In 1977, Koch won the Democratic primary in the New York City mayoral election, defeating Bella Abzug, Mario Cuomo, and incumbent Abe Beame, among others. Koch ran to the right of the other candidates on a "law and order" platform. According to historian Jonathan Mahler, the New York City blackout of 1977 that happened in July, and the subsequent rioting, helped catapult Koch and his message of restoring public safety to front-runner status.