NEW YORK (NewsNation Now) — Voters in New York City are heading to the polls Tuesday to select Democratic and Republican nominees for mayor, following a campaign dominated by debate over public safety as the city recovers from the pandemic and confronts a rise in shootings.
The winner of the crowded Democratic contest, who may not be known until mid-July, will be a heavy favorite to succeed term-limited Mayor Bill de Blasio in November’s general election. Democratic registered voters outnumber Republican voters by more than a six-to-one ratio, state data shows.
The election will be the first mayoral primary to use ranked-choice voting. City voters approved a measure to use the ranked-choice system two years ago.
It’s a system in which voters rank up to five candidates in order of preference and the lowest performers are eliminated in a series of computerized rounds of vote tallying until only two candidates remain. The one with more votes wins.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a former police officer and founder of a law enforcement reform group, has seen his standing rise amid concern over a spike in shootings during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest survey from NewsNation and Emerson College.
The poll found Adams had the most support out of the 11 other candidates polled with 18% support.
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who led the March NewsNation/Emerson poll, saw his support fall from 32% to 15%. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer had the largest jump in support since March, going from 6% to 15%. 23% of voters reported being undecided at the time of the May poll. Other notable candidates include former city sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia and former de Blasio administration attorney Maya Wiley.
Early voting started June 12 in the primary to replace the term-limited Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The next mayor will be confronted with deep challenges including wealth inequality, police accountability, a lack of affordable housing and a struggling tourism industry in the country’s most populous city of about 8.2 million residents.
The polls are set to close at 9 p.m. local time Tuesday. Preliminary results showing voters’ first-choice votes are expected sometime after that, but barring a surprise outcome in which one candidates exceeds 50% of first-choice votes, the final results will likely take weeks.
Preliminary results showing voters’ first-choice votes are expected sometime after that, but barring a surprise outcome in which one candidates exceeds 50% of first-choice votes, the final results will likely take weeks.
Also in the city, several Democrats are running to succeed Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who has been leading a probe of former President Donald Trump’s business dealings.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 22: New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams speaks after voting during Primary Election Day at P.S. 81 on June 22, 2021 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City. Mayoral candidate and frontrunner Eric Adams voted in a crowded race where recent polls have him leading the pack in a bid to replace Mayor Bill de Blasio. This is the first year in the city for ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank their top five candidates. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 21: Feminist and activist Gloria Steinem speaks at a rally in support of mayoral candidate Maya Wiley the evening before the Democratic primary on June 21, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Wiley, a civil rights attorney who worked as Mayor de Blasio’s legal counsel before her run, is running as a progressive. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 21: New York City mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia campaigns in Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn the day before the Democratic primary on June 21, 2021 in New York City. According to recent polls, Garcia is one of the leaders in the Democratic field of mayoral candidates. Garcia is the former New York City Sanitation Commissioner and was endorsed by the editorial board of the New York Times. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 16: New York State Comptroller Scott Stringer speaks to support of Black Lives Matter and to mark the 30th anniversary of the Justice for Janitors movement near Rockefeller Center on June 16, 2020 in New York City. Members of 32BJ SEIU took a knee in support of Black Lives Matter and to show that their struggles for justice are bound up together. (Photo by Jeenah Moon/Getty Images) 
New York City Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang fist bumps someone during a campaign event on the eve of New York City Primary Election Day on June 21, 2021 in Queens, New York City. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 22: A person waits in line to vote during the Primary Election Day at P.S. 81 on June 22, 2021 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City. This is the first year in the city for ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank their top five candidates. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) 
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 22: People vote during the Primary Election Day at P.S. 81 on June 22, 2021 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City. This is the first year in the city for ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank their top five candidates. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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