The 2013 New York City mayoral election occurred on November 5, 2013, along with elections for Comptroller, Public Advocate, Borough President, and members of the New York City Council. The incumbent mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-Independent, was term-limited and thus unable to seek re-election to a fourth term in office.
Primary elections were held on September 10, 2013. The Republican nominee was former Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joe Lhota. New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio was the Democratic nominee. De Blasio was elected mayor with 73.15% of the vote, becoming the first Democrat to win a mayoral election in the city since 1989. This election ended the Republicans five-election winning streak. This election had the lowest turnout in a New York mayoral election since the participation of women in 1917, with a turnout of 13.4% of registered voters.
Background
Republican and Republican-endorsed candidates had won five successive mayoral elections in New York City. Republican Rudy Giuliani was elected in 1993 and re-elected in 1997. Republican Michael Bloomberg was then elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2005. He left the Republican Party in 2007, and successfully persuaded the city council to extend the city's term limits law so that he could run for a third term. He was re-elected as an Independent on the Republican and Independence/Jobs & Education ballot lines in 2009. The term limits law was subsequently changed by a referendum in 2010, reverting the limit to two terms.
Democratic primary
As the campaign started, early polling showed city council speaker Christine Quinn as the frontrunner. However, she was hampered by running what was widely viewed as a poor campaign, and by her connections to incumbent mayor Bloomberg. As Quinn declined in the polls, former U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner became the new frontrunner, helped by his popularity with women voters. However, Weiner's campaign collapsed after it was revealed that he had continued to engage in sexting after he had resigned from Congress due to a previous sexting scandal. After this development, New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio surged in the polls, helped by several ads featuring de Blasio's interracial family, especially his son Dante, and by a campaign focusing on inequality, with de Blasio frequently referencing the novel A Tale of Two Cities. A week prior to the election, de Blasio was considered the frontrunner, and his campaign was given a boost when Mayor Bloomberg described it as "racist," outraging Democratic voters and causing them to rally around de Blasio's campaign.
Candidates
Declared
Sal Albanese, former New York City Councilman
Ceceilia Berkowitz, social media journalist
Randy Credico, comedian and former director of the William Moses Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice Bill de Blasio, New York City Public Advocate John Liu, New York City Comptroller Christine Quinn, speaker of the New York City Council Erick Salgado, Pastor of the Church of Iglesia Jovenes Cristianos Bill Thompson, former New York City Comptroller and nominee for Mayor in 2009 Anthony Weiner, former U.S. Representative for
Withdrew
Tom Allon, CEO of Manhattan Media and former New York City public school teacher (initially declared as a Democrat; then withdrew and declared as a Republican; also received the nomination of the Liberal Party, before dropping out entirely)
Declined
Alec Baldwin, actor
William J. Bratton, former Commissioner of the New York City Police Department
Hillary Clinton, former United States Secretary of State and former U.S. Senator
Rubén Díaz Jr., Bronx Borough President
Gregory Floyd, president of the New York City Teamsters union
Leo Hindery, businessman
Eva Moskowitz, CEO of the Success Academy Charter Schools and former New York City Councilwoman Ed Rendell, former Governor of Pennsylvania Scott Stringer, borough president of Manhattan (ran for Comptroller) Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents Christopher O. Ward, former director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Mortimer Zuckerman, businessman