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1989 New York City mayoral election

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1989 New York City mayoral election

← 1985 November 7, 1989 1993 →
 
Candidate David Dinkins Rudy Giuliani
Party Democratic Republican
Alliance Liberal
Popular vote 917,544 870,464
Percentage 50.42% 47.84%

Borough results
Dinkins:      50–60%      60–70%
Giuliani:      50–60%      70–80%

Mayor before election

Ed Koch
Democratic

Elected Mayor

David Dinkins
Democratic

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

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. Four years later, in the 1993 election, Dinkins and Giuliani would face each other again in a re-match and Dinkins would narrowly lose to Giuliani in his bid for re-election.

Democrats would not win a mayoral election in New York City again until 2013.

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Declined

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Polling

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Poll source Date(s) Sample size Dinkins Goldin Koch Stein
Johnson/Singer Inc.[3] Dec. 10, 1988 1,204 34% 6% 29% 17%

Results

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Results by borough:
  Dinkins
  •   50–60%
  Koch
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
Democratic primary results[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Dinkins 547,901 50.71%
Democratic Ed Koch (incumbent) 456,313 42.23%
Democratic Richard Ravitch 47,534 4.40%
Democratic Harrison J. Goldin 28,809 2.67%
Total votes 1,080,557 100.0%

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Results

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Republican primary results[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Rudy Giuliani 77,150 67.02%
Republican Ronald Lauder 37,960 32.98%
Total votes 115,110 100.0%

General election

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Results

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General election results[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic David Dinkins 917,544 50.42% −27.6%
Republican Rudy Giuliani 815,387 44.80% +35.7%
Liberal Rudy Giuliani 55,077 3.02% −7.1%
Total Rudy Giuliani 870,464 47.84% +28.5%
Right to Life Henry F. Hewes 17,460 0.96% −0.3%
Conservative Ronald S. Lauder 9,271 0.51% −2.5%
New Alliance Lenora Fulani 1,732 0.10% −0.5%
Socialist Workers James E. Harris 1,671 0.09% −0.06%
Libertarian Warren L. Baum 1,118 0.06% N/A
Total votes 1,125,258 100.0%
Democratic hold

References

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  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".