# 2009 New York City mayoral election

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The 2009 election for Mayor of New York City took place on Tuesday, November 3. The incumbent Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, an independent who left the Republican Party in 2008, won reelection 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%. Thompson had won the Democratic primary election on September 15 with 71% of the vote over City Councilman Tony Avella and Roland Rogers. This was the fifth straight mayoral victory by Republican candidates 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 votes, 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.
Prior to the election, the New York City Council had 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. Attempts to put this decision to a popular referendum, to reverse it in the federal courts or to override it with state legislation were unsuccessful.
As of 2025, this is the last mayoral election in which a candidate on the Republican ballot line carried Manhattan or Queens.

## Background

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 Mayor Bloomberg to pursue his announced intention of seeking 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

* 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)

#### Declined

* Richard Parsons, chairman of Citigroup (endorsed Bloomberg)

### Results

Though he had changed his party registration to unaffiliated, Bloomberg was unopposed for the Republican nomination in the party primary.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Tony Avella, member of the New York City Council from Queens
* Roland Rogers
* Bill Thompson, New York City Comptroller since 2002 (Democratic and Working Families)
Jimmy McMillan, also the candidate of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party in both 2005 and 2009, received 23 write-in votes.

#### Withdrew

* Anthony Weiner, U.S. Representative (withdrew on May 28, 2009, endorsed Thompson)

### Campaign

City Comptroller Bill Thompson and Councilman Tony Avella held their first televised debate on Wednesday, August 26, at the New York Public Library. They both directed more fire at Mayor 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," said Thompson, 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." Another debate was held on September 9.

### Results

| 2009 Democratic primary | Manhattan | The Bronx | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Total | % |
| Bill Thompson | 70,881 | 31,950 | 75,519 | 49,063 | 7,484 | 234,897 | 71.0% |
| Bill Thompson | 73.7% | 73.5% | 73.9% | 63.2% | 67.0% | 234,897 | 71.0% |
| Tony Avella | 18,213 | 7,754 | 17,945 | 22,903 | 2,959 | 69,774 | 21.1% |
| Tony Avella | 18.9% | 17.8% | 17.6% | 29.5% | 26.5% | 69,774 | 21.1% |
| Roland Rogers | 6,975 | 3,751 | 8,612 | 5,553 | 700 | 25,591 | 7.7% |
| Roland Rogers | 7.3% | 8.6% | 8.4% | 7.2% | 6.3% | 25,591 | 7.7% |
| all write-in votes | 127 | 10 | 153 | 81 | 26 | 397 | 0.1% |
| all write-in votes | 0.1% | 0.02% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 397 | 0.1% |
| T O T A L | 96,196 | 43,465 | 102,229 | 77,600 | 11,169 | 330,659 | |
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)
* Stephen Christopher, pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Park Slope
* Joseph Dobrian, journalist and talk show host (Libertarian)
* Tyrrell Eiland, architect (New Voice)
* Dan Fein, candidate for Comptroller in 2005 (Socialist Workers)
* John M. Finan, businessman and Libertarian Party candidate for president in 2008 (Independent)
* Jimmy McMillan, war veteran and candidate for mayor in 2005 (Rent is 2 Damn High)
* Jonny Porkpie, burlesque performer (Independent)
* Billy Talen, reverend (Green)
* Bill Thompson, New York City Comptroller since 2002 (Democratic and Working Families)
* Frances Villar, Lehman College student activist (Socialism and Liberation)

#### Withdrew

* Robert Burck, street performer known as the Naked Cowboy (withdrew September 2009)

### Debates

2009 New York City mayoral election debates :
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Independent | Democratic |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | | |
| Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Key: P Participant  A Absent  N Not invited  I Invited W Withdrawn | Michael Bloomberg | Bill Thompson |
| 1 | Oct. 13, 2009 | Citizens Union New York One New York One Noticias New York Daily News New York City Campaign Finance Board WNYC-FM | Dominic Carter | YouTube | P | P |
| 2 | Oct. 27, 2009 | 1010 WINS League of Women Voters of New York City New York City Campaign Finance Board Univision WABC-TV | Bill Ritter | YouTube | P | P |

### Endorsements

In the final weeks of the campaign, Mayor Bloomberg was endorsed "enthusiastically" by the New York Times, which – while acknowledging Bill Thompson as a "worthy opponent" – praised Bloomberg for handling city matters "astonishingly well". Most other local newspapers had preceded the Times in endorsing the mayor, 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:
   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?

### Polling
#### Post-primary match-up

| Source | Date | Bloomberg (ind.-R-Indep'ce) | Thompson (D-Working Families) | Christopher (Conservative) |
| Nov. 3 results | November 24, 2009 | 50.7% | 46.3% | 1.6% |
| SurveyUSA | October 30, 2009 | 53% | 42% | |
| Marist | October 30, 2009 | 53% | 38% | |
| Quinnipiac | October 26, 2009 | 53% | 35% | 3% |
| SurveyUSA | October 19, 2009 | 53% | 41% | |
| SurveyUSA | October 12, 2009 | 55% | 38% | |
| Daily News | October 6, 2009 | 51% | 43% |
| Quinnipiac | September 24, 2009 | 52% | 36% | 2% |
| Marist | September 17, 2009 | 52% | 43% | |
| Quinnipiac | August 26, 2009 | 50% | 35% | |
| Quinnipiac | July 21, 2009 | 47% | 37% | |
| Marist | June 29, 2009 | 48% | 35% | |
| Quinnipiac | June 9, 2009 | 54% | 32% | |
| NY1 | May 12, 2009 | 47% | 31% | |
| Marist | May 5, 2009 | 51% | 33% | |
| Quinnipiac | March 17, 2009 | 49% | 35% | |
| Quinnipiac | February 17, 2009 | 50% | 33% | |
| Quinnipiac | January 20, 2009 | 50% | 34% | |
| NY1 | January 20, 2009 | 45% | 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 rating |
| Quinnipiac | 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 Mayor |
| Marist Poll | July 8, 2009 | 44% | 51% |

### Results

| 2009 general election | party | Manhattan | The Bronx | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Total | % |
| Bloomberg's margin over Mark Green (2001) | Bloomberg's margin over Mark Green (2001) | – 22,777 | – 21,683 | – 28,182 | + 46,904 | + 61,227 | + 35,489 | + 2.4% |
| change in Bloomberg's margin of victory, 2001–2005 | change in Bloomberg's margin of victory, 2001–2005 | + 98,973 | – 19,634 | + 97,622 | + 48,125 | – 10,705 | + 214,381 | + 17.0% |
| Bloomberg's margin over Fernando Ferrer (2005) | Bloomberg's margin over Fernando Ferrer (2005) | + 76,196 | – 41,317 | + 69,440 | + 95,029 | + 50,522 | + 249,870 | + 19.4% |
| change in Bloomberg's margin of victory, 2005–2009 | change in Bloomberg's margin of victory, 2005–2009 | – 35,010 | + 6,268 | – 91,392 | – 59,742 | – 19,397 | – 199,273 | – 15.0% |
| Bloomberg's margin over Bill Thompson (2009) | Bloomberg's margin over Bill Thompson (2009) | + 41,186 | – 35,049 | – 21,952 | + 35,287 | + 31,125 | + 50,597 | + 4.4% |
| net change in Bloomberg's margin, 2001–2009 | net change in Bloomberg's margin, 2001–2009 | + 63,963 | – 13,366 | + 6,230 | – 11,617 | – 30,102 | + 15,108 | + 2.0% |
| Michael R. Bloomberg | Republican | 102,903 | 42,066 | 117,706 | 126,569 | 46,149 | 435,393 | 37.7% |
| Michael R. Bloomberg | Republican | 35.9% | 29.0% | 34.6% | 42.3% | 55.4% | 435,393 | 37.7% |
| Michael R. Bloomberg | Independence/Jobs & Education | 56,934 | 11,730 | 36,033 | 36,364 | 9,012 | 150,073 | 13.0% |
| Michael R. Bloomberg | Independence/Jobs & Education | 19.9% | 8.1% | 10.6% | 12.2% | 10.8% | 150,073 | 13.0% |
| Michael R. Bloomberg | Total | 159,837 | 53,796 | 153,739 | 162,933 | 55,161 | 585,466 | 50.7% |
| Michael R. Bloomberg | Total | 55.8% | 37.0% | 45.1% | 54.5% | 66.2% | 585,466 | 50.7% |
| Bill Thompson | Democratic | 110,975 | 86,899 | 163,230 | 122,935 | 22,956 | 506,995 | 43.9% |
| Bill Thompson | Democratic | 38.7% | 59.8% | 47.9% | 41.1% | 27.5% | 506,995 | 43.9% |
| Bill Thompson | Working Families Party | 7,676 | 1,946 | 12,461 | 4,711 | 1,080 | 27,874 | 2.4% |
| Bill Thompson | Working Families Party | 2.7% | 1.3% | 3.7% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 27,874 | 2.4% |
| Bill Thompson | Total | 118,651 | 88,845 | 175,691 | 127,646 | 24,036 | 534,869 | 46.3% |
| Bill Thompson | Total | 41.4% | 61.2% | 51.6% | 42.7% | 28.8% | 534,869 | 46.3% |
| Stephen Christopher | Conservative | 2,217 | 1,480 | 5,690 | 5,267 | 3,359 | 18,013 | 1.6% |
| Stephen Christopher | Conservative | 0.8% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 1.8% | 4.0% | 18,013 | 1.6% |
| Billy Talen | Green | 3,083 | 434 | 3,338 | 1,680 | 367 | 8,902 | 0.8% |
| Billy Talen | Green | 1.1% | 0.3% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 8,902 | 0.8% |
| Jimmy McMillan | Rent Is Too High | 823 | 217 | 764 | 404 | 124 | 2,332 | 0.2% |
| Francisca Villar | Socialism & Liberation | 674 | 253 | 577 | 420 | 72 | 1,996 | 0.2% |
| Joseph Dobrian | Libertarian | 556 | 104 | 413 | 388 | 155 | 1,616 | 0.1% |
| Dan Fein | Socialist Workers | 493 | 120 | 376 | 263 | 59 | 1,311 | 0.1% |
| Joseph Leon Reuben-Levy Simon | Twenty-Four Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Write-ins † | Write-ins † | 100 | 30 | 77 | 60 | 30 | 297 | .03% |
| Total recorded votes | Total recorded votes | 286,434 | 145,279 | 340,665 | 299,061 | 83,363 | 1,154,802 | 100.00% |
| unrecorded ballots | unrecorded ballots | 5,172 | 3,659 | 6,645 | 6,254 | 1,525 | 23,255 | |
| Total ballots cast | Total ballots cast | 291,606 | 148,938 | 347,310 | 305,315 | 84,888 | 1,178,057 | |
| †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 Archived 2010-01-06 at the Wayback Machine, November 24, 2009 |||||||||