Eric Adams wins race for New York City mayor, 2nd Black leader in city’s history

Other large American cities that held local elections Tuesday saw police and crime become the top issues among voters, with candidates forced to address rising crime rates.

Former police captain Eric Adams cruised to victory Tuesday to become the next mayor of New York as voters across the U.S. picked new city leaders from candidates who were largely defined by their stances on police and crime.

Adams, who will become the second Black mayor of the nation’s largest city, first triumphed this summer in a crowded Democratic primary after he struck a nuanced stance on law enforcement issues. His message on crime and his experience as a police officer largely insulated him from attacks from his Republican opponent Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels anti-crime patrol.

He described being beaten by police officers as a teenager when he was arrested for trespassing. When he later became a cop, he was a vocal critic of the police department, advocated for Black officers and spoke out about injustices. But he did not embrace calls from some progressives to defund the police by shifting money from law enforcement to social work and other programs aimed at addressing the root causes of crime.

Police and crime issues came to the forefront in cities big and small after the death of George Floyd last year led to a national reckoning on racial injustice and law enforcement. The debate centered on questions of when and where police are needed — or sometimes whether they’re needed at all. It also unfolded amid an increase in homicides in the wake of the pandemic.

In some big cities, fear or a desire for a middle-ground approach elevated candidates seen as more supportive of law enforcement or who have rejected liberal calls to defund the police. In Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed, the push for change could upend law enforcement practic es and help decide who leads the city.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, has defended the police department against calls to dismantle it. On Tuesday, he’s fighting to keep his job against 16 challengers, with the most serious contenders running to his left.

Frey’s prospects may be linked to a ballot question that asks voters whether they want to replace the police department with a Department of Public Safety. Frey opposes the change, but his top two challengers support it.

Jacob Neiheisel, an associate professor of political science at the University at Buffalo, said that while local police departments often become an issue in mayor’s races, the issue is broader and looms larger for votes after 2020.