De Blasio Wins Second Term As New York City Mayor
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio was projected as the winner Tuesday night for a second term as the chief executive of New York City.
"You wanted four more years? You got four more years," de Blasio told supporters in his victory speech Tuesday night.
With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, de Blasio had 66 percent of the vote, compared with 28 percent for his Republican challenger, state Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis.
De Blasio took the stage to the pounding John Legend song, "Our Generation."
He said when he first ran for mayor four years ago, he called for "fundamental change in this city." But he said he and his supporters faced what he called "a cacophony of doubt and cynicism" – and some were even concerned that the city would go to the "bad old days" and there would be "chaos."
"Well, they were wrong," the mayor said. "We proved that we could make our city safer. We proved that we could make our schools better. We proved that we could make our economy stronger. We did this together, and we took on some very powerful forces when we did it."
De Blasio said there is still a lot of work to be done, and his mission in his second term would be to make sure New Yorkers no longer feel the deck is stacked against them.
"We've got to become a fairer city, and we've got to do it soon. We've got to do it fast," he said.
He added, "You saw some important changes in the last four years, but you ain't seen nothin' yet."
Noting his achievement on securing pre-kindergarten for New Yorkers, de Blasio touted his plan for 3-K – in which every 3-year-old would get early childhood education for free.
"It's never been done before, but it's going to be done here," de Blasio said. He said the goal is to make sure every child reads on grade level by the third grade.
The mayor also touted his call instead for a millionaires' tax to fund improvements in the struggling subway system and his plan to create 100,000 good-paying jobs for residents of the five boroughs.
He also noted a plan for all NYPD patrol officers to begin wearing body cameras in the next two years.
De Blasio also said New York City would stand up to the policies of the Trump administration in Washington, as he celebrated other Democratic victories Tuesday night.
"I bring you glad tidings of joy this evening, because America got a little fairer tonight. America got a little bluer tonight," de Blasio said.
Democrat Phil Murphy won the race for governor in New Jersey Tuesday, while Democrat Ralph Northam won the gubernatorial race in Virginia.
"Let's cheer so they can hear us in New Jersey. Let's cheer so they can hear us in Virginia," de Blasio said. "And tonight, New York City sent a message to the White House as well. The message was this – you can't take on New York values and win, Mr. President."
ELECTION RESULTS: New York | New Jersey
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De Blasio also noted the significance of being the first Democrat to win re-election as mayor of New York City since Ed Koch – who served from 1978 to 1989 and was last reelected 32 years ago.
"This is the beginning of a new era for progressive Democratic leadership in New York City for years and years to come," de Blasio said.
For the four years to come, the mayor said his focus would be making New York City into the fairest city in America.
A major component of the plan, he said, is to make sure people can afford the city – with "the biggest affordable housing plan anywhere in the country," the strongest laws to require affordable housing, and free lawyers to anyone faced with eviction."
He also said he wanted to see "everyone's paycheck get a little bigger, and then a little bigger and then a little bigger."
Making it easier for New Yorkers to register and vote was also among de Blasio's agenda items.
"How can we be proud as New Yorkers when it's just so damn hard to vote here?" he said.
And with regard to police-community relations, de Blasio said, he wanted "every police officer to know the name of the resident they serve in the community, and I want those residents to know the name of their officer. I want everyone on the same side."
"We can make this the city it was mean to be," de Blasio said. "We are only just getting started."
Meanwhile, Malliotakis conceded the race early. Joined onstage by surrogates and her parents, Malliotakis said she ran because she thought that not all voters were being represented in City Hall and she saw the quality of life going downhill.
"This race was about trash, about transit, about the deteriorating quality of life that we're experiencing," Malliotakis said. "It was about the 28 percent increase in property tax levy while the quality of life deteriorated."
As 1010 WINS' Samantha Liebman reported, Malliotakis' speech was punctuated by the song "I Won't Back Down" by the late Tom Petty. She said that is just what she will continue to do.
"This is when you take a step back and reflect," Malliotakis said. "I'm just going to keep on fighting for my constituents as a member of the state Assembly for now."
Coming in third in the mayoral race was Sal Albanese with 2 percent. Albanese lost to de Blasio in the Democratic primary, but appeared in the general election ballot on the Reform Party ticket.
Bo Dietl, a businessman and former detective, appeared in both debates with de Blasio and Malliotakis. But he ended up with just 1 percent of the vote, coming in slightly behind Green Party candidate Akeem Browder and Smart Cities Party candidate Mike Tolkin.
Dietl said he will never seek office again.
Coming in last in the polls was Libertarian Party candidate Aaron Commey, who captured less than 1 percent of the vote.
In other city races, Letitia James handily won a second term as city public advocate, with about 72 percent of the vote. Her next closest challenger, Republican Juan Carlos Polanco, had 17 percent.
Scott Stringer also coasted to an easy victory for a second term as city comptroller. With 80 percent of the precincts reporting, he had 76 percent of the vote compared with 21 percent for his next closest challenger, Republican Michel Faulkner.
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Brooklyn Borough Prsident Eric Adams, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, and Staten Island Borough President James Oddo also easily won reelection in their races.
In the race for Brooklyn District Attorney, Democrat Eric Gonzalez was on the path to being elected to a full term, with 89 percent of the vote compared with 11 percent for Republican Vincent Gentile.
Gonzalez took over as acting district attorney last year after DA Kenneth Thompson, who died following a battle with cancer.
Most incumbent members of the New York City Council also won reelection, although a few races were too close to call late Tuesday night.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)