Former New York City sanitation chief Kathryn Garcia conceded the Democratic mayoral nomination on Wednesday to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a day after newly released vote results showed Adams maintaining a narrow lead.
Adams, a former police captain who put public safety at the heart of his campaign, is poised to become the next mayor of the most populous U.S. city. He is heavily favored in November's election against the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the civilian patrol Guardian Angels.
The next mayor will oversee a steep recovery from the coronavirus pandemic while also confronting deep-seated issues such as wealth inequality, a lack of affordable housing, struggling public schools and concerns over public safety.
"There's a real message, I believe, for the entire country," Adams said on CNN on Wednesday. "I think the Democratic Party in particular, they're ready for real change for everyday working-class Americans."
Maya Wiley, the former MSNBC analyst who emerged as the leading liberal contender, was in third place after Tuesday's results. She had not yet conceded the race but was scheduled to deliver remarks at 11:30 a.m. (15:30 GMT) on Wednesday.
Garcia, who ran as a technocrat based on her long service in city government, made brief remarks at the Women's Rights Pioneers Monument in Central Park on Wednesday.
"For 400 years, no woman has held the top seat at City Hall," she said. "This campaign has come closer than any other moment in history to breaking that glass ceiling and selecting New York City's first female mayor. We cracked the hell out of it, and it's ready to be broken."
Adams, a moderate, would be the second Black mayor of New York City, after a Democratic campaign that saw the most diverse field of candidates in history.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bill Berkrot) ((joseph.ax@thomsonreuters.com; 1-646-223-6594 1-917-848-0813; Reuters Messaging: joseph.ax.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
