1985 New York City mayoral election

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1985 New York City mayoral election
Flag of New York City.svg
  1981 November 5, 1985 1989  
  KochSpeaking88cropped.png CarolBellamy.jpg No image.svg
Candidate Ed Koch Carol Bellamy Diane McGrath
Party Democratic Liberal Republican
Alliance Conservative
Popular vote868,260113,471101,668
Percentage78.0%10.2%9.1%

NYCmayoralelectionresultsbyborough1985.svg
Borough results
Koch:      70–80%     80–90%

Mayor before election

Ed Koch
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Ed Koch
Democratic

The New York City mayoral election of 1985 occurred on Tuesday, November 5, 1985, with Democratic incumbent Mayor Ed Koch being re-elected to a third term by a landslide margin.

Contents

Koch received an overwhelming 78.02% of the vote citywide. Koch also swept all five boroughs by landslide margins, breaking 70% of the vote in Manhattan and Queens and breaking 80% of the vote in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island. [1]

Koch's closest competitor was the Liberal Party nominee, New York City Council President Carol Bellamy, who received 10.20% of the vote. Finishing in a distant third was the Republican nominee, Diane McGrath, who received 9.14% of the vote.

Koch defeated his nearest competitor by a landslide 67.82% Democratic margin of victory and was sworn into his third and final term in January 1986.

Al Vann and Herman Badillo tried to unite the Black and Puerto Rican communities but were thwarted by the Gang of Four, "But in a move that shocked Vann, the so-called “Gang of Four” from Harlem—Charles Rangel, David Dinkins, Basil Paterson and Percy Sutton—broke ranks and put forth their own candidate for mayor, Harlem Assemblyman Herman “Denny” Farrell, a dark horse if ever there was one. They argued that a black group like the Coalition for a Just New York should support a black candidate, not a Puerto Rican. Badillo bitterly withdrew from consideration. Farrell lost badly in the primary." [2]

As of 2022, this is the last time a Democrat won Staten Island in a mayoral election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Withdrew

Results

1985 Democratic mayoral primary[ citation needed ]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Ed Koch (incumbent) 436,151 64.0%
Democratic Carol Bellamy 127,69018.7%
Democratic Denny Farrell 89,84513.2%
Democratic Gilbert DiLucia11,6271.7%
Democratic Fred Newman 8,5841.2%
Democratic Judah Rubenstein8,0571.2%
Total votes681,954 100.00%

General election

Candidates

Results

1985 New York City mayoral election[ citation needed ]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Ed Koch (incumbent)862,226
Independent Ed Koch (incumbent)6,034
Total Ed Koch (incumbent) 868,260 78.0%
Liberal Carol Bellamy 113,47110.2%
Republican Diane McGrath79,508
Conservative Diane McGrath22,160
TotalDiane McGrath101,6689.1%
Right to Life Yehuda Levin14,517
New Alliance Lenora Fulani 7,597
Independent Jarvis Tyner 3,370
Socialist Workers Andrea Gonzalez1,677
Independent Gilbert DiLucia1,135
Independent Marjorie Stanberg1,101
Write-in 9
Total votes1,112,796 100.00%

by borough

General Election
Manhattan The Bronx Brooklyn Queens Staten Island Total
Democratic - Independent Edward I. Koch 171,582137,472248,585248,04162,580868,260
Liberal Carol Bellamy 41,19014,09229,25625,0983,835113,471
Republican - Conservative Diane McGrath 17,49112,35825,73836,03210,049101,668
others29,397
1,112,796

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References

  1. "New York City Mayoral Election 1985". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  2. "Al Vann and the Revolution. Unplugged". November 1997.