1989 New York City mayoral election

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1989 New York City mayoral election
Flag of New York City.svg
  1985 November 7, 1989 1993  
Registered3,183,741
Turnout1,899,845
59.67% (Increase2.svg18.48 pp)
  David Dinkins 1986 cropped 3x4.jpg Rudy Giuliani, 1984 (cropped).jpg
Candidate David Dinkins Rudy Giuliani
Party Democratic Republican
Alliance Liberal
Popular vote917,544870,464
Percentage50.42%47.84%

NYC Mayoral Election 1989 Results by Borough.svg
1989 New York City mayoral election results by State Assembly district.svg
Dinkins:      40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Giuliani:      50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

Mayor before election

Ed Koch
Democratic

Elected Mayor

David Dinkins
Democratic

The 1989 New York City mayoral election was held on Tuesday, November 7.

Contents

Incumbent Mayor Ed Koch, who had served since 1978, ran for an unprecedented fourth term in office but was defeated in the Democratic Party primary by Manhattan Borough President David Dinkins. Dinkins went on to narrowly defeat U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Rudy Giuliani, the candidate of both the Republican Party and Liberal Party of New York. [1] Dinkins won with 50.42% of the vote to Giuliani's 47.84%. [2]

Whereas the two preceding mayoral elections of the 1980s had been landslide victories for Koch, who had not lost a single borough and had received the co-endorsement of the Republican Party in 1981, this election was a closely contested race. Dinkins won majorities in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn, while Giuliani carried Queens and won a landslide on Staten Island. At the time, this was the strongest showing for a candidate on the Republican line since 1965 (not counting Koch's 1981 cross-endorsement), and the first since then that a candidate on the Republican line managed 30 percent of the vote.

Four years later, in the 1993 election, Dinkins and Giuliani would face each other again in a re-match and Dinkins would lose to Giuliani in his bid for re-election. Democrats would not win a mayoral election in New York City again until 2013. This was the first of two elections in a row where the incumbent lost re-election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declined

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s)Sample sizeDinkinsGoldinKochStein
Johnson/Singer Inc. [3] Dec. 10, 19881,20434%6%29%17%

Results

1989 New York City Democratic mayoral primary election results map by borough.svg
Results by borough
1989 New York City mayor Democratic primary by State Assembly district.svg
Results by State Assembly district
Dinkins:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%
Koch:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%
Democratic primary results [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic David Dinkins 547,901 50.71%
Democratic Ed Koch (incumbent)456,31342.23%
Democratic Richard Ravitch 47,5344.40%
Democratic Harrison J. Goldin 28,8092.67%
Total votes1,080,557 100.0%

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Results by State Assembly district
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Giuliani
50%-60%
60%-70%
70%-80%
Lauder
50%-60% 1989 New York City mayor Republican primary by State Assembly district.svg
Results by State Assembly district
  Giuliani
  •   50%–60%
  •   60%–70%
  •   70%–80%
  Lauder
  •   50%–60%
Republican primary results [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Rudy Giuliani 77,150 67.02%
Republican Ronald Lauder 37,96032.98%
Total votes115,110 100.0%

General election

Debates

1989 New York City mayoral election debates
No.DateHostModeratorLink Democratic Democratic Right to Life
Key:
 P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited  W  Withdrawn
David Dinkins Rudy Giuliani Henry F. Hewes
1Nov. 1, 1989 El Diario La Prensa
National Hispanic Council on Aging
WADO, WPIX, WXTV
Orlando Garcia C-SPAN PAP
2Nov. 5, 1989 WNBC-TV Gabe Pressman C-SPAN PPP

Candidates

Results

General election results [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic David Dinkins 917,544 50.42% Decrease2.svg27.6
Republican Rudy Giuliani 815,38744.80%Increase2.svg35.7
Liberal Rudy Giuliani 55,0773.02%Decrease2.svg7.1
Total Rudy Giuliani 870,46447.84%N/A
Right to Life Henry F. Hewes 17,4600.96%Decrease2.svg0.3
Conservative Ronald S. Lauder 9,2710.51%Decrease2.svg2.5
New Alliance Lenora Fulani 1,7320.10%Decrease2.svg0.5
Socialist Workers James E. Harris1,6710.09%Decrease2.svg0.06
Libertarian Warren L. Baum1,1180.06%N/A
Total votes1,819,260 100.0%
Democratic hold

References

  1. Roberts, Sam (November 9, 1989). "THE 1989 ELECTIONS: THE NEW YORK VOTE; Almost Lost at the Wire". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  2. "New York City Mayoral Election 1989". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  3. Anekwe, Simon (December 10, 1988). "Poll shows Dinkins can unseat Mayor Ed Koch". The New York Times. p. 1.
  4. "NYC Mayor - D Primary - Our Campaigns".
  5. "NYC Mayor - R Primary - Our Campaigns".
  6. "New York City Mayor - Our Campaigns".