2009 New York City mayoral election

none January 2025 September 2023 2009 New York City mayoral election New York City presidential 2005 New York City mayoral election 2005 2013 New York City mayoral election 2013 November 3, 2009 File:Mayor Michael Bloomberg (cropped).jpg Michael Bloomberg Independent politician 585,466 50.7% File:Alg thompson recropped 1-Oct-2009 (cropped).png Bill Thompson Democratic Party (United States) 534,869 46.3% 250px Borough results 250px State assembly results 1 Bloomberg: #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #c21b18 80–90%Thompson: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% Mayor Michael Bloomberg Independent (United States) Michael Bloomberg Independent (United States) 1,154,80228.19% (5.15 pp) 4,095,561 RepublicanIndependence Working Families 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 2007, 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%.Board of Elections in the City of New York, Statement and Return Report for Certification General Election 2009 – 11/03/2009 Crossover – All Parties and Independent Bodies Mayor Citywide (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20091229020851/http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/results/2009/General/1.11CitywideMayorRecap.pdf 2009-12-29 , November 24, 2009, retrieved on November 27, 2009. Thompson had won the Democratic primary election on September 15 with 71% of the vote, over City Councilman Tony Avella and Roland Rogers.Board of Elections in the City of New York https://web.archive.org/web/20100106085915/http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/results.html 2010-01-06, Statement and Return Report for Certification Primary Election 2009 – 09/15/2009 Crossover – Democratic Party Democratic Mayor Citywide (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20101121234233/http://vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/results/2009/Primary/1.1CrossoverDemMayorRecap.pdf 2010-11-21, September 25–26, 2009, retrieved on October 21, 2009. 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.Sewell Chan and Jonathan P. Hicks, Council Votes, 29 to 22, to Extend Term Limits, The New York Times, published on-line and retrieved on October 23, 2008. Attempts to put this decision to a popular referendum, to reverse it in the federal courts,Fernanda Santos: 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), Judge Rejects Suit Over Term Limits, The New York Times, New York edition, January 14, 2009, page A26, and 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). or to override it with state legislation were unsuccessful. Background New York City mayoral elections Mayoralty of Michael Bloomberg Bill Thompson (New York politician) 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)Seifman David GOPER DROPS OUT OF MAYORAL RUN https://nypost.com/2009/01/07/goper-drops-out-of-mayoral-run/ New York Post 22 March 2025 7 January 2009 Declined Richard Parsons, chairman of Citigroup (endorsed Bloomberg)Goldstein Andrew Stop Parsing Parsons: I'm No Mayor https://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/49290/ New York 22 March 2025 18 February 2009 Results Though he had changed his party registration to unaffiliated, Bloomberg was unopposed for the Republican nomination in the party primary.The New York Post, New York – Summary Vote Results Mayor-NYC – Citywide – Dem Primary https://web.archive.org/web/20110714220140/http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/files/elections/2009/by_state/NY_Mayor-NYC_0915.html?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=POLITICS 2011-07-14, published and retrieved on September 16, 2009.Emily S. Rebb, "Seven Others Striving to Win the Mayor's Job", The New York Times, published on line October 13, 2009, retrieved October 14, 2009. Democratic primary Candidates Tony Avella, member of the New York City Council from QueensElections Board in the City of New York: The Contest List, Primary Election 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20091007040633/http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/documents/boe/2009PrimaryElection/CandidacyList.pdf 2009-10-07, as published and retrieved on July 28, 2009.Tony Avella for Mayor Roland Rogers Bill Thompson, New York City comptroller since 2002 (Democratic and Working Families)New Yorkers for Bill Thompson http://www.friendsofbillthompson.org/ usurped https://web.archive.org/web/20090207131847/http://www.friendsofbillthompson.org/ 2009-02-07 2009-02-18New York - Working Families en-US Working Families http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org 2016-10-06 Withdrew Anthony Weiner, U.S. representative (withdrew on May 28, 2009) (endorsed Thompson)November 2025 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."Adam Lisberg, "Debaters take aim at Mike", New York Daily News, Thursday, August 27, 2009, page 17, and "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. Another debate was held on September 9.Barbaro Michael 2009-09-10 In Mayoral Debate, Heated Words (and Some Gaffes) A38 The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/nyregion/10mayor.html September 16, 2009 + 2009 New York City mayoral election Democratic primary debates No. Number Date Host Moderator Link Democratic DemocraticKey:black #90ff90  P  Participant  black #FFFFDD  A  Absent  black #ff9090  N  Not invited  black #CCFFCC  I  Invited #f0e68c W Withdrawn Tony Avella Bill Thompson1 Aug. 26, 2009 Citizens Union, New York OneNew York One NoticiasNew York Daily NewsNew York City Campaign Finance BoardTime Warner Cable, and WNYC-FM Dominic Carter YouTube P P2 Sep. 9, 2009 1010 WINSLeague of Women Voters of New York CityNew York City Campaign Finance BoardUnivision, and WABC-TV Bill Ritter YouTube P P Results thumb|center|Results by state assembly district #86B6F2 Thompson #B9D7FF 40%–50% #86B6F2 50%–60% #4389E3 60%–70% #1666CB 70%–80% #0645B4 80%–90% #73D873 Avella #42CA42 60%–70% 2009 Democratic primaryManhattanThe BronxBrooklynQueens Staten IslandTotal% Bill Thompson70,88131,95075,51949,0637,484234,89771.0% 73.7%73.5%73.9%63.2%67.0%Tony Avella18,2137,75417,94522,9032,95969,77421.1% 18.9%17.8%17.6%29.5%26.5%Roland Rogers6,9753,7518,6125,55370025,5917.7% 7.3%8.6%8.4%7.2%6.3%All write-in votes1271015381263970.1% 0.1%0.02%0.1%0.1%0.2%Total96,19643,465102,22977,60011,169330,659  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)Santos Fernanda April 5, 2009 Bloomberg Is Endorsed by Independence Party The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/nyregion/06endorse.html 2016-10-06 0362-4331New York - Working Families en-US Working Families http://www.workingfamiliesparty.com dead 2016-10-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20140102135817/http://workingfamiliesparty.com/ 2014-01-02"Mike Working Key Labor Party", New York Daily News, April 13, 2009, retrieved April 2009.April 11, 2009 Bloomberg will run as Republican in bid for third term Daily News New York http://www.nydailynews.com/news/mayor-michael-bloomberg-run-republican-bid-term-article-1.360446 Stephen Christopher, pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Park Slope Joseph Dobrian, journalist and talk show host (Libertarian)Our Campaigns - NYC Mayor - LBT Convention Race - Apr 09, 2013 http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=513924 2016-10-06 www.ourcampaigns.com Tyrrell Eiland, architect (New Voice)February 20, 2009 Westchester Native Tyrrell Eiland Makes Run for NYC Mayor http://www.risingmediagroup.com/images/web%20pdfs/2-20westchester_crusader.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20090324235311/http://www.risingmediagroup.com/images/web%20pdfs/2-20westchester_crusader.pdf March 24, 2009 The Westchester Crusader Dan Fein, candidate for comptroller in 2005 (Socialist Workers)Board of Elections in the City of New York 2005 General Election official results https://web.archive.org/web/20091122151212/http://vote.nyc.ny.us/pdf/results/2005/general/Manhattan/Croossover%20Mayor%20Re-Cap%20NYC.pdf 2009-11-22Our Campaigns - Candidate - Daniel B. Fein http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=63040 2016-10-06 www.ourcampaigns.comThe Militant - March 9, 2009 -- SWP mayoral candidate: 'Oppose New York cuts' http://www.themilitant.com/2009/7309/730954.html 2016-10-06 www.themilitant.com John M. Finan, businessman and Libertarian Party candidate for president in 2008 (Independent)Index of / http://www.JohnMFinan.com 2016-10-06 www.johnmfinan.com Jimmy McMillan, war veteran and candidate for mayor in 2005 (Rent is 2 Damn High)McMillan 09 http://rentistoodamnhigh.org/id23.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080503051646/http://www.rentistoodamnhigh.org/id23.html May 3, 2008 Jonny Porkpie, burlesque performer (Independent)Jonny Porkpie Lives in Mary Carey's Shadow https://web.archive.org/web/20090809054123/http://www.nypress.com/blog-4786-jonny-porkie-lives-in-mary-careys-shadow.html 2009-08-09. New York Press (August 6, 2009).JonnyPorkpie.comJonnie Porkpie, New York's "Mayor of Burlesque," Wants To Be New York's "Mayor of New York" https://web.archive.org/web/20110721135008/http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2009/08/05/jonnie-porkpie-new-yorks-mayor-of-burlesque-wants-to-be-new-yorks-mayor-of-new-york July 21, 2011 . The L Magazine (August 6, 2009). Billy Talen, reverend (Green)Reverend Billy Announces NYC Green Party Mayoral Bid – Hosannah! Say 'Church of Life After Shopping' Supporters Bill Thompson, New York City comptroller since 2002 (Democratic and Working Families) Frances Villar, Lehman College student activist (Socialism and Liberation)Frances Villar campaign web site http://www.votepsl.org/ dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080522123922/http://www.votepsl.org/ 2008-05-22 2020-05-21 Withdrew Robert Burck, street performer known as the Naked Cowboyhttps://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).Naked Cowboy for Mayor http://www.nakedcowboyformayor.com/?page_id=25 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090724013631/http://www.nakedcowboyformayor.com/?page_id=25 July 24, 2009 July 22, 2009 (withdrew September 2009)Naked Cowboy Suspends Mayoral Campaign http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/09/naked_cowboy_su.php dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090912060629/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/09/naked_cowboy_su.php 2009-09-12 2009-09-08 Debates + 2009 New York City mayoral election debates No. Number Date Host Moderator Link Independent DemocraticKey:black #90ff90  P  Participant  black #FFFFDD  A  Absent  black #ff9090  N  Not invited  black #CCFFCC  I  Invited #f0e68c W Withdrawn Michael Bloomberg Bill Thompson1Chan Sewell Barbaro Michael Bloomberg and Thompson Spar in First Mayoral Debate https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/bloomberg-and-thompson-spar-in-first-mayoral-debate/ The New York Times 27 December 2024 13 October 2009 Oct. 13, 2009 Citizens Union, New York OneNew York One NoticiasNew York Daily NewsNew York City Campaign Finance BoardWNYC-FM Dominic Carter YouTube P P2 Oct. 27, 2009 1010 WINSLeague of Women Voters of New York CityNew York City Campaign Finance BoardUnivision, and WABC-TV Bill Ritter YouTube P P 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"."For Mayor of New York City". New York Times. Editorial (NYC, NY). October 23, 2009. Most other local newspapers had preceded the Times in endorsing the mayor,Katz, Celeste. "Thompson 2; Bloomberg, 24". New York Daily News. (NYC, NY). September 3, 2009. 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:Hertzberg, Hendrik. "Biggus Buckus". The New Yorker. (NYC, NY). November 9, 2009. The Mayor has ruled us well, but he has infantilized us. We are a little too much like Romans of Crassus' day, when the institutions of the old republic were giving way to a despotic (and competent) imperium.... If Bloomberg had been satisfied with two terms, he would be leaving office a beloved legend, a municipal god. He'll get his third, but we'll give it to him sullenly... The Pax Bloombergiana will endure a while longer. But then what? Will we have forgotten how to govern ourselves? Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker Polling Post-primary match-up Source Date Bloomberg(ind.-R-Indep'ce) Thompson (D-Working Families) Christopher(Conservative)Nov. 3 resultsNovember 24, 2009 50.7% 46.3% 1.6%SurveyUSASurveyUSA October 30, 2009 53% 42%  MaristMarist October 30, 2009 53% 38%  QuinnipiacQuinnipiacOctober 26, 2009 53% 35% 3%SurveyUSASurveyUSAOctober 19, 2009 53% 41%  SurveyUSASurveyUSAOctober 12, 2009 55% 38%  Daily NewsDaily NewsOctober 6, 2009 51% 43%QuinnipiacQuinnipiacSeptember 24, 2009 52% 36% 2%MaristMaristSeptember 17, 2009 52% 43%  QuinnipiacQuinnipiacAugust 26, 200950%35%QuinnipiacQuinnipiacJuly 21, 200947%37%Maristhttps://archive.today/20130131133522/http://www.pollster.com/blogs/nyc_2009_mayor_marist_62971.php MaristJune 29, 200948%35%QuinnipiacQuinnipiacJune 9, 200954%32%NY1https://archive.today/20130130031934/http://www.ny1.com/Default.aspx?ArID=99357 NY1 May 12, 200947%31%Maristhttps://archive.today/20130131140621/http://www.pollster.com/blogs/nyc_2009_mayor_marist557.php MaristMay 5, 200951%33%QuinnipiacQuinnipiacMarch 17, 200949%35%QuinnipiacQuinnipiacFebruary 17, 200950%33%QuinnipiacQuinnipiacJanuary 20, 200950%34%NY1NY1January 20, 200945%32% Bloomberg vs. Avella Source Date Bloomberg (ind) Avella (D)Quinnipiac July 21, 2009 51% 28%Marist June 29, 2009 53% 29%Quinnipiac June 9, 2009 57% 27%Marist May 5, 2009 52% 27% Bloomberg approval ratings Source Date Approval rating Disapproval ratingQuinnipiac July 21, 2009 63% 29%Quinnipiac July 9, 2009 66% 27%Marist June 29, 2009 58% 40% Source Date Bloomberg Deserves Reelection Time for a New MayorMarist PollMarist Poll https://web.archive.org/web/20090711112407/http://maristpoll.marist.edu/78-majority-says-elect-new-mayor%E2%80%A6but-even-more-think-bloomberg-will-win-third-term/ July 11, 2009 July 8, 2009 44% 51% Results New York City mayoral general election, 2009 Michael Bloomberg Republican Party (United States) 435,393 37.70 Michael Bloomberg Independence/Jobs & Education Party 150,073 12.99 Michael Bloomberg (incumbent) Total 585,466 50.69 Bill Thompson Democratic Party (United States) 506,995 43.90 Bill Thompson Working Families Party 27,874 2.41 Bill Thompson Total 534,869 46.32 Conservative Party of New York State Stephen Christopher 18,013 1.56 Green Party (United States) Billy Talen 8,902 0.77 Rent Is Too Damn High Party Jimmy McMillan 2,332 0.20 Party for Socialism and Liberation Francisca Villar 1,996 0.17 Libertarian Party (US) Joseph Dobrian 1,616 0.14 Socialist Workers Party (United States) Dan Fein 1,311 0.11 297 0.03 1,154,802 98.03 23,255 1.97 1,178,057 100.0 Independent politician By borough CandidatePartyManhattanThe BronxBrooklynQueens Staten IslandTotal%Michael R. BloombergRepublican102,903 42,066 117,706 126,569 46,149 435,39337.7% 35.9%29.0%34.6%42.3%55.4%Independence/Jobs & Education56,934 11,730 36,033 36,364 9,012 150,073 13.0% 19.9% 8.1%10.6%12.2%10.8% Total159,837 53,796 153,739 162,933 55,161 585,466 50.7%55.8%37.0%45.1%54.5%66.2% Bill ThompsonDemocratic110,975 86,899 163,230 122,935 22,956 506,995 43.9%38.7% 59.8% 47.9% 41.1% 27.5%Working Families Party 7,676 1,946 12,461 4,711 1,080 27,874 2.4% 2.7%1.3%3.7%1.6%1.3% Total118,651 88,845 175,691 127,646 24,036 534,86946.3%41.4%61.2%51.6%42.7%28.8% Stephen ChristopherConservative2,2171,4805,6905,267 3,35918,013 1.6%0.8% 1.0%1.7%1.8%4.0% Billy Talen Green3,083 4343,3381,6803678,902 0.8%1.1% 0.3%1.0%0.6%0.4% Jimmy McMillanRent Is Too High8232177644041242,3320.2% Francisca VillarSocialism & Liberation674 253 577 420 72 1,9960.2% Joseph Dobrian Libertarian556 1044133881551,6160.1% Dan Fein Socialist Workers493 120376263591,3110.1%Write-ins †10030776030297.03% Total recorded votes286,434145,279 340,665 299,06183,3631,154,802100.00% unrecorded ballots5,1723,6596,6456,2541,525 23,255 Total ballots cast291,606148,938347,310305,31584,8881,178,057†The three candidates who received more than 7 write-in votes each were C. Montgomery Burns (Homer Simpson's fictional boss), 27; City Councilman Tony Avella (who lost the Democratic mayoral primary), 13; and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (Republican), 11.Source: Board of Elections in the City of New York https://web.archive.org/web/20100106085915/http://www.vote.nyc.ny.us/results.html 2010-01-06 , November 24, 2009 See also 2009 New York City Public Advocate election 2009 New York City Comptroller election 2013 New York City mayoral election 2005 New York City mayoral election 2001 New York City mayoral election New York City mayoral elections References 30em External links 2009 New York City Mayor General Election: William Thompson (D) vs Mayor Michael Bloomberg (i) chart of aggregated poll results from Pollster.com 2009 New York City mayoral New York City mayoral New York Category:Michael Bloomberg Category:November 2009 in the United States