Decision ’09: General Election
This November, two citywide offices are up for grabs, and several local incumbents are facing Republican challengers at the polls. To give voters a better idea of the men and women vying for their support, we asked each of the candidates to fill out a brief questionnaire explaining their positions and goals in 300 words or less. Responses have been edited for style and clarity. Read more
General Election Picks
Mayor: Michael Bloomberg
As we mentioned back in September, the key to governing the city at this critical juncture is nursing a more diverse economy back to health while maintaining and building on the gains of recent years in education, business, public safety and the vibrant culture that defines New York City. We think Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is running as a Republican and Independent, is best qualified for this job.
Throughout the past eight years, Bloomberg has advanced ambitious plans to overhaul the largest public school system in the country, mitigate traffic and congestion, increase and improve green space, foster arts and culture and rezone the city to fit the residential and business needs of tomorrow—all while driving crime to record lows and keeping a vigilant eye on a terrorist threat that still lingers. Read more
Decision ’09: Republican Challengers
Your mailbox may not be as full of campaign “literature” as it was prior to the primary election, but there are still a number of candidates looking to court voters ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Though they all do not have the same amount of money to spend as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the independent running on the GOP line, Republicans are challenging several incumbent Democrats, and vying for open citywide seats for comptroller and public advocate. Read more
Disenchanted Voters
To the Editor:
Unless you’ve been living in a cave all summer, between campaign mailings, newspaper ads, radio and television commercials, debates along with articles and editorials, everyone knew there was a primary election. With 3.2 million registered Democrats, only 10 percent, or 351,000, voted. Ninety percent, or 2,849,000, stayed home, making “None of the Above” the real winner. Bill Thompson (mayor), John Liu and David Yassky (comptroller), and Bill de Blasio and Mark Green (public advocate) all failed to close the deal with voters on the merits of their respective candidacies. Read more
Our Run-off Picks
New York City’s Democratic voters will probably pick the city’s next C.F.O. and ombudsman in a run-off election on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Since no candidate in the four-way primary races for comptroller and public advocate reached the 40 percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off, the top two vote-getters are now facing off. And because registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in this city by such a large margin, whoever gets the majority in this upcoming contest will likely emerge victorious in the November general election as well. Read more
Race to the Run-off
Just a handful of Democratic voters will likely choose the city’s next comptroller and public advocate, in what is expected to be a very low-turnout run-off on Sept. 29. On primary day, Sept. 15, only 11 percent of the city’s voters bothered to come out. The races for public advocate and comptroller were the nail-biters of the day, with no candidate broaching the 40 percent mark needed to avoid a run-off. And in a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a large margin, the winners of these two contests next Tuesday will likely cruise to an easy victory in November. Read more
Primary Day Is Over, But Races Continue
The primary election was in some ways a sleepy affair, with only 10 percent of the city’s voters turning out. Comptroller Bill Thompson, as expected, won the Democratic Party’s nomination for mayor handily, with 70 percent of the vote, according to unofficial returns. But two citywide races will now have run-off elections between the top two candidates, and voters gave Cy Vance a decisive win in the hotly contested Manhattan district attorney race.
Moments after the polls closed, the general election between Thompson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg began, with both candidates lobbing blistering attacks at each other. Read more
Election Cheat Sheet
During the past few months, these papers have provided ongoing coverage of the various candidates vying for office this fall, as well as overviews of the mayor’s race focused on a different topic each month. To help readers before they head to the polls on Sept. 15, we’ve created a simplified roundup for each candidate in the Democratic Primary. Read more
Our Election Picks
Lest the daily overflow of campaign mailings didn’t tip you off, there is a primary election in New York City on Sept. 15, with several key offices up for grabs. We hope that voter turnout will be high to reflect this particularly important juncture in city history.
Readers should note that for two of these offices (comptroller and public advocate), the winner from a field of four candidates needs to get 40 percent of the vote. That means that if no one broaches the 40 percent mark—a very likely occurrence—there will be a Sept. 29 run-off election between the top two contenders, prolonging the politicking. Read more
Decision ’09: Primary Profiles
With two major citywide races and one Manhattan-wide contest up for grabs on Sept. 15, Democratic primary voters could be forgiven for feeling a little overwhelmed. On primary day, a total of 11 candidates will vie for three high-profile positions: city comptroller, public advocate and Manhattan district attorney. This week we conclude a series of profiles featuring candidates from those races. To determine the order, we drew names out of a hat. Read more
