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2009 New York City mayoral election

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2009 New York City mayoral election

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FieldValue
election_name2009 New York City mayoral election
countryNew York City
typepresidential
previous_election2005 New York City mayoral election
previous_year2005
next_election2013 New York City mayoral election
next_year2013
election_dateNovember 3, 2009
image1File:Mayor Michael Bloomberg (cropped).jpg
image_sizex150px
nominee1**Michael Bloomberg**
party1Independent politician
popular_vote1**585,466**
percentage1**50.7%**
image2File:Alg thompson recropped 1-Oct-2009 (cropped).png
nominee2Bill Thompson
party2Democratic Party (United States)
popular_vote2534,869
percentage246.3%
map_image
map_caption**Bloomberg:**
**Thompson:**
titleMayor
before_electionMichael Bloomberg
before_partyIndependent (United States)
after_electionMichael Bloomberg
after_partyIndependent (United States)
turnout1,154,802
28.19% (5.15 pp)
registered4,095,561
alliance1Republican
Independence
alliance2Working Families

Thompson:
28.19% (5.15 pp) Independence The 2009 election for Mayor of New York City took place on Tuesday, November 3. Incumbent Michael Bloomberg, an independent who left the Republican Party in 2008, was reelected on the Republican and Independence Party/Jobs & Education lines with 50.7% of the vote, over the retiring City Comptroller, Bill Thompson, a Democrat (also endorsed by the Working Families Party), who won 46.3%. Thompson had won the Democratic primary election on September 15 with 71% of the vote, over City Councilman Tony Avella and Roland Rogers. This was the fifth straight mayoral victory by Republican nominees in New York, and the most recent to date, despite the city's strong Democratic lean in national and state elections.

Six other parties' candidates also contested the general election in November. Stephen Christopher of the Conservative Party of New York won 1.6% of the vote, more than the combined total of all the other minor candidates. The turnout of voters—fewer than 350,000 in September, and fewer than 1.2 million in November—was relatively low for recent mayoral elections, and Bloomberg won with fewer votes than any successful mayoral candidate had received since women joined the city's electorate in 1917. Democrats flipped back the borough of Brooklyn.

Before the election, the New York City Council voted to extend the city's term limits, permitting Bloomberg (previously elected in 2001 and 2005) and other second-term officeholders, such as Thompson, to run for a third term by way of Local Law 51 of 2008. Attempts to put this decision to a popular referendum, to reverse it in the federal courts, or to override it with state legislation were unsuccessful.

As of , this is the last mayoral election in which a candidate on the Republican ballot line carried Manhattan or Queens. It is also the last time that a candidate on the Republican line won more than 30 percent of the vote, and only the fifth time since 1969 (not counting Ed Koch winning his second term with the endorsement of both major parties in 1981).

Background

New York City elected its Mayor by popular vote when Greater New York was formed in 1897, then in 1901, 1903, 1905, and every four years thereafter, as well as in the special elections of 1930 and 1950. Nineteen of the 31 mayoral elections held between 1897 and 2005 were won by the official candidate of the Democratic Party, eight by the Republican Party's nominee, and four by others. (The last official Democratic candidate to win the mayoralty was David Dinkins in the election of 1989; the last candidate to win the mayoralty without winning either the Republican or the Democratic primary was Mayor John V. Lindsay, running for re-election on the Liberal column in 1969.)

Michael Bloomberg, formerly a Democrat, was elected as a Republican in 2001 and 2005, succeeding another Republican mayor, Rudy Giuliani, elected in 1993 and 1997. Bloomberg left the Republican Party in 2008 and became a political independent. By a hotly contested vote of 29–22 on October 23, 2008, the New York City Council extended the former two-term limit for Mayor, Council, and other elected city offices to three terms, allowing Bloomberg to pursue his announced intention to seek a third term in 2009. Legal challenges to the extension failed in federal court, and a proposed law in the New York State Legislature to override the extension was not passed.

Bloomberg's most prominent opponent was Bill Thompson, who could (similarly) have run for a third term as New York City Comptroller in 2009, but instead sought, and won, the Democratic nomination for mayor.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

  • Michael Bloomberg, incumbent mayor since 2002 (Independent)

Withdrew

  • Bruce Blakeman, attorney and member of the board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (endorsed Bloomberg)

Declined

  • Richard Parsons, chairman of Citigroup (endorsed Bloomberg)

Results

Though he had changed his party registration to unaffiliated, Bloomberg was unopposed for the Republican nomination in the party primary.

Democratic primary

Candidates

  • Tony Avella, member of the New York City Council from Queens
  • Roland Rogers
  • Bill Thompson, New York City Comptroller since 2002 (Democratic and Working Families)

Withdrew

  • Anthony Weiner, U.S. representative (withdrew on May 28, 2009) (endorsed Thompson)

Campaign

Thompson and Avella held their first televised debate on August 26 at the New York Public Library. They both directed more fire at Bloomberg than at each other. "After eight years of a Republican mayor who is focused on developers and the wealthy, I think New Yorkers are looking for change", Thompson said, while Avella declared that the "arrogance of billionaire Mike Bloomberg to think he's so important that he can overturn the term limits law, I think, is disgraceful." Another debate was held on September 9.

No.DateHostModeratorLinkDemocraticDemocraticKey:
Participant Absent Not invited Invited WithdrawnDemocratic Party (US)}}"Democratic Party (US)}}"Tony AvellaBill Thompson12
Aug. 26, 2009Citizens Union, New York One
New York One Noticias
New York Daily News
New York City Campaign Finance Board
Time Warner Cable, and WNYC-FMDominic Carter[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fdu8bp6oUQ)
Sep. 9, 20091010 WINS
League of Women Voters of New York City
New York City Campaign Finance Board
Univision, and WABC-TVBill Ritter[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxNhq7cpGEk)

Results

Results by State Assembly district

]]

**T O T A L****96,196****43,465****102,229****77,600****11,169****330,659**

Out of the nearly 400 write-in votes, almost half or 184 (representing about one Democratic voter in 2,000) were some form or spelling of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

General election

Candidates

  • Michael Bloomberg, incumbent mayor since 2002 (Independence/Jobs & Education and Republican)
  • Stephen Christopher, pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Park Slope
  • Joseph Dobrian, journalist and talk show host (Libertarian)
  • Tyrrell Eiland, architect (New Voice)
  • Dan Fein, candidate for Comptroller in 2005 (Socialist Workers)
  • John M. Finan, businessman and Libertarian Party candidate for president in 2008 (Independent)
  • Jimmy McMillan, war veteran and candidate for mayor in 2005 (Rent is 2 Damn High)
  • Jonny Porkpie, burlesque performer (Independent)
  • Billy Talen, reverend (Green)
  • Bill Thompson, New York City Comptroller since 2002 (Democratic and Working Families)
  • Frances Villar, Lehman College student activist (Socialism and Liberation)

Withdrew

  • Robert Burck, street performer known as the Naked Cowboy (withdrew September 2009)

Debates

No.DateHostModeratorLinkIndependentDemocraticKey:
Participant Absent Not invited Invited WithdrawnIndependent politician}}"Democratic Party (US)}}"Michael BloombergBill Thompson12
Oct. 13, 2009Citizens Union, New York One
New York One Noticias
New York Daily News
New York City Campaign Finance Board
WNYC-FMDominic Carter[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CtTEqkLdr4)
Oct. 27, 20091010 WINS
League of Women Voters of New York City
New York City Campaign Finance Board
Univision, and WABC-TVBill Ritter[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O16IhnbYYM)

Endorsements

In the final weeks of the campaign, Bloomberg was endorsed "enthusiastically" by the New York Times, which—while calling Thompson a "worthy opponent"—praised Bloomberg for handling city matters "astonishingly well". Most other local newspapers had preceded the Times in endorsing the mayor, but many did so tepidly, presaging the misgivings of The New Yorker. In a report filed days before the election, the magazine likened Bloomberg to Marcus Licinius Crassus:

Polling

Post-primary match-up

NY1January 20, 2009**45%**32%

Bloomberg vs. Avella

MaristMay 5, 2009**52%**27%

Bloomberg approval ratings

MaristJune 29, 2009**58%**40%
Marist PollJuly 8, 200944%**51%**

Results

By borough

*Source:* [Board of Elections in the City of New York](http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/results.html) , November 24, 2009

References

References

  1. Board of Elections in the City of New York, [http://vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/results/2009/General/1.11CitywideMayorRecap.pdf Statement and Return Report for Certification General Election 2009 – 11/03/2009 Crossover – All Parties and Independent Bodies Mayor Citywide (PDF)] {{Webarchive. link. (2009-12-29 , November 24, 2009, retrieved on November 27, 2009.)
  2. [http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/results.html Board of Elections in the City of New York] {{Webarchive. link. (2010-01-06, [http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/results/2009/Primary/1.1CrossoverDemMayorRecap.pdf Statement and Return Report for Certification Primary Election 2009 – 09/15/2009 Crossover – Democratic Party Democratic Mayor Citywide (PDF)] {{Webarchive). link. (2010-11-21, September 25–26, 2009, retrieved on October 21, 2009.)
  3. Sewell Chan and Jonathan P. Hicks, [http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/council-to-debate-term-limits-change/ Council Votes, 29 to 22, to Extend Term Limits], ''The New York Times'', published on-line and retrieved on October 23, 2008.
  4. Fernanda Santos: [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/nyregion/24whatsnext.html The Future of Term Limits Is in Court], ''The New York Times'', New York edition, October 24, 2008, page A24 (retrieved on October 24, 2008), [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/nyregion/14termlimits.html Judge Rejects Suit Over Term Limits], ''The New York Times'', New York edition, January 14, 2009, page A26, and [http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/appeals-court-upholds-term-limits-revision/ Appeals Court Upholds Term Limits Revision], ''The New York Times'' City Room Blog, April 28, 2009 (both retrieved on July 6, 2009). The original January decision by Judge Charles Sifton of the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York]] ([[Long Island]], Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island) was upheld by a three-judge panel of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]] (Vermont, Connecticut, and New York state).
  5. (7 January 2009). "GOPER DROPS OUT OF MAYORAL RUN". [[New York Post]].
  6. (18 February 2009). "Stop Parsing Parsons: I'm No Mayor". [[New York (magazine).
  7. link. (2011-07-14, published and retrieved on September 16, 2009.)
  8. Emily S. Rebb, [http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/seven-others-striving-to-win-the-mayors-job/ "Seven Others Striving to Win the Mayor's Job"], ''The New York Times'', published on line October 13, 2009, retrieved October 14, 2009.
  9. Elections Board in the City of New York: [http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/documents/boe/2009PrimaryElection/CandidacyList.pdf The Contest List, Primary Election 2009] {{webarchive. link. (2009-10-07, as published and retrieved on July 28, 2009.)
  10. [http://www.tonyavellaformayor.com/ Tony Avella for Mayor]
  11. "New Yorkers for Bill Thompson".
  12. "New York - Working Families". Working Families.
  13. Adam Lisberg, "Debaters take aim at Mike", ''[[New York Daily News]]'', Thursday, August 27, 2009, page 17, and [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/election_2009/2009/08/27/2009-08-27_debaters_take_aim_at_mike_thompson_and_avella_square_off_in_1st_mayoral_tv_conte.html "Bill Thompson and Tony Avella square off, gang up on Mayor Bloomberg in 1st debate"], ''Daily News'' web-site, Thursday, August 27, 2009, 4:00 AM, retrieved on September 1, 2009.
  14. Barbaro, Michael. (2009-09-10). "In Mayoral Debate, Heated Words (and Some Gaffes)". The New York Times.
  15. Santos, Fernanda. (April 5, 2009). "Bloomberg Is Endorsed by Independence Party". The New York Times.
  16. "New York - Working Families". Working Families.
  17. [http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/04/13/2009-04-13_mike_working_key_labor_party.html "Mike Working Key Labor Party"], ''[[New York Daily News]]'', April 13, 2009, retrieved April 2009.
  18. (April 11, 2009). "Bloomberg will run as Republican in bid for third term". Daily News.
  19. "Our Campaigns - NYC Mayor - LBT Convention Race - Apr 09, 2013".
  20. (February 20, 2009). "Westchester Native Tyrrell Eiland Makes Run for NYC Mayor".
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  22. "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Daniel B. Fein".
  23. "The Militant - March 9, 2009 -- SWP mayoral candidate: 'Oppose New York cuts'".
  24. "Index of /".
  25. "McMillan 09".
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  29. [http://www.wowowow.com/post/reverend-billy-announces-nyc-green-party-mayoral-bid-30109 Reverend Billy Announces NYC Green Party Mayoral Bid – Hosannah! Say 'Church of Life After Shopping' Supporters]
  30. "Frances Villar campaign web site".
  31. [https://archive.today/20090724160633/http://www.wcbs880.com/-Naked-Cowboy--Wants-To-Be-NYC-Mayor/4843532 "Naked Cowboy" Wants To Be Mayor of New York City]. Associated Press (July 21, 2009).
  32. "Naked Cowboy for Mayor".
  33. "Naked Cowboy Suspends Mayoral Campaign".
  34. (13 October 2009). "Bloomberg and Thompson Spar in First Mayoral Debate". [[The New York Times]].
  35. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/opinion/24sat1.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=endorsement%20for%20mayor%202009&st=cse "For Mayor of New York City"]. ''New York Times''. Editorial (NYC, NY). October 23, 2009.
  36. Katz, Celeste. [http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2009/09/thompson-1-bloomberg-24.html "Thompson 2; Bloomberg, 24"]. ''New York Daily News''. (NYC, NY). September 3, 2009.
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