New York City mayoral race primary: Who’s ahead in polls

Thirteen Democrats and two Republicans engaged in a last effort to rally supporters Tuesday as voters cast their ballots in New York City’s mayoral primary, the first citywide election to use ranked choice voting.

The city could get its first female mayor, its first Asian American mayor or its second Black mayor, depending on who comes out on top.

But with the debut of the ranked voting system and a mountain of absentee ballots still at least a week away from being counted, it could be July before a winner emerges in the Democratic contest.

But he’s been closely trailed by former city sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia and former de Blasio administration lawyer Maya Wiley, with former presidential candidate Andrew Yang also in pursuit.

After polls close at 9 p.m., New York City’s Board of Elections plans to release partial results of votes cast in person, but that initial picture could be misleading because it will only include data on who candidates ranked as their first choice.

The ranked choice system, approved for use in New York City primaries and special elections by referendum in 2019, lets voters rank up to five candidates on their ballot.

Because there are only two candidates in that race, ranked choice voting won’t be a factor.

Of the top contenders, either Garcia or Wiley would be city’s first female mayor if elected.

Yang and Garcia formed an alliance in the campaign’s last days in an apparent effort to use the ranked voting system to block Adams.