H H H H H H PRIMARY VOTERS’ GUIDE 2021 H H H H H H
Visit PoliticsNY.com to Watch Debates & Learn More About Each Candidate
The following candidates are listed
in alphabetical order.
BY ARIEL PACHECO
With less than a month to go before the June 22 primaries,
the race for mayor is filled with hopefuls
looking to break out of the pack. New York City is facing
a ton of issues ranging from affordable housing to education
to crime, all of which have been compounded by the
pandemic.
With 10 candidates total left making a push, here’s a
guide to help give an idea of every candidate’s political
background.
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
Eric Adams
Adams is currently a leading
candidate to win the race
for mayor, consistently
polling in the top three of
candidates.
Political Ideology:
Moderate Democrat.
Experience: Adams is a former NYPD captain and
former state senator. He currently serves as Brooklyn
borough president.
Key Issues: Adams has made public safety and fighting
crime a central idea in his campaign. He does not
support the idea of “defunding the police.” Adams also
wants to desegregate schools and help small businesses
prosper.
Shaun Donovan
Donovan has placed an
emphasis on combating
climate change in his run for
mayor. Donovan was recently
arrested at a George Floyd
protest. He has been stuck
toward the bottom of the
polls to this point.
Political Ideology: Progressive Democrat
Experience: Housing secretary and budget director in the
Obama administration, served as housing commissioner in
the Bloomberg administration.
Key Issues: Donovan wants to give every child in the
city a $1,000 equity bond to tackle income inequality.
He has also proposed the creation of over 30,000
affordable housing units per year.
Kathryn Garcia
Garcia has surged of late,
rounding out the top three
in the latest polls. Garcia has
never run for public office,
but does have a wealth of New
York City executive branch
government experience.
Political Ideology: Moderate Democrat
Experience: Former Commissioner of the Department
of Sanitation in the de Blasio administration, former
interim chair of the New York City Public Housing
Authority (NYC), New York City Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) in the Bloomberg
administration.
Key Issues: Does not support canceling rent, but wants
mediation on payments to prevent eviction. She vows
to streamline government agencies making them more
accessible to people. Garcia backs the Rental Assistance
Demonstration (RAD) which allows for non-profit or
private developers to take over the operations of NYCHA
developments.
Ray McGuire
McGuire is a longtime finance
executive on Wall Street. He
served as vice-chairman of
Citigroup prior to joining the
mayoral race.
Political Ideology:
Moderate Democrat
Experience: Former vice-chairman of Citigroup
Key Issues: McGuire is supportive of charter schools
and promises to create 500,000 jobs while also providing
financial support to small businesses. He is not in
favor of defunding the police.
Dianne Morales
A win would make her the
first Latina mayor, but she
has also struggled to make
any serious headway in
recent polls. Morales is a
former nonprofit executive
whose campaign is currently
facing criticism for the mistreatment of staffers.
Political Ideology: Progressive Democrat
Experience: Former teacher and worked in the New
York City Department of Education, CEO of Phipps
Neighborhoods
Key Issues: Wants to defund the police and has
called for zoning reform and a citywide school
integration plan.
Scott Stringer
An early favorite for mayor
who has seen his polling
drop after sexual assault
accusations. Stringer is the
current comptroller and a
career politician. He was, at
one point, the progressive
with the best shot at becoming mayor.
Political Ideology: Progressive Democrat
Experience: Stringer is the city’s comptroller. He is
a former state assemblyman and former Manhattan
borough president.
Key Issues: Stringer wants to require all new buildings
with 10 or more units to set aside 25% of apartments for
affordable housing. He is a proponent of budget cuts to
the NYPD.
Maya Wiley
Wiley is a former analyst for
MSNBC. She has struggled
to separate herself from the
pack, but is an advocate for
major police reform. She’s
received endorsements
from numerous labor and
women’s groups.
Political Ideology: Progressive Democrat
Experience: Wiley is a former NYPD Civilian
Complaint Review Board Chair and former counsel to
Mayor de Blasio.
Key Issues: Wants to defund the police and proposes
creating a direct rent relief program for residents
facing eviction.
Andrew Yang
Yang is an entrepreneur
most known for his
presidential campaign in the
previous election. He has
also been one of the leading
candidates for mayor in part
due to name recognition.
Political Ideology: Democrat who leans more
moderate, but does have some progressive ideas.
Experience: Yang is a former candidate for president
but has held no public office.
Key Issues: Yang has called for giving New Yorkers
living in extreme poverty $2,000 a month. He’s
advocated for partnership with the private sector and is
in favor of appointing a civilian commissioner for the
NYPD.
REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
Fernando Mateo
Mateo has been a longtime
advocate for taxi drivers and
bodega owners. Mateo often
refers to himself as an “urban
Republican.”
Political Ideology:
Republican
Experience: President of New York State Federation of
Taxi Drivers and spokesperson for the United Bodegas
of America.
Key Issues: Mateo wants to add more NYPD officers
and “refund” the police, bringing more money into
their budget.
Curtis Sliwa
Sliwa is a longtime radio
host and political commentator.
He is one of two Republican
candidates running for
mayor.
Political Ideology:
Republican
Experience: Sliwa is the founder of the Guardian
Angels and is a former commentator for NY1.
Key Issues: Sliwa considers himself to be the law and
order candidate and plans to bring more funding to the
NYPD.
Mayoral race
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