Eric Adams on early lead in NYC mayor race: ‘The little guy won’

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams pledged late Tuesday to deliver a “safe, affordable, fair city” if he can hold onto his impressive lead in first-choice votes in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor.

The retired police captain exuded confidence after initial results showed nearly 32% of Democratic voters listed him as their No. 1 choice in a newfangled “ranked-choice” system that could take weeks to spit out a final result.

“I am going to be your mayor,” Mr. Adams told supporters. “The little guy won.”

Mr. Adams performed well among minority voters in the outer boroughs. His message on public safety also seemed to resonate among New Yorkers worried about rising crime.

Maya Wiley, a progressive and former counsel to current Mayor Bill de Blasio, and former Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia are still in the hunt, after they received about 22% and 19% of first-choice votes in the city, respectively.

They could overtake Mr. Adams if many New Yorkers listed them as their second choice in the ranked system that allowed voters to make up to five choices by order of preference. The system will use a series of rounds to eliminate the candidate with the fewest top-choice votes and reallocate their votes to their No. 2 choices until two candidates are left.

Andrew Yang, who ran for president in 2020 and made a media splash in the mayor’s race, conceded late Tuesday after receiving just 11.6% of top-choice votes.

“I am not going to be mayor of New York City, based on the numbers that have come in tonight,” Mr. Yang said. “I am conceding this race, though we’re not sure ultimately who the next mayor is going to be. Whoever that person is, I will be very happy to work with them to help improve the lives of the 8.3 million people who live in our great city, and I encourage other people to do the same.”

The Democratic winner will face Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels safety patrol group who cruised to victory over GOP primary opponent Fernando Mateo, a restaurateur.

Mr. Sliwa faces long odds in the liberal city, but he said it would be foolish to count him out.

“I’m in the project, I’m in the tenements, I ride the subway every day,” Mr. Sliwa told Fox 5. “I am not your conventional Republican.”