Ex-cop and borough president of Brooklyn, Eric Adams, appears to have won the Democratic primary in the race for mayor. The news agency called on Tuesday AP Adams as the winner. Adams was one percentage point ahead of Kathryn Garcia, the former commissioner for city cleaning in the metropolis on the US east coast – that’s almost 8500 votes. The results are not yet official, but traditionally it is the agency Associated Presswho has the necessary data to be the first to announce the winner. According to media reports, it could still take a few days for an official result.
Adams celebrated his victory on Twitter. “I grew up poor in Brooklyn & Queens. I wore a bulletproof vest to protect my neighbors. I served my ward as a state senator and Brooklyn borough president. And I am honored to be the Democratic candidate for mayor of the city too I’ve always called my home. Thanks, New York! “
In the liberal stronghold of New York, a Democratic winner in the primary is also the most likely winner in the actual November election. Adams would then succeed Bill de Blasio, who can no longer run after two terms. And the second African American in office after David Dinkins, who ruled the city from 1990 to 1993.
The dominant topics in the election campaign were the economic recovery after the Corona crisis, the increasing number of violent crimes in the city and a possible reform of the police. The election reflected how fundamentally opinions about the future political direction diverge between moderate and progressive in New York.
Candidate Adams had rather sided with the police in the election campaign, while the leftist Maya Wiley – who had been second behind Adams for a long time – took a more leftist standpoint based on the Black Lives Matter “movement. Garcia, the among others from the New York Times had been supported, had tried to position itself in the middle.