Ex-black policeman Eric Adams appeared on Tuesday to have won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York, which would put him at the gates of city hall, according to US media. However, some were reluctant to endorse this victory given the tight and non-final results provided by the New York Election Office.
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According to the results published Tuesday evening by this office, Eric Adams, 60 years old and current president of the Brooklyn district, had collected 50.5% of the vote, or more than 403,000 votes of voters registered as Democrats.
Kathryn Garcia, 51, former head of the town hall for cleanliness, new to politics but who has forged a reputation for efficiency in the face of crises, came just behind with 49.5% of the vote, and 8,426 votes less than Adams.
The New York Elections Office, known to have made mistakes in the past, did not immediately say how many ballots remained to be counted. He is due to publish final results by mid-July.
The American Associated Press reported Adams’ victory, but Kathryn Garcia did not immediately concede defeat and several local media remained cautious.
Adams claims victory
“Even though there are still small amounts of ballots left to count, the results are clear: a historic coalition (…) led by the working class of New Yorkers has led us to victory in the Democratic primary,” said Adams. in a press release.
“Now we need to focus on winning in November to keep this great city’s promise to those who suffer, who are in dire straits and want a secure, equitable and affordable future for all New Yorkers.”
New York being a Democratic stronghold, the winner of the primary is almost guaranteed to win the mayoralty in the November election that will oppose Republican Curtis Sliwa. And to be the one who will have to guide the American economic capital in the delicate post-pandemic period.
Crime on the rise
One thing is certain: Left-most candidate Maya Wiley, who was backed by young congressional star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has been eliminated.
Eric Adams, like Kathryn Garcia, is more centrist. He has focused much of his campaign on fighting crime, rejecting Maya Wiley’s calls to cut the police budget – a request from the #BlackLivesLatter movement – but promising to reform it from within.
Crime in the main American metropolis – as in many American cities – has been on the rise since the summer of 2020, with in particular an outbreak of homicides and shootings, denounced by the Republicans as the consequence of the laxity of the Democrats.
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