Last Updated on July 6, 2021
Eric Adams has been declared the winner of the Democratic primary contest to become the party’s candidate to run for New York Mayor. Adams previously contested the election following initial results, ultimately leading to the New York Board of Elections discovering 135,000 sample votes that were counted in error, skewing results.
As National File originally reported, former police captain Eric Adams initially held a strong lead over the crowded field. As ranked choice voting continued to be tabulated, Adams’ lead rapidly slipped, and with absentee ballot counts not due until July 6, it seemed likely he would lose his lead and ultimately the race. Adams was mocked by Democrats when he then released what was called a Trump-like response to the ballot count, which he said exceeded the total number of ballots reported to be cast.
“The vote total just released by the Board of Elections is 100,000-plus more than the total announced on election night, raising serious questions,” said the Adams campaign in a statement released at the time. “We have asked the Board of Elections to explain such a massive increase and other irregularities before we comment on the Ranked Choice Voting projection.”
Here’s our statement from earlier: pic.twitter.com/E39ssnLCmF
— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) June 30, 2021
However, Adams was ultimately vindicated when the New York Board of Elections admitted that 135,000 sample ballots were mistakenly counted, wildly skewing the official results. “When the cast vote records were extracted for the first pull of [ranked choice voting] results, it included both test and election night results, producing approximately 135,000 additional records,” the Board of Elections admitted. “Board staff has removed all test ballot images from the system and will upload election night results, cross-referencing against election night reporting software for verification.”
Today, after the results were corrected and absentee ballots were fully counted, Adams was officially declared the winner of the race after briefly being forced to contest the official election results. “I’m honored to be the Democratic nominee to be the Mayor of the city I’ve always called home,” wrote Adams on Twitter.
I grew up poor in Brooklyn & Queens. I wore a bulletproof vest to keep my neighbors safe. I served my community as a State Senator & Brooklyn Borough President. And I'm honored to be the Democratic nominee to be the Mayor of the city I've always called home.
Thank you, New York! pic.twitter.com/YU2DBIFU5D
— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) July 7, 2021
Republicans, meanwhile, knew that Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa won the election within hours of polls closing. While Adams spent weeks contesting the election, Sliwa spent this time campaigning against the leading Democrats. Today, as vote counts became obvious, he slammed Adams. “The choice couldn’t be more clear,” wrote Sliwa. “I will deliver real improvements to our city, while Eric Adams will deliver corruptoin & de Blasio policies.”
After the release of today’s vote totals, it appears the #NYC #Mayor race will be Curtis Sliwa vs. Eric Adams this November
The choice couldn’t be more clear
I will deliver real improvements to our city, while Eric Adams will deliver corruption & de Blasio policies: pic.twitter.com/B7zZ8F1LWe
— Curtis Sliwa (@CurtisSliwa) July 6, 2021
