Eric Adams Defeats Curtis Sliwa in NYC Mayoral Race

New Yorkers have chosen Democrat Eric Adams to be their next mayor, marking just the second time that a Black man has been elected to lead the city.

The race was called at 9:20 p.m. by the Associated Press. Adams won with 73 percent of the vote with 26 percent of votes counted.

Heading into the general election, Adams, 61, was the heavy favorite in his race against Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. In New York City, Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 7-to-1 margin.

Polls conducted ahead of Tuesday's contest showed Adams with a 40-point advantage over Sliwa, a conservative radio host and founder of the Guardian Angeles, a vigilante anti-crime group.

Adams repeatedly accused Sliwa of making a mockery of the mayoral race. The Democrat said Sliwa, known for his colorful stunts and antics, was turning the election into a "circus."

Adams, a former Brooklyn borough president and former police captain, ran on a tough on crime platform. He also promised a more friendly approach to Wall Street than that seen under his predecessor, Bill de Blasio. "New York will no longer be anti-business," Adams said during his campaign.

In June, Adams defeated more progressive Democrats—including Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, civil rights lawyer Maya Wiley and entrepreneur Andrew Yang—to win the party's primary. After seven elimination rounds in New York City's first ranked-choice-voting election, Adams emerged victorious with a single-point lead over Garcia.

Adams, who won largely by appealing to the political center, held more moderate views than his primary opponents.

But during the campaign, he faced criticism after reports detailed discrepancies in his financial and real estate records. He was accused of misusing his government office building as a campaign office and of living in New Jersey, not in a Brooklyn town house. Adams denied both allegations.

On Election Day, Adams became emotional after he cast his ballot at Public School 81 in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. As he spoke to the press, Adams held a framed photograph of his late mother.

"This is for all of you," Adams said. "I only have three words: I am you. We won already."

He continued, "Someone asked me how many votes you need to feel you have a victory. They just don't get it; we won already. I'm not supposed to be standing here, and because I'm standing here, every day New York is going to realize that they deserve the right to stand in the city also. This is for the little guy."

As the next mayor, Adams will be charged with navigating the city's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Other major issues plaguing the city include public safety, a lack of affordable housing and economic woes such as high unemployment and rising inflation.