There are eight Democratic and two Republican candidates in this race. Most polls indicate Andrew Yang and Eric Adams are the frontrunners, but this could change due to the large number of undecided voters and the possibility that some candidates may drop out and others could surge ahead. There are logical choices for almost every type of voter, including career politicians with political experience (Scott Stringer, Eric Adams), those with strong progressive ideology (Maya Wiley, Dianne Morales), those who’ve run large government organizations (Kathryn Garcia, Shaun Donovan) and those from the private sector (Ray McGuire, Andrew Yang). The two Republican candidates (Curtis Sliwa and Fernando Mateo) are not expected to present meaningful competition in the general election but could provide an interesting debate this fall.
By Frank Quinn and Deborah Rizzi
Democratic candidates
rayformayor.com
Raised by his single mother in Dayton, Ohio, Mr. McGuire overcame childhood poverty to obtain graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard University. He had a 36 year career on Wall Street, the last 13 as head of global corporate and investment banking at Citigroup.
stringerformayor.com
Born and raised in NYC, Mr. Stringer is a graduate of New York City public schools and CUNY, including P.S. 152, John F. Kennedy High School, and John Jay College. He’s spent his career in public service as a NY State Assembly legislative assistant, 13 year State Assembly member, Manhattan Borough President and NYC Comptroller.
kgfornyc.com
As an adopted child of civil servant parents, Ms. Garcia was raised with her 4 multi-racial siblings in Brooklyn and attended NYC public schools. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at Madison she pursued her career with the City of New York, becoming the 43rd Sanitation Commissioner and an interim Chair of NYCHA.
ericadams2021.com
As one of 6 children raised by a single mother, Mr. Adams joined the NYPD and rose to the rank of Captain while also championing police reform as a founding member of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care. He later became a State Senator and was elected Brooklyn Borough President in 2013.
yangforny.com
The son of immigrants from Taiwan, Mr. Yang was raised in Schenectady, New York and attended Brown University and Columbia Law School. He worked in several entreprenurial ventures before joining Manhattan Prep which was eventually sold to Kaplan, Inc. He later founded nonprofit Venture For America to train young professionals working in start-up companies.
dianne.nyc
As a Bed-Stuy native, single mother, Ms. Morales was raised in a NYCHA building and earned a Master of Social Administration from Harvard and a Master of Education Administration from Columbia University. She pursued her career with the NYC Department of Education and has run several non-profit organizations.
shaunfornyc.com
Raised on the upper east side, Mr. Donovan attended the Dalton School and holds undergraduate and masters degrees from Harvard. He pursued his career in government, serving as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing, US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
mayawileyformayor.com
Wiley’s father was a noted civil rights leader and academic. Growing up in Washington D.C., Ms. Wiley earned an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School. She served in the United States Attorney Office, the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union before becoming counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014.
Republican candidates
Curtis Sliwa
sliwaforny.com
Sliwa was born in Canarsie, Brooklyn and graduated from Canarsie High School. In 1977 he created the Magnificent 13 which became the Guardian Angels in 1979, a group dedicated to combating crime that has drawn reactions both positive and negative. He has been a radio broadcaster for three decades, most of that time on WABC-AM.
Fernando Mateo
mateothemayor.com
Mateo was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up on the Lower East Side. He dropped out of high school and started a carpeting business which eventually grew into a multi-million dollar contracting firm. He was appointed president of the NY State Federation of Taxi Drivers and is a spokesman for United Bodegas of America.
