# 1965 New York City mayoral election

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vte :
The 1965 New York City mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 2, 1965, with Republican Congressman John Lindsay winning a close plurality victory over the Democratic candidate, New York City Comptroller Abraham Beame.
Lindsay received 44.99% of the vote to Beame's 40.98%, a victory margin of 4.01%. Finishing in a distant third was the candidate of the recently formed Conservative Party, conservative author and commentator William F. Buckley Jr., who received 13.36% of the vote. Lindsay and Beame received the Liberal and Civil Service ballot line respectively. Lindsay won a decisive majority in Manhattan, while winning comfortable plurality victories in Queens and Staten Island. Beame won pluralities in the Bronx and Brooklyn. This was the first time since 1941, and the last time until 1993, that Republicans won a mayoral election in New York City.

## Background

In 1961, mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. was re-elected to a third consecutive term. Wagner was generally popular in the city and had a reputation for integrity as an opponent of Tammany Hall.
Nevertheless, popular Republican Congressman John Lindsay from the Upper East Side began to explore a run for mayor. In 1963, he told the New York Herald Tribune editorial board he would consider a campaign for mayor, adding, "Washington, compared to New York City, is a very shallow place. It's got politics, endless white marble, and some very good museums. Beyond that it has very little." Lindsay won a landslide re-election in 1964 despite his party's own defeat at the national and state level. In a January 1965 speech to the Executives Club of Chicago titled, "The Republican Challenge," Lindsay outlined his belief that Republicans needed to "recapture the center" and could not ignore American cities "where 70 percent of the vote is found. How can Republicans as the best pragmatists of all ignore this area?"
Lindsay's efforts were aided by media attention on the issue of urban neglect, led by Jock Whitney, owner of the Herald Tribune and one of Lindsay's top campaign funders. As early as 1963, Whitney and publisher Walter Thayer had sought to use the paper to support a reform candidate for mayor. Though other pieces on declining quality of life in the city were published by Look and Richard J. Whalen, the Herald Tribune led with a multi-part, pessimistic series on New York City drug use, pollution, welfare, healthcare, one-party rule, capital and white flight, crime, and bureaucratic inefficiencies. Lindsay later admitted the editorial series provided a raison d'etre for his campaign, and when Wagner ultimately chose not to run for an expected fourth term, the Herald Tribune staff claimed credit.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Abraham Beame, New York City Comptroller
* Paul O'Dwyer, member of the City Council from Manhattan at-large
* Paul R. Screvane, President of the New York City Council
* William Fitts Ryan, U.S. Representative from the Upper West Side

#### Withdrew

* Frank D. O'Connor, Queens County District Attorney (ran for Council President)

#### Declined

* Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr., chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and former U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce
* Robert F. Wagner Jr., incumbent mayor since 1954 (declined June 10)

### Campaign

On June 10, 1965, mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. announced that he would not run for reelection. Paul R. Screvane, the president of the city council, was favored by Wagner.

### Results

1965 New York City Democratic primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Abraham Beame | 336,345 | 44.84% |
| | Democratic | Paul R. Screvane | 271,381 | 36.18% |
| | Democratic | William Fitts Ryan | 113,738 | 15.16% |
| | Democratic | Paul O'Dwyer | 28,675 | 3.82% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 750,139 | 100.00% |

#### Results by borough

1965 Democratic primary :
| | Manhattan | The Bronx | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Total |
| Abraham D. Beame | 53,386 | 66,064 | 128,146 | 82,601 | 6,148 | 336,345 |
| Paul R. Screvane | 66,444 | 54,260 | 79,485 | 63,680 | 7,512 | 271,381 |
| William F. Ryan | 48,744 | 16,632 | 24,588 | 22,570 | 1,204 | 113,738 |
| Paul O'Dwyer | 6,771 | 5,976 | 8,332 | 6,895 | 697 | 28,675 |
| | | | | | | 750,139 |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* John Lindsay, U.S. Representative from the Upper East Side of Manhattan

#### Declined

* Jacob Javits, U.S. Senator since 1957

## Liberal nomination

The Liberals viewed Screvane as uninspiring, Beame was a member of a Brooklyn political machine, Frank D. O'Connor was a conservative ally, and O'Dwyer was the brother of the party's old political enemy William O'Dwyer. Members of the party liked Ryan, but viewed him as unlikely to win the Democratic nomination.
Alex Rose considered having the party nominate Lindsay even before Wagner's withdraw. Rose met with Robert Price and Price said that Rose agreed to support Lindsay in exchange for one-third of the mayoral appointments, money for the Liberal campaign, and a citywide Liberal candidate. Lindsay accepted the demand, but was upset with how unethical Price was.
Luigi Antonini opposed giving the party's nomination to a Republican, stating that it would hurt the Democrats nationally and split progressives. The convention voted 800 to 50 to endorse Lindsay. Timothy Costello, the chair of the Liberal Party, and Milton Mollen received the Liberal and Republican nominations for city council president and comptroller.

## General election
### Candidates

* Vito Battista, perennial candidate (United Taxpayers)
* Abraham Beame, New York City Comptroller (Democratic and Civil Service)
* William F. Buckley Jr., author and columnist (Conservative)
* Clifton DeBerry, activist and candidate for President of the United States in 1964 (Socialist Workers)
* Eric Haas, perennial candidate (Socialist Labor)
* John Lindsay, U.S. Representative from the Upper East Side (Republican, Liberal and Independent)

### Campaign

The Liberals pressured President Lyndon B. Johnson to not become involved in the election and David Dubinsky wrote to him about how the American Labor Party endorsed both Democratic Franklin D. Roosevelt and Republican Fiorello La Guardia. Vice President Hubert Humphrey and U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy campaigned for Beame, but Johnson only gave him a late endorsement.
The Liberals spent $300,000 during the campaign.

### Endorsements

Federal officials
* Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States
Notable individuals
* Ed Koch, Greenwich Village Democratic leader

### Results

The number of votes Lindsay received on the Liberal ballot line was greater than his margin of victory.
Almost a quarter of Lindsay's vote (281,796) was on the Liberal Party ticket, while 63,590 of Beame's votes were on the Civil Service ticket.
1969 New York City mayoral election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | John Lindsay | | % | |
| | Liberal | John Lindsay | 281,796 | 11.03% | 2.32 |
| | Independent | John Lindsay | | % | |
| | Total | John Lindsay | 1,149,106 | 44.99% | N/A |
| | Democratic | Abraham Beame | 983,109 | 38.49% | 1.11 |
| | Civil Service | Abraham Beame | 63,590 | 2.49% | N/A |
| | Total | Abraham Beame | 1,046,699 | 40.98% | N/A |
| | Conservative | William F. Buckley | 341,226 | 13.36% | N/A |
| | United Taxpayers | Vito Battista | 11,104 | 0.43% | 0.39 |
| | Socialist Workers | Clifton DeBerry | 3,977 | 0.16% | 0.13 |
| | Socialist Labor | Eric Haas | 2,087 | 0.08% | 0.06 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,554,199 | 100.00% | |

#### Results by borough

Lindsay carried Manhattan, Queens, and traditionally Republican Staten Island, while Beame carried The Bronx and his home borough of Brooklyn, both of which he had also won in the Democratic primary. However, while Beame had also carried Queens in the primary, he lost it to Lindsay in the general election.
| 1965 General Election | party | Manhattan | The Bronx | Brooklyn | Queens | Richmond [Staten Is.] | Total | % |
| John V. Lindsay | Republican - Liberal - Independent Citizens | 291,326 | 181,072 | 308,398 | 331,162 | 37,148 | 1,149,106 | 45.0% |
| John V. Lindsay | Republican - Liberal - Independent Citizens | 55.8% | 39.5% | 40.0% | 47.1% | 45.8% | 1,149,106 | 45.0% |
| Abraham Beame | Democratic - Civil Service Fusion | 193,230 | 213,980 | 365,360 | 250,662 | 23,467 | 1,046,699 | 41.0% |
| Abraham Beame | Democratic - Civil Service Fusion | 37.0% | 46.6% | 47.4% | 35.6% | 28.9% | 1,046,699 | 41.0% |
| William F. Buckley, Jr. | Conservative | 37,694 | 63,858 | 97,679 | 121,544 | 20,451 | 341,226 | 13.4% |
| William F. Buckley, Jr. | Conservative | 7.2% | 13.9% | 12.7% | 17.3% | 25.2% | 341,226 | 13.4% |
| subtotal | subtotal | 522,250 | 458,910 | 771,437 | 703,368 | 81,066 | 2,537,031 | 99.4% |
| others | others | | | | | | 17,168 | 0.6% |
| T O T A L | T O T A L | | | | | | 2,554,199 | |