Edited by: TJVNews.com

Former police captain and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams cruised to victory Tuesday to become the next mayor of New York as voters across the U.S. picked new city leaders from candidates who were largely defined by their stances on police and crime, as was reported by the AP.

Adams, who will become the second Black mayor of the nation’s largest city, first triumphed this summer in a crowded Democratic primary after he struck a nuanced stance on law enforcement issues. His message on crime and his experience as a police officer largely insulated him from attacks from his Republican opponent Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol.

AP reported that he described being beaten by police officers as a teenager when he was arrested for trespassing. When he later became a cop, he was a vocal critic of the police department, advocated for Black officers and spoke out about injustices. But he did not embrace calls from some progressives to defund the police by shifting money from law enforcement to social work and other programs aimed at addressing the root causes of crime.

With 47% of the precincts reporting in New York City, Adams was leading at 66.6% of the vote as opposed to 28.9% of the vote for Curtis Sliwa.

The New York Times reported that Sliwa has received perhaps the most attention for his army of rescue cats and his animal welfare platform as well as caring for the homeless and mentally ill.

In his victory address, Adams said that his candidacy was a vindication of faith. He told his supporters that “Today New Yorkers voted for one of their own, because “I am you.” He promised to carry his campaign pledges to City Hall, and to find for all the struggling residents of the city, particularly the underserved.

He said that he overcame learning disabilities and now his is in charge of the New York City Department of Education. To young people who are afraid of the prospect of homelessness, he said “just because of where you are now does not mean that is who you are.”

Fox News reported that Adams will also be tasked with leading New York City’s ongoing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many businesses to shut down for months. As the economy reopens, businesses are attempting to navigate new challenges posed by opposition to vaccination mandates and an ongoing labor shortage.

A surge in crime during the COVID-19 pandemic was the key issue during the mayoral campaign, with both candidates pledging their tactics would result in less gun violence and safer streets, according to the Fox News report.

Sliwa called for increased funding and hiring for the New York City Police Department and sought to portray Adams as a close ally of outgoing mayor Bill de Blasio, who is leaving office due to term limits. The Guardian Angels founder also spoke out against vaccination mandates for public workers and a proof-of-vaccination requirement for customers at restaurants and entertainment venues, which Adams supports, as was reported by Fox News.

In the 48th council district in Brooklyn in which Chaim Deutsch was term limited, it was reported that with a majority of votes counted, Ukrainian born attorney, Inna Vernikov, (who is also a pro-Trump Republican) had secured a victory over Democratic candidate Steven Saperstein, whom pundits predicted would easily sail to victory. What makes this race such an anomaly is that a Republican has never held this particular council seat in the city before. Vernikov had the strong endorsement of former Brooklyn assemblyman Dov Hikind and Chaim Deutsch.

With 76.69% of scanners reported, Vernikov, received 61.85% of the vote and Steven Saperstein received 37.94% of the vote.

City and State reported that Republican Joann Ariola has a commanding lead over Democrat Felicia Singh in that race, the 32nd district, though the race has yet to be called. Former Republican Rep. Vito Fossella is on strong footing to assume a new elected office, as he leads Democrat Mark Murphy in the Staten Island borough president race – though that race, too, has yet to be called. Council Member Justin Brannan, who is running to be the body’s next speaker, leads his Republican challenger by only several points.

In the New York City Comptroller’s race, Democratic city council member Brad Lander was winning with 68.53% as opposed to his opponent, Republican Daby Carreras with 23.48% of the vote

In the race for Public Advocate, the incumbent Jumaane Willliams is leading with 67.54% and his Republican opponent Dr. Devi Elizabeth Nampiaparampil got 24.06% of the vote.

In the race for Manhattan District Attorney, Democratic candidate Alvin Bragg Jr got 84.55% of the vote and his Republican opponent Thomas Kenniff got 15.30% of the vote.

In the Staten Island Borough President race, Republican Vito Fossella was winning with 61.05% of the vote and his Democratic opponent Mark Murphy received 31.15% of the vote.

In Staten Island’s city council race in district 50, Republican David Carr received 60.38% of the vote while his Democratic opponent, Sal Albanese got 32.33% of the vote.

City and State reported that most of the City Council candidates who are likely to win or unopposed are Democrats, with the exception of Council Member Joe Borelli, who is running on the Republican and Conservative lines. Each candidate is preceded by their district number, and incumbents are noted with an asterisk.

Likely to win: 1) Christopher Marte, 2) Carlina Rivera*, 4) Keith Powers*, 5) Julie Menin, 6) Gale Brewer, 7) Shaun Abreu, 9) Kristin Richardson Jordan, 10) Carmen De La Rosa, 11) Eric Dinowitz, 13) Marjorie Velazquez, 14) Pierina Ana Sanchez, 15) Oswald Feliz*, 16) Althea Stevens, 17) Rafael Salamanca Jr.*, 18) Amanda Farías, 20) Sandra Ung, 22) Tiffany Cabán, 23) Linda Lee, 24) James Gennaro*, 25) Shekar Krishnan, 26) Julie Won, 27) Nantasha Williams, 28) Adrienne Adams*, 29) Lynn Schulman, 31) Selvena Brooks-Powers, 34) Jennifer Gutiérrez, 35) Crystal Hudson, 37) Sandy Nurse, 38) Alexa Avilés, 39) Shahana Hanif, 40) Rita Joseph, 41) Darlene Mealy, 45) Farah Louis*, 46) Mercedes Narcisse, 47) Ari Kagan, 49) Kamillah Hanks, 51) Joe Borelli*

Unopposed: 3) Erik Bottcher, 8) Diana Ayala*, 12) Kevin Riley*, 21) Francisco Moya*, 30) Robert Holden*, 33) Lincoln Restler, 36) Chi Ossé, 42) Charles Barron, 44) Kalman Yeger*

In the New York City races for borough president, the New York Times has reported that with 66% of precincts reporting, Democrat Vanessa Gibson has won the race for Bronx Borough President with 79.7% of the vote.

In Brooklyn, Democrat Antonio Reynoso has won with 73.7% of the vote with 62% of precincts reporting. This makes Reynoso the first Latino to hold this office, which was once occupied by Eric Adams.

In Manhattan, Democrat Mark Levine has garnered 84.7% of the vote with 71% of precincts reporting.

In Queens, Donovan Richards has won with 65.1% of the vote with 69% of precincts reporting.

AP reported that police and crime issues came to the forefront in cities big and small after the death of George Floyd last year led to a national reckoning on racial injustice and law enforcement. The debate centered on questions of when and where police are needed — or sometimes whether they’re needed at all. It also unfolded amid an increase in homicides in the wake of the pandemic.

In some big cities, fear or a desire for a middle-ground approach elevated candidates seen as more supportive of law enforcement or who have rejected liberal calls to defund the police. In Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed, the push for change could upend law enforcement practices and help decide who leads the city, as was reported by the AP.

In the hotly contest Virginia gubernatorial race, Republican Glenn Youngkin was declared the winner in a tight race against Democrat Terry McAuliffe thanks to shifting support from some key voter groups.

The New York Times has reported that with 95% of precincts reporting, Youngkin had 51% of the vote and Terry McAuliffe had 48.3% of the vote.

AP reported that Youngkin has made slight gains with suburbanites, voters 45 and older and voters in households earning $50,000 or less when compared to Trump in his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of voters. That’s helped make Tuesday’s race tighter than originally expected, sparking concern among Democrats as they look to the 2022 midterm elections.

Both Democrats and Republicans pulled together familiar coalitions. McAuliffe is the clear choice of voters under 45, women, Black voters, moderates and college graduates, while men, rural and small town voters and white evangelicals are squarely in Youngkin’s corner, as was reported by the AP.

The governor’s race was seen by some as a test of Biden’s standing so far, according to the AP report. The president and his wife campaigned for McAuliffe in the state, as did other top Democrats. Biden won Virginia by 10 percentage points last year.

Now, 47% of Virginia’s voters approve of Biden’s job performance, while 53% disapprove — a split similar to U.S. adults nationwide in recent AP-NORC polling.

Voters also are roughly split over Biden’s handling of the pandemic and the economy as well, but they lean more critical of Biden on the economy, 45% approve vs. 54% disapprove.

Another tight contest has been the New Jersey gubernatorial race. Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli was in a dead heat, in the early hours of Wednesday morning with incumbent Democratic governor Phil Murphy. As of late Wednesday morning, Murphy picked up critical votes in solid blue counties of the Garden State such as Bergen, Essex and Camden counties. These Democratic strongholds have led pundits to declare Murphy the winner. Thus far, the Ciattarelli campaign has not offered a statement.

NPR reported that the ongoing issue for Democrats in statewide elections is that New Jersey homeowners pay the highest property taxes in the country and Murphy’s challenger, Republican Jack Ciattarelli, reminds voters of that every chance he gets.

Ciattarelli, 59, is a business owner and former member of the New Jersey legislature. He calls Murphy a “tax and spend liberal.” If elected, he says he’ll cut taxes.

NPR noted that what is unusual this time around is that Murphy makes no bones about New Jersey being a high tax state. Instead of promising to cut them, Murphy told member station WNYC that residents get good value for their high taxes: “That means the best public schools in America. It means among the best health care systems in America. It means a location second to none that we need to invest aggressively in.”

NPR noted that what is unusual this time around is that Murphy makes no bones about New Jersey being a high tax state. Instead of promising to cut them, Murphy told member station WNYC that residents get good value for their high taxes: “That means the best public schools in America. It means among the best health care systems in America. It means a location second to none that we need to invest aggressively in.”

Murphy is a former investment banker with Goldman Sachs who spent his own money to run for governor in 2017. NPR reported that in early March 2020, Murphy underwent surgery for a cancerous tumor on his kidney, just as the spread of COVID in New York and New Jersey was becoming apparent. He kept up on developments from his hospital bed and quickly moved to shut down the state.

In other races, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, has defended the police department against calls to dismantle it. On Tuesday, he was fighting to keep his job against 16 challengers, with the most serious contenders running to his left, as was reported by the AP.

Frey’s prospects may be linked to a ballot question that asks voters whether they want to replace the police department with a Department of Public Safety. Frey opposes the change, but his top two challengers support it.

On the other side of New York state, the mayoral race in Buffalo puts India Walton, a democratic socialist, in a rematch with incumbent Mayor Byron Brown, the city’s first Black mayor and a Democrat who lost the primary to Walton this summer, according to the AP report.

He is now running as a write-in candidate with support from law enforcement and has criticized Walton for her plans to cut $7.5 million from the police department budget. She says the plan is aimed at addressing the root causes of crime. Brown says the move is “clearly defunding police.”

AP reported that in Atlanta, rising crime rates and a spate of high-profile killings have many residents saying that they would like to balance policing and racial justice. Former Mayor Kasim Reed is seeking to return to office as a top contender in a crowded nonpartisan race that will likely result in a runoff.

Reed cited the crime surge as the motivation for his campaign for a third term. He has told voters that the low crime rate during his tenure and the hundreds of police officers he once hired make him the best choice.

City Council President Felicia Moore, a longtime critic of Reed, is another top contender who has cited rising crime as a reason she’s running, according to the AP report. Other candidates have spoken about adding more police officers and stressed the need to focus on the root causes of crime, such as affordable housing and unemployment.

In Seattle, mayoral candidate Bruce Harrell, a former city council member who has called for hiring more police officers to stem a rise in shootings, has criticized opponent Lorena González for supporting the police defunding movement.

González, the city council president, has called for an overhaul of the police department, which is under federal supervision for a pattern of excessive force and evidence of biased policing.

AP reported that in Boston, the contest between city council members Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu means whomever wins will become the city’s first woman and first person of color elected mayor.

The candidates, both Democrats in a nonpartisan race, have chiefly clashed over issues such as affordable housing, public education and transportation. But differences on policing and crime have also emerged, as was reported by the AP.

Wu, daughter of Taiwanese immigrants and a protégé of liberal Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, has called for major police reforms. Before she was a candidate, Wu joined other city council members in calling for a 10% cut to the police department’s budget.

AP reported that Essaibi George, who describes herself as Polish-Arab American, has opposed reallocating the money and has called for hiring several hundred more police officers. She was endorsed by former Boston police Commissioner William Gross. (Sources: AP, NYT, City and State, NPR, Fox News)

(Additional reporting by Fern Sidman)

 

            (Sources: AP, NYT, City and State, NPR, Fox News)

(Additional reporting by Fern Sidman)