2005 New York City mayoral election
| Company type | Election |
|---|---|
| Industry | Politics |
| Founded | November 8, 2005 |
Area served | New York City |
The 2005 New York City mayoral race took place on November 8, 2005. Incumbent Republican Michael Bloomberg secured a decisive victory over the Democratic contender Fernando Ferrer, who previously served as Bronx borough president. The election also featured multiple candidates from third parties. Nomination petitions were submitted to the City Board of Elections in July.
Bloomberg carried four out of the five boroughs, with the sole exception being the Bronx, and managed to flip both Manhattan and Brooklyn in his favor. This election represents the most recent occasion a Republican was elected mayor of New York City and the last time a Republican ticket prevailed in Brooklyn. In 2007, Bloomberg left the Republican Party to become an independent but was still endorsed by Republicans for his 2009 reelection campaign.
Candidates
- Michael Bloomberg, sitting mayor since 2002
- Walter Iwachiw
- Tom Ognibene, former City Council member from Queens (1992–2002) and minority leader of the Council
- Steve Shaw
Campaign
Tom Ognibene's platform emphasized tax reductions, educational reforms, and opposition to Bloomberg's smoking ban policy. He was anticipated to receive backing from the Conservative Party. Ognibene submitted 8,100 signatures to qualify for the primary ballot, surpassing the required 7,500. Nevertheless, Bloomberg’s team contested many of these signatures, leaving Ognibene with only 5,848 valid ones, which disqualified him from appearing on the ballot. On August 25, a federal judge ruled against including him on the Republican primary ballot.
Bloomberg initiated his inaugural television advertisements in both English and Spanish on May 18.
Endorsements
On February 10, Ognibene secured support from leaders of the Queens County Republican Committee.
Aftermath
Ognibene’s attempt on August 25 to challenge Bloomberg’s nomination was unsuccessful.
Candidates
- Christopher X. Brodeur, artist and Green Party candidate in 2001
- Fernando Ferrer, former Bronx Borough President (1987–2001) and previous mayoral candidate in 2001
- C. Virginia Fields, Manhattan Borough President
- Gifford Miller, Speaker of the New York City Council
- Arthur Piccolo
- Anthony Weiner, U.S. Representative representing Brooklyn and Queens
Candidates who did not achieve ballot access • Mitch Crumblehorn, businessman
Declined
- Mark Green, Democratic nominee for mayor in 2001 (instead ran for New York Attorney General in 2006)
- Bob Kerrey, former U.S. Senator from Nebraska and President of the New School
Campaign
Ferrer began broadcasting campaign commercials on August 3; Miller followed with TV spots starting August 12. The first debate among Democratic contenders occurred on August 16. Weiner launched his television ads on August 19, coinciding with the voter registration deadline for the primaries. The second televised debate was held on August 21, co-hosted by WCBS and The New York Times.
Endorsements
On September 1, Ferrer was endorsed by City Comptroller Bill Thompson along with ACORN. The New York Times endorsed Ferrer in the Democratic primary on September 3. The final debates among Democratic candidates aired on WNBC on September 7 and on WABC on September 8. Reverend Al Sharpton publicly supported Ferrer on September 10.
Prior to the primary election, Ferrer received endorsements from New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, former State Comptroller Carl McCall, former Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, the Transport Workers Union, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión Jr., and former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger. Additionally, he was backed by Representatives Joseph Crowley, Gregory Meeks, Major Owens, José E. Serrano, Edolphus Towns, and Nydia Velázquez.
Debate
1| No. | Date | Organizer | Moderator | Link | Fernando Ferrer | C. Virginia Fields | Gifford Miller | Anthony Weiner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legend: Template:Colors Present Template:Colors Absent Template:Colors Not invited Template:Colors Invited W Withdrawn |
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| September 16, 2005 | New York 1 New York 1 Noticias New York City Campaign Finance Board New York Newsday WNYC |
Dominic Carter | YouTube | P | P | P | P | |
Results
On September 13’s Democratic primary election day, Ferrer initially garnered 39.95%, narrowly missing the 40% threshold required to bypass a runoff against Weiner. Although the results suggested a runoff was imminent, Weiner withdrew the following morning. Subsequently, the city election board arranged a $12 million runoff for September 27 and scheduled another debate. Both contenders backed legal action to halt this runoff; ultimately, the final tally confirmed Ferrer surpassed the 40% mark slightly and thus avoided a second round.
Conservative
Following his disqualification from the Republican primary, Tom Ognibene entered the mayoral race as the Conservative Party candidate.
Independence
On May 28, the Independence Party officially backed Bloomberg for a second term.
Liberal
The Liberal Party of New York also declared their support for Bloomberg’s reelection campaign.
Green
Anthony Gronowicz, a history professor at Manhattan College, represented the Green Party in the mayoral contest. His platform emphasized expanding affordable housing, promoting renewable energy initiatives, and offering tuition-free education at the City University of New York.
Libertarian
On April 16, 2005, Audrey Silk—a former NYPD officer and community advocate—was chosen as the Libertarian Party’s nominee.
Candidates
- Michael Bloomberg, sitting mayor since 2002 (Republican, Independence, Liberal)
- Fernando Ferrer, ex-Bronx Borough President (Democrat)
- Tom Ognibene (Conservative)
- Anthony Gronowicz (Green)
- Jimmy McMillan (Rent Is Too Damn High)
- Audrey Silk (Libertarian)
- Martin Koppel (Socialist Workers)
- Seth Blum (Education)
Campaign
The 2005 mayoral election centered on several critical topics such as education reform, taxation policies, crime reduction, transportation infrastructure, public housing concerns, homeland security funding, and the municipal budget. A significant issue was New York City’s pursuit of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games. On June 6, the Public Authorities Control Board rejected the proposed West Side Stadium, as Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno withheld their votes. Subsequently, Bloomberg shifted support to a new Mets stadium—later named Citi Field—as the cornerstone of a revised Olympic bid. Ultimately, on July 6, the IOC selected London to host the 2012 Olympics.
On October 23, Ferrer introduced the Home Owner Property Exemption (HOPE), a tax relief measure aimed at homeowners with properties valued below $100,000.
Mayoral debates featured an October 6 session at the Apollo Theater with Ferrer and Ognibene participating; Bloomberg did not attend. The initial debate between Ferrer and Bloomberg was broadcast on October 30 via WABC, followed by a second debate on November 1 sponsored by WNBC and the New York City Campaign Finance Board. The final day for voter registration was October 14.
The general election occurred on November 8 alongside City Council and other significant municipal races. At approximately 10:30 p.m., Ferrer conceded defeat to Bloomberg at the Waldorf-Astoria. Bloomberg commenced his second term on January 1, 2006.
Endorsements
Bloomberg earned endorsements from former mayors Rudy Giuliani and Ed Koch, as well as from figures such as Jeanine Pirro, Herman Badillo, ex-congressman Floyd Flake, Reverend Calvin Butts, and several influential local Democrats.
Both Newsday and The New York Times endorsed Bloomberg on October 23 during the general election. While The Times lauded Bloomberg as potentially "one of the greatest mayors in New York history," it criticized his excessive campaign spending that created an "unequal playing field."
After clinching the Democratic nomination, Ferrer received endorsements from Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton on September 16, followed by SEIU Local 1199 on September 19. Former mayor David Dinkins supported him on September 23. The Working Families Party endorsed Ferrer on September 27 despite his absence from their ballot line. Additional endorsements came from Andrew Cuomo on September 29. On October 20, Ferrer campaigned alongside former President Bill Clinton in the South Bronx.
Polling
| Source | Date | Sample size | Margin of error | Ferrer (D) | Bloomberg (R) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac University | November 10, 2004 | 1,221 registered voters | ± 2.8% | Template:Party shading/Democratic align=center | 45% | 40% |
| Quinnipiac University | January 19, 2005 | 1,027 registered voters | ± 3.1% | Template:Party shading/Democratic align=center | 43% | Template:Party shading/Republican align=center | 43% |
| Quinnipiac University | March 2, 2005 | 1,435 registered voters | ± 2.6% | Template:Party shading/Democratic align=center | 47% | 39% |
| Marist College | March 23, 2005 | Template:Party shading/Democratic align=center | 49% | 42% | ||
| Quinnipiac University | March 30, 2005 | 1,371 registered voters | ± 2.7% | Template:Party shading/Democratic align=center | 46% | 40% |
| Marist College | April 27, 2005 | 38% | Template:Party shading/Republican align=center | 51% | ||
| Quinnipiac University | May 11, 2005 | 1,169 registered voters | ± 2.9% | 38% | Template:Party shading/Republican align=center | 47% |
| Marist College | June 10, 2005 | Template:Party shading/Democratic align=center | 46% | 45% | ||
| Quinnipiac University | June 22, 2005 | 1,780 registered voters | ± 2.3% | 37% | Template:Party shading/Republican align=center | 50% |
| Quinnipiac University | July 19, 2005 | 1,313 registered voters | ± 2.7% | 36% | Template:Party shading/Republican align=center | 52% |
| Marist College | July 22, 2005 | 36% | Template:Party shading/Republican align=center | 52% | ||
| Marist College | August 9, 2005 | 36% | Template:Party shading/Republican align=center | 52% | ||
| The New York Times | August 22–28, 2005 | 718 registered voters | ± 5.0% | 32% | Template:Party shading/Republican align=center | 54% |
| Source | Date | Sample size | Margin of error | Ferrer (D) | Bloomberg (R) |
|---|
| Source | Date | Sample size | Margin of error | Ferrer (D) | Bloomberg (R) |
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| Source | Date | Sample size | Margin of error | Ferrer (D) | Bloomberg (R) |
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| Source | Date | Sample size | Margin of error | Ferrer (D) | Bloomberg (R) |
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| Source | Date | Sample size | Margin of error | Ferrer (D) | Bloomberg (R) |
|---|
| Source | Date | Sample size | Margin of error | Ferrer (D) | Bloomberg (R) |
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| Source | Date | Sample size | Margin of error | Ferrer (D) | Bloomberg (R) |
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| Source | Date | Sample size | Margin of error | Ferrer (D) | Bloomberg (R) |
|---|
| Source | Date | Sample size | Margin of error | Ferrer (D) | Bloomberg (R) |
|---|
Debates
| No. | Date | Organizer | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legend: Template:Colors Participated Template:Colors Absent Template:Colors Not invited Template:Colors Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||
| Michael Bloomberg | Fernando Ferrer | |||||
| October 6, 2005 | New York 1, New York 1 Noticias, NYC Campaign Finance Board, New York Newsday, WNYC | Dominic Carter | YouTube | P | P | |
| October 30, 2005 | WABC-TV | Bill Ritter | C-SPAN | P | P | |
| November 1, 2005 | NYC Campaign Finance Board, WNBC | Gabe Pressman | YouTube | P | P | |
External links
- Official Mike Bloomberg NYC campaign site
- CityMayors.com coverage of NYC elections
- Archived Gotham Gazette 2005 election page