryn Garcia, and entrepreneur Andrew Yang --

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  • Democratic Mayoral Candidates Offer Plans for Jobs and Economic Growth

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    A city resource fair (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayoral Photo Office)


    According to the Mayor’s Office, the city experienced a growth of 100,000 jobs from December 2020 to March 2021, and expects to gain 400,000 more to reach a total of 4.5 million jobs by the end of 2021. Even as economic indicators have been headed in the right direction in recent months -- including significant job growth -- amid public vaccination, some easing of

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Resetting the Democratic Mayoral Primary with Under 5 Weeks To Go

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    (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    May 19, 2021 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Resetting the Democratic Mayoral Primary with Under 5 Weeks To Go

    Jonathan Rosen, a political consultant and architect of Bill de Blasio's 2013 victory, joined the show to assess where the 2021 Democratic mayoral primary stands with under five weeks until primary day, June 22.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- we're on Twitter ...

  • Dianne Morales' Strengths and Weaknesses as She Runs for Mayor

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    Dianne Morales (photo via Morales campaign)


    [This article is part of a series on the leading Democratic mayoral candidates' strengths and weaknesses.]

    Dianne Morales officially entered the mayoral race in November as a political neophyte, with no past campaign or governing experience. But in the year leading up to her campaign launch and in nearly five months since, she has built a political movement that has defied expectations and displayed the staying power to remain in the top tier

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  • 5 Key Takeaways from the First Official 2021 Mayoral Debate

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    The first Democratic mayoral debate


    Eight Democratic mayoral candidates took the virtual stage on Thursday for the first of three official televised debates leading up to the June primary. Over the course of two hours, the candidates offered thoughts and plans on public safety, reviving the city’s economy, school desegregation, housing, homelessness, and more. The debate was mostly civil, likely in part because of the virtual format, but candidates did occasionally lob pointed critiques at each other, previewing the direction the race may take over the

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Christine Quinn & Bill Thompson on Running for Mayor

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    Christine Quinn and Bill Thompson


    May 12, 2021 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Christine Quinn & Bill Thompson on Running for Mayor

    Christine Quinn and Bill Thompson, former top city government officials and candidates for Mayor, joined the show to reflect on their experiences and give insights into this year's mayoral election.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- we're on Twitter @TweetBenMaxand

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Previewing the First Official 2021 Mayoral Debate

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    The first 2013 debate, on NY1 (photo: pool/August 2013)


    May 12, 2021 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Previewing the First Official 2021 Mayoral Debate

    Bob Hardt, New York political director for Spectrum News and long-time political director at NY1, joined the show to preview the first official debate of the 2021 mayoral race, which will take place Thursday May 13 at 7pm on NY1 and include eight Democratic candidates

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  • 'I Am You': Eric Adams Looks to Labor for Big Boost

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    Eric Adams endorsed by 32BJ (photo: @ericadamsfornyc)


    Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has amassed a wealth of support from labor unions as he runs for mayor, competing almost solely with Comptroller Scott Stringer for the label of “labor candidate” in the crowded primary field of Democrats. It is one key part of the coalition Adams is trying to build to prevail in the June primary, and he’s hoping that his support from organized labor will come through with crucial help in the final weeks of a hotly-contested race where Adams and entrepreneur

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  • Democratic Mayoral Candidates Talk Issues of Importance to Immigrant Communities

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    (l-r) Shaun Donovan, Maya Wiley, Andrew Yang, Dianne Morales, Scott Stringer


    At a virtual forum on Thursday night, four of the leading Democratic candidates for mayor in the June primary weighed in on issues affecting New York City’s large immigrant population, including housing, education, employment, and participation in the political process.

    Hosted by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), one of the largest immigrant advocacy groups in the state, the forum was the first one focused solely on immigrants and was simultaneously

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  • Race for Mayor: Republican Primary A Two-Candidate Race

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    Fernando Mateo, left and Curtis Sliwa


    With under 50 days until primary day, June 22, the race to become the next Mayor of New York City has been picking up steam, though far greater attention continues to be on the crowded and competitive Democratic primary, in large part because it is likely to choose the next mayor based on the party’s very heavy (nearly 8 to 1) voter enrollment advantage. But New York had two mayors elected as Republicans who led the city for five terms from 1994 through 2013, and there is a competitive GOP primary this year, open to the

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: The State of the Mayoral Race with Under 7 Weeks To Go

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    City Hall for an inauguration (photo: mayor's office)


    May 5, 2021 - Max & Murphy Podcast: The State of the Mayoral Race with 7 Weeks To Go

    With just under seven weeks until primary day, June 22, Max & Murphy dove into the state of the race for Mayor, joined by David Freedlander of New York Magazine on Scott Stringer's sexual misconduct scandal, then Sally Goldenberg of Politico New York on the larger landscape of the Democratic primary.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know ...

  • Kathryn Garcia's Strengths & Weaknesses as She Runs for Mayor

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    Kathryn Garcia at City Hall (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    [This article is part of a series on the leading Democratic mayoral candidates' strengths and weaknesses.]

    Kathryn Garcia has spent well over a decade serving New York City at the top ranks of municipal government and has built a reputation as a crisis manager. Resigning last year from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, where she headed the Department of Sanitation among several other roles, she is now

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  • Democratic Mayoral Candidates Offer Ideas on Workforce Development and Jobs

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    Workplace dynamics are changing (photo: Philip Kamrass/Governor's Office)


    Three Democratic candidates for mayor of New York City spoke at a forum Wednesday evening about their visions for restoring and enhancing the city's workforce going into the pandemic recovery.

    Eric Adams, Shaun Donovan, and Kathryn Garcia -- all considered among the top eight leading candidates in the competitive primary race and all veterans of New York City government -- discussed how they would harness the city's resources to create quality jobs in the hour-long forum,

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  • Maya Wiley's Strengths and Weaknesses as She Runs for Mayor

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    Maya Wiley (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    [This article is part of a series on the leading Democratic mayoral candidates' strengths and weaknesses.]

    Maya Wiley has an extensive and diverse resume, working inside and mostly outside of government, but has never run for office before this year, when she is seeking to become the first woman and second Black person ever elected Mayor of New York City.

    Undoubtedly in the top tier of the crowded Democratic

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