‘Now we come together’: Maya Wiley concedes NYC mayoral race, sealing the deal for Eric Adams
Tim Balk, Chris Sommerfeldt
Maya Wiley, the progressive standard bearer in the city’s Democratic mayoral race, pulled the plug on her campaign Wednesday after landing in third place with all but a few thousand votes counted, sealing Eric Adams’ victory in the heated primary after weeks of electoral anxiety.
Speaking outside the Lucerne Hotel on the Upper West Side, Wiley said updated primary results released Tuesday showed she no longer has a viable path to Gracie Mansion, with Adams clinching first place by a 8,426-vote edge over ex-Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, who herself conceded earlier Wednesday.
Maya Wiley speaking outside the Lucerne Hotel on Wednesday.
Maya Wiley speaking outside the Lucerne Hotel on Wednesday. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/)
Wiley, who trailed Garcia by 12,367 votes for second place in the nearly complete results, celebrated that Adams is on a glide path to become the second African-American mayor in New York City history.
“Let’s be clear: This is only the second time a Black New Yorker has been elected mayor,” she said. “That has tremendous meaning.”
Adams still has to square off against GOP mayoral challenger Curtis Sliwa in November’s general election, but in a city as deep blue as New York, that race is widely considered a foregone conclusion.
Wiley clashed repeatedly with Adams on the campaign trail, especially over matters of policing.
Maya Wiley seen outside the Lucerne Hotel on the Upper West Side on Wednesday with Shams DaBaron.
Maya Wiley seen outside the Lucerne Hotel on the Upper West Side on Wednesday with Shams DaBaron. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/)
But in her concession speech, Wiley said she spoke to Adams earlier in the day and urged her supporters to coalesce around his candidacy as New Yorkers look to turn the page on the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This movement is going to continue beyond today, because the mission is making sure that we save a generation of our kids, the mission is making sure that we confront what real public safety looks like, and the mission is making sure that we end homelessness,” Wiley said. “All I can say to every New Yorker is: Now we come together.”
The Board of Elections — which hurled the mayoral primary into chaos last week by accidentally releasing a tally that included 135,000 “test” ballots — still has to tally a few thousand votes before certifying the results next week, but Adams’ lead is effectively insurmountable. The long wait for conclusive results in the June 22 primary was a consequence of the ranked-choice voting system, which was used for the first time in city history in this election cycle.
Wiley’s choice to speak outside the Lucerne was rich with symbolism.
Maya Wiley chats with Anthony Campbell, 50, a homeless man, during the Wednesday media availability outside The Lucerne Hotel on W. 79th Street in Manhattan.
Maya Wiley chats with Anthony Campbell, 50, a homeless man, during the Wednesday media availability outside The Lucerne Hotel on W. 79th Street in Manhattan. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/)
The hotel has housed homeless men through the pandemic, but Mayor de Blasio’s administration evicted them last week after a lengthy court battle, drawing ire from housing advocates.
Wiley, 57, a civil rights lawyer who served as de Blasio’s counsel before becoming a vocal critic of his administration, courted the city’s burgeoning progressive electorate after fellow left-wing hopefuls Scott Stringer and Dianne Morales saw their campaigns implode due to alleged harassment and workplace scandals.
Some of New York’s most high-profile elected liberals, including Queens-Bronx Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, endorsed Wiley’s mayoral bid, giving her a major boost during the tail-end of the campaign.
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams attends the "Hometown Heroes" ticker-tape parade on Wednesday, July 7, in New York City.
New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Eric Adams attends the "Hometown Heroes" ticker-tape parade on Wednesday, July 7, in New York City. (Dia Dipasupil/)
But Adams’ middle-of-the-road campaign — which was centered around public safety and buoyed by widespread support among blue-collar voters of color — proved more effective than Wiley’s push for reallocating resources from the NYPD and investing in social services.
After Adams declared victory Tuesday night, Wiley at first didn’t seem ready to concede, saying in a statement that she was preparing “next steps.” The comment led some to believe Wiley was potentially gearing up to challenge the primary results in court, especially given that she filed a lawsuit last week reserving her right to request a recount.
But on Wednesday, she filed court papers to drop the complaint.
Residents vote during the New York City mayoral primary election at the Brooklyn Museum polling station on June 22, 2021, in New York City. New York City residents cast ballots in a Democratic primary on June 22, 2021, that will select the candidate almost certain to take over as mayor tasked with shaping the post-pandemic future of America's largest metropolis. Registered Democrats will choose from a diverse group of 13 candidates for the job, often called "the second-most difficult" in the United States after that of the president.
Democratic mayoral candidate Maya Wiley pets a voter's dog during a campaign stop near a polling place in the West Village neighborhood of New York on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
Democratic mayoral candidate Maya Wiley, center, is joined by New York State Assemblymember Deborah Glick, left, as she greets voters during a campaign stop near a polling place in the West Village neighborhood of New York on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
A voter receives her ballot at Frank McCourt High School in New York on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The final votes are set to be cast Tuesday in New York's party primaries, where mayors, prosecutors, judges and city and county legislators will be on the ballot, along with other municipal offices.
Republican candidate for New York mayor Curtis Sliwa signs in to vote at Frank McCourt High School, in New York on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The final votes are set to be cast Tuesday in New York's party primaries, where mayors, prosecutors, judges and city and county legislators will be on the ballot, along with other municipal offices.
Republican candidate for New York mayor Curtis Sliwa waits to vote at Frank McCourt High School, in New York on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
Residents vote during the New York City mayoral primary election at the Brooklyn Museum polling station on June 22, 2021, in New York City.
Voters wait to mark their ballots at Frank McCourt High School, in New York on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
A resident checks in to vote during the New York City mayoral primary election at the Brooklyn Museum polling station on June 22, 2021, in New York City.
Voters sign in at Frank McCourt High School, in New York on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
Residents arrive to vote during the New York City mayoral primary election at the Brooklyn Museum polling station on June 22, 2021 in New York City.
Signs alert people to a voting site in Manhattan as voters head to the polls for the Democratic primary for mayor and other elected positions on June 22, 2021, in New York City. Ranked-choice voting is being used for the first time, a system that lets voters prioritize more than one candidate on their ballot. The winner of the Democratic primary will face off against the Republican candidate in the fall.
Residents vote during the New York City mayoral primary election at the Brooklyn Museum polling station on June 22, 2021, in New York City.
Eric Adams votes at P.S. 81 on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Brooklyn, New York.
Eric Adams votes at P.S. 81 on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Brooklyn, New York.
Eric Adams gets emotional when talking about the death of his mother while talking to the media after voting at P.S. 81 on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Brooklyn, New York.
Voters receive their ballots at Frank McCourt High School, in New York on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
People prepare to vote during the Primary Election Day at P.S. 81 on June 22, 2021, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
A poll worker assembles a ballot at Frank McCourt High School in New York on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
A voter files her voting ballot during the Primary Election Day at P.S. 81 on June 22, 2021, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Voters place their marked ballots in scanners at Frank McCourt High School, in New York on Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The final votes are set to be cast Tuesday in New York's party primaries, where mayors, prosecutors, judges and city and county legislators will be on the ballot, along with other municipal offices.
Eric Adams takes selfies with supporters after voting at P.S. 81 on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Brooklyn, New York.
Corey Johnson, Candidate for Comptroller, arrives to vote on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Manhattan.
Corey Johnson, Candidate for Comptroller, arrives to vote on Tuesday, June 22, 2021 in Manhattan.
People vote during the Primary Election Day at P.S. 81 on June 22, 2021, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Manhattan District Attorney Candidate Tali Farhadian Weinstein is pictured greeting potential voters while campaigning on the corner of 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
People vote during the Primary Election Day at P.S. 81 on June 22, 2021, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
A poll worker hangs up a voting sign during the Primary Election Day at P.S. 81 on June 22, 2021, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. This is the first year in the city for ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank their top five candidates.
A poll worker hangs up a voting sign during the Primary Election Day at P.S. 81 on June 22, 2021, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
And after her concession remarks, Wiley said that, despite her disagreements with Adams, she’s ready to support him if he reaches City Hall.
“It was a congratulatory call. It was cordial,” she said of their conversation. “And you know, look, we’re here for the city to be successful — what we want is a successful city government solving our problems.”
