Eric Adams wins New York mayor Democratic primary

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor Tuesday after narrowly holding onto an election night lead over former Sanitation Commissioner Kathyrn Garcia, putting the retired police captain on the path to City Hall after the elections board updated its “ranked-choice” count with nearly all ballots cast.

Mr. Adams lead by 1 percentage point — 50.5% to 49.5% — after lower-performing candidates were eliminated in rounds and ranked preferences were factored in, allowing Ms. Garcia to leapfrog progressive Maya Wiley into second place.

The Associated Press called the race for Mr. Adams, who will be the clear favorite in the liberal city against GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa, the outspoken and recognizable founder of the Guardian Angels safety-patrol group.

Mr. Adams led by more than 8,000 votes, receiving 403,333 in the final round versus 394,907 for Ms. Garcia under the ranking system that’s being used by America’s most populous city for the first time.

The outcome isn’t official. Voters have until Friday to correct errors on 3,699 ballots that must be “cured” before they can be counted, and campaigns for Mr. Adams, Ms. Garcia and Ms. Wiley have filed lawsuits to maintain their right to challenge results.

The official winner should be known by next week, though it’s poised to be Mr. Adams.

It’s been quite a journey.

The elections board released preliminary ranked-choice results last Tuesday, only to retract them after officials realized they included images of test ballots in the count.

A corrected count showed Ms. Garcia closing in on Mr. Adams, who enjoyed a double-digit lead after Election Day on June 22 only for it to shrink under the new system.

Mr. Adams forged a narrow, yet successful, path during a campaign focused on crime and deteriorating post-pandemic conditions in New York. 

He bucked calls to defund the police while promising to reform how law enforcement does its business. And he built a coalition that pulled in votes from the outer boroughs.

Ms. Wiley, former counsel for term-limited Mayor Bill de Blasio, said she will address her next steps “shortly” while taking a parting shot at the elections board, which said it would release results in the “brunch” hours only to deliver in the evening.

“It would be an understatement to express dismay at the BOE’s administration of this election. And that has made today’s brunch at dinnertime, a long and drawn-out day for New Yorkers,” she said. “To my staff, endorsers, friends, volunteers and all the New Yorkers who share our vision for a reimagined New York City, I want to thank you for your fierce commitment to this city and your humbling support for my campaign.”