These are the New York City mayoral primary candidates
Thirteen Democrats and two Republicans are running in the New York City mayoral primaries on June 22, according to the New York City Board of Elections. They’re vying for the chance to lead the largest city in the US as it faces rising crime, recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and a range of other issues.
Here’s who will be on the primary ballots for the ranked-choice vote.
Democrats
Eric Adams
Age: 60
Job: Brooklyn borough president
A retired former captain in the New York Police Department, Adams is a vocal advocate of the NYPD and is running on a platform that includes stepped-up policing. The former officer has been critical of the department, however, calling out racism in the NYPD. Adams has been a fixture on the New York political scene for decades — making many friends and enemies along the way — and has argued that he is the candidate best-equipped to fight a surge in violent crime. The former New York state senator is running to be the second Black mayor in New York City history. He has support from a number of major unions and local leaders, including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
Art Chang
Age: 58
Job: Former managing director at JPMorgan Chase and entrepreneur
The technologist and entrepreneur started 12 small businesses in New York City and co-created an initiative called “NYC Votes” to promote citywide democracy. Chang would like to implement universal child care, help Broadway rebound and revamp government technology. The son of Korean immigrants, he co-founded the CUNY Technology Apprenticeship Program and served on the New York City Campaign Finance Board as well as the board of directors at the Brooklyn Public Library. Chang would be the city’s first Asian American mayor.
Shaun Donovan
Age: 55
Job: Senior strategist and adviser overseeing Harvard University’s campus expansion
A former Obama administration Cabinet member, Donovan served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the housing market crisis of 2008, and later as director of the Office of Management and Budget. He’s running on a platform to build “15-minute neighborhoods,” a plan that seeks to provide New Yorkers with schools, transportation and food within 15 minutes of their homes. Prior to his time in the Obama administration, Donovan was commissioner of New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development under former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Donovan has been criticized by his rivals over an independent expenditure group almost entirely funded by his father.
Aaron Foldenauer
Age: 45
Job: Lawyer
An attorney who has practiced employment litigation and election law, Foldenauer’s platform seeks to rebuild New York City’s economy with a focus on small business and property owners. Foldenauer hopes to revamp New York City tourism, has a plan for healthy eating and would like to create a texting service for subway riders to report incidents. Foldenauer ran for New York City Council in Lower Manhattan but lost in 2017.
Kathryn Garcia
Age: 51
Job: Former New York City sanitation commissioner
As commissioner of New York City’s Sanitation Department, Garcia oversaw a staff of 10,000 and managed the city’s trash collection, water distribution and snow removal. Running on a platform that centers on New York City’s health and safety, Garcia says she would bring her crisis management skills and experience with local systems to City Hall. Garcia led New York City’s emergency food program at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and served as incident commander during Hurricane Sandy. She was endorsed in May by the New York Times editorial board, which wrote that she “best understands how to get New York back on its feet and has the temperament and the experience to do so.” Garcia, if elected, would be the city’s first female mayor.
Raymond McGuire
Age: 64
Job: Businessman
The former investment banker and Citigroup executive’s campaign centers on fueling an economic rebound and his platform includes a job accelerator to bring back 50,000 jobs in New York City. McGuire, a Black man, says his lived experience qualifies him to enact renewed public safety and justice policy in New York City. Raised by a single mother in Dayton, Ohio, McGuire previously served on the boards of Citi Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Citigroup, and De La Salle Academy, a small private school in New York City. McGuire is not participating in the city’s generous matching funds program.
Dianne Morales
Age: 53
Job: Executive director and CEO of Phipps Neighborhoods
As a former nonprofit executive and New York City public school teacher, Morales wants to guarantee housing for New York City residents and desegregate the city’s public schools and has called to “defund the police; fund the people.” A single mother, Morales has worked to help build communities of support for young people, including homeless youth. The Brooklyn-raised daughter of Puerto Rican parents, Morales would be the city’s first Afro-Latina mayor. Her campaign, though, has recently been hobbled by infighting among staff and the departure of her campaign manager. If elected, Morales would be the city’s first female mayor.
Paperboy Love Prince
Age: 28
Job: Rapper, former congressional candidate
Prince, a nonbinary rapper, wants to give New Yorkers $2,000 a month in universal basic income, proposes three-and-a-half-day workweeks and health care for all, seeks to eradicate homelessness and wants to turn the New York Police Department into a “love team.” Prince ran for Congress in New York’s 7th District last year but lost in the primary to 14-term-incumbent Nydia Velázquez.
Scott Stringer
Age: 61
Job: New York City comptroller
The New York City comptroller’s campaign emphasizes his experience with citywide government. Serving as comptroller since 2013, Stringer is responsible for the Big Apple’s finances and has managed the city’s five public pension funds. Before that, Stringer served as a New York state assemblyman and Manhattan borough president. His platform includes early childhood education and the creation of a “chief health officer” to focus on public health. A graduate of New York City Public Schools and the CUNY system, Stringer got his start in politics as an aide to Jerry Nadler, who was a New York State assembly member at the time. In April, Stringer was accused of sexual harassment by a former political ally. He has denied the allegations, which led some prominent endorsers to withdraw their support. He has retained the backing of a number of high-profile labor unions.
Joycelyn Taylor
Age: 55
Job: Businesswoman and nonprofit founder
Taylor, a Brooklyn native who grew up in public housing, is running on a platform to expand affordable public housing and “decriminalize poverty.” As a businesswoman who started a general contracting firm, Taylor built a nonprofit to help provide women- and minority-owned businesses access to opportunity, citywide and state agencies, and elected officials. She also supports the legalization of recreational marijuana. If elected, she would be the city’s first female mayor.
Maya Wiley
Age: 57
Job: Former civil rights attorney and legal analyst
Wiley, a longtime civil rights attorney and activist, wants to create a “New Deal” for New York that would focus on centering communities of color with a $10 billion investment in infrastructure, stimulus and jobs programs, according to her platform. She is also pushing a “community first” plan to combat climate change and proposing a transformation of the NYPD. Wiley formerly served as counsel to outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio and previously worked with both the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union. She has been endorsed by New York’s Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a member of the House Democratic leadership, and enjoys the support of one of the city’s largest unions. Wiley would be the city’s first female mayor if elected.
Isaac Wright Jr.
Age: 59
Job: Lawyer, entrepreneur
Wright is running on a platform that centers on working class communities with plans to increase the minimum wage and expand affordable housing with opportunities for homeownership for all New York City residents. After being wrongfully convicted and incarcerated, Wright pursued his law degree and became an attorney. He is also the executive producer of ABC’s “For Life,” a fictionalized TV show based on his life story.
Andrew Yang
Age: 46
Job: Businessman, former 2020 presidential candidate
The lively former presidential candidate has campaigned on a promise to lift the city out of its pandemic haze. He wants to give some low-income New York city residents a basic income, providing those who need it most with direct cash payments of about $2,000 each year. The son of Taiwanese immigrants, Yang worked as a lawyer before launching a number of startups focused on health care and education. He is viewed as one of the front-runners in the Democratic primary, despite facing criticism for not having previously voted in a mayoral election and questions over whether he has the experience to take on the job. Yang would, if elected, become the city’s first Asian American mayor.
Republicans
Fernando Mateo
Age: 63
Job: Businessman
A Dominican American immigrant and entrepreneur, Mateo started a carpet company that later turned into a contracting firm. He also founded a trade school and training program on Rikers Island for nonviolent, first-time incarcerated people. Mateo says he’s running in part to reduce crime and to combat bureaucracy and high taxes. As a city activist, Mateo served as president of the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers and advocates for bodega owners, most recently as founder of the United Bodegas of America. Though he has supported both Democratic and Republican politicians in the past, Mateo during a recent debate parroted former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election lies.
Curtis Sliwa
Age: 67
Job: Activist and founder of Guardian Angels
The political activist and radio show host has long been a controversial, outspoken critic of crime in New York City and has focused much of his campaign on its recent spike. Sliwa, who founded the Guardian Angels, a group of volunteers who patrol subways in New York City and across the country, says he wants to “refund the police” and his platform includes a tax plan that would lower property taxes. Sliwa also believes in the need for vocational programs in New York City high schools.
