# 2021 New York City mayoral election
The 2021 New York City mayoral election chose the successor to [Bill de Blasio](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-de-blasio): Democrat [Eric Adams](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-adams), a former police captain and Brooklyn borough president, won the June 22 ranked-choice primary by 7,197 votes and then defeated Republican Curtis Sliwa in the November 2 general election, taking office on January 1, 2022 as the city's second Black mayor.[1](https://www.vote.nyc/sites/default/files/pdf/election_results/2021/20210622Primary%20Election/rcv/024306_1.html) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/election-2021-nyc-mayor-d60b0ac775c591df3cdb0d78591b8e89)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Primary date and system | June 22, 2021; first ranked-choice voting (RCV) mayoral primary in city history, with up to five rankings per ballot and a majority required to win[3](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_New_York,_New_York_(2021)) |
| Democratic primary result | Adams 404,513, Kathryn Garcia 397,316 in the eighth and final round; margin 7,197 votes, under one percentage point[1](https://www.vote.nyc/sites/default/files/pdf/election_results/2021/20210622Primary%20Election/rcv/024306_1.html) • [4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf) |
| General election result | Adams 753,801 (67.4%)[5](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/11/02/us/elections/results-nyc-mayor.html) |
| Turnout | Primary 26.5%, the highest for a mayoral primary in recent decades; general 23.3%, a historic low[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf) |
| Counting error | The June 29 preliminary tabulation mistakenly included 135,000 test ballots because of a staff error; results were pulled and reissued[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf) |
| Campaign finance | Seven candidates received public matching funds; $126 million was paid out to all participating candidates[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf) |
| Context | Adams took office in a city where more than 34,500 people had died of COVID-19 and Democrats outnumber Republicans 7 to 1[2](https://apnews.com/article/election-2021-nyc-mayor-d60b0ac775c591df3cdb0d78591b8e89) |
## Background
Bill de Blasio, first elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2017 with 66% of the vote, could not run again.[3](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_New_York,_New_York_(2021)) The election took place as the city emerged from the coronavirus pandemic, which had killed more than 34,500 people there.[2](https://apnews.com/article/election-2021-nyc-mayor-d60b0ac775c591df3cdb0d78591b8e89) The June 22, 2021 primary was the first use of ranked-choice voting for a mayoral primary in the city's history.[3](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_New_York,_New_York_(2021))
## Electoral system
Voters could rank up to five candidates in order of preference. A candidate had to receive a majority to win; when no candidate reached a majority, the last-place candidate was eliminated and tabulation continued in further rounds until a winner was determined.[3](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_New_York,_New_York_(2021)) Voters largely embraced the new system: 88.3% of ballots ranked at least some of the 374 candidates on the ballot.[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf)
## Democratic primary
Fifteen contenders ran in the primary: 13 Democrats and 2 Republicans.[6](https://projects.thecity.nyc/nyc-2021-election) The leading Democrats included Adams, Kathryn Garcia, and [Maya Wiley](https://www.edgepedia.org/maya-wiley). The top issues were crime, policing, affordable housing, jobs, and healthcare.[3](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_New_York,_New_York_(2021)) Adams, a former New York City police captain, struck a nuanced stance on law-enforcement issues in a crowded Democratic primary.[7](https://apnews.com/article/2021-election-mayors-2104a4a59929649b3e7b8954db62a569)
**A narrowing race.** Adams led by nine points in first-rank preferences, but as lower-ranked candidates were eliminated the margin compressed. The results were certified on July 20, and by the eighth and final round of the tabulation Adams's nine-point margin had dwindled to a win by under one percentage point.[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf) The certified count gave Adams 404,513 votes to Garcia's 397,316, a margin of 7,197; Wiley finished with 201,127 votes (21.4%).[1](https://www.vote.nyc/sites/default/files/pdf/election_results/2021/20210622Primary%20Election/rcv/024306_1.html)
**Legal and procedural challenges.** On July 1, the Wiley campaign filed a preliminary lawsuit to preserve its right to a ballot review, including a full manual recount if candidates were separated by 0.5% or less.[3](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_New_York,_New_York_(2021))
## The ballot-counting error
On June 29, 2021, the Board of Elections conducted a preliminary ranked-choice tally of in-person votes that mistakenly included 135,000 test ballots; because of a staff error, the test results had not been cleared from the BOE systems before the official tabulation ran, and the BOE had to pull the results.[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf) • [6](https://projects.thecity.nyc/nyc-2021-election) The next day, on June 30, the agency released corrected tallies for the mayoral, comptroller, and public advocate races, but those numbers excluded some 125,000 absentee ballots.[6](https://projects.thecity.nyc/nyc-2021-election) A third tally on July 6 showed Adams leading Garcia by roughly 8,400 votes after eight rounds.[6](https://projects.thecity.nyc/nyc-2021-election) Unofficial tabulations released July 13 showed the lead at roughly 7,100 votes, 50.4% to 49.6%.[3](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_New_York,_New_York_(2021)) Certified results confirming Adams as the Democratic nominee were released on July 20.[6](https://projects.thecity.nyc/nyc-2021-election)
## Republican primary and general election
[Curtis Sliwa](https://www.edgepedia.org/curtis-sliwa) claimed victory in the Republican primary over Fernando Mateo on election night, with 72% of in-person votes.[6](https://projects.thecity.nyc/nyc-2021-election) The general election was uncompetitive in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 7 to 1; Adams was widely seen as the favorite after winning the highly competitive June primary.[2](https://apnews.com/article/election-2021-nyc-mayor-d60b0ac775c591df3cdb0d78591b8e89) • [8](https://www.cnn.com/election/2021/results/new-york-city/mayor) The New York Times reported Adams at 753,801 votes (67.4%).[5](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/11/02/us/elections/results-nyc-mayor.html) Adams became the second Black mayor of the nation's most populous city, after [David Dinkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-dinkins), who served from 1990 to 1993, and was inaugurated January 1, 2022.[2](https://apnews.com/article/election-2021-nyc-mayor-d60b0ac775c591df3cdb0d78591b8e89) • [8](https://www.cnn.com/election/2021/results/new-york-city/mayor)
## By the numbers
**Turnout.** Primary turnout was 26.5% citywide, the highest of any mayoral primary in the last several decades; general-election turnout fell to a historic low of 23.3%.[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf) By borough, primary turnout was highest in Manhattan (33.4%) and lowest in the Bronx (19.1%), with Brooklyn at 27.5%, Queens at 25.0%, and [Staten Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/staten-island) at 22.4%; general turnout was highest in Staten Island (33.7%) and lowest in the Bronx (17.5%).[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf) The certified general-election canvass recorded 1,149,172 total applicable ballots citywide, including 85,175 absentee or military ballots and 7,209 affidavit ballots.[9](https://vote.nyc/sites/default/files/pdf/election_results/2021/20211102General%20Election/00000200000Citywide%20Mayor%20Citywide%20Recap.pdf)
**Results by borough.** Adams carried Brooklyn 71% to 23%, Queens 60% to 36%, and Manhattan 81% to 14%; Sliwa carried Staten Island 67% to 29%.[5](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/11/02/us/elections/results-nyc-mayor.html)
**Campaign finance.** Seven candidates received public matching funds, including several women of color, and a total of $126 million was paid out to all participating candidates.[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf)
**Competitiveness compared with 2017.** De Blasio's 2017 re-election share of 66% of the vote is nearly identical to Adams' 67.4% in 2021, but the two races differed sharply in the primary: 2021's ranked-choice contest was decided by 7,197 votes, while the general-election margins in both years reflected the city's heavy Democratic registration advantage.[3](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_New_York,_New_York_(2021)) • [5](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/11/02/us/elections/results-nyc-mayor.html)
## Aftermath and significance
Adams inherited a pandemic-damaged city facing recovery from COVID-19.[2](https://apnews.com/article/election-2021-nyc-mayor-d60b0ac775c591df3cdb0d78591b8e89) The 2021 election was the first citywide test of ranked-choice voting, and voter uptake was high, with 88.3% of ballots ranking at least one candidate.[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf) The Board of Elections' test-ballot error was followed by successive revised tallies over three weeks.[4](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf) • [6](https://projects.thecity.nyc/nyc-2021-election)
## References
1. [DEM Mayor Citywide — Statement and Return Report for Certification, Ranked Choice, June 22, 2021 Primary, NYC Board of Elections](https://www.vote.nyc/sites/default/files/pdf/election_results/2021/20210622Primary%20Election/rcv/024306_1.html)
2. [Democrat Eric Adams wins race for New York City mayor, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/election-2021-nyc-mayor-d60b0ac775c591df3cdb0d78591b8e89)
3. [Mayoral election in New York, New York (2021), Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Mayoral_election_in_New_York,_New_York_(2021))
4. [2021-2022 Voter Analysis Report, NYC Campaign Finance Board](https://www.nyccfb.info/pdf/2021-2022_VoterAnalysisReport.pdf)
5. [2021 New York Election Results — NYC Mayor, The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/11/02/us/elections/results-nyc-mayor.html)
6. [NYC's 2021 primary results, THE CITY](https://projects.thecity.nyc/nyc-2021-election)
7. [Adams wins NYC mayor; Wu makes history winning Boston mayor, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/2021-election-mayors-2104a4a59929649b3e7b8954db62a569)
8. [2021 NYC mayoral election results, CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/election/2021/results/new-york-city/mayor)
9. [Statement and Return Report for Certification — Citywide Mayor, November 2, 2021 General Election, NYC Board of Elections](https://vote.nyc/sites/default/files/pdf/election_results/2021/20211102General%20Election/00000200000Citywide%20Mayor%20Citywide%20Recap.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Elections and representation › Elections and referendums › United States election events › US state and local election events › US municipal and mayoral elections › New York City municipal elections*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license