2005 New York City mayoral election

2005 New York City mayoral election

November 8, 2005

Nominee Michael Bloomberg Fernando Ferrer Party Republican Democratic Alliance Liberal Independence Working Families Popular vote 753,090 503,219 Percentage 58.4% 39.0%

Borough results Bloomberg:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Ferrer:      50–60%

Mayor before election Michael Bloomberg Republican Elected Mayor Michael Bloomberg Republican

The 2005 New York City mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 8, 2005, with incumbent Republican mayor Michael Bloomberg soundly defeating former Bronx borough president Fernando Ferrer, the Democratic nominee. Several third-party candidates also ran for mayor. Bloomberg won four of the five boroughs, the exception being the Bronx.

As of 2024, the 2005 election is the last time a Republican was elected mayor of New York City, and the last time a Republican line carried Brooklyn. (Bloomberg left the Republican Party in 2007 to register as an independent, though he was nominated for re-election by the Republican Party in 2009.)

Background

In July, mayoral candidates filed nominating petitions with the City Board of Elections.

Republican primary

Candidates

• Michael Bloomberg, incumbent Mayor since 2002
• Walter Iwachiw
• Tom Ognibene, former City Councilman from Queens (1992–2002) and Council minority leader
• Steve Shaw

Campaign

Tom Ognibene ran on a platform supporting tax cuts, education reform and opposed Mayor Bloomberg's smoking ban. He was expected to win the endorsement of the Conservative Party. He received 8,100 signatures, 600 more than the necessary 7,500 signatures to appear on the primary ballot. However, the Bloomberg campaign challenged many signatures, leaving Ognibene with 5,848 eligible signatures and forcing him off the ballot. On August 25, a federal judge refused to allow Ognibene on Republican ballot.

The first television ads were launched in English and Spanish by the Bloomberg campaign on May 18.

Endorsements

Ognibene was endorsed by the leaders of the Queens County Republican Committee on February 10.

Aftermath

Ognibene challenged the Republican nomination in a hearing on Thursday, August 25, but his challenge was unsuccessful.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Christopher X. Brodeur, artist and Green Party candidate in 2001
• Fernando Ferrer, former Bronx Borough President (1987–2001) and candidate for Mayor in 2001
• C. Virginia Fields, Manhattan Borough President
• Gifford Miller, Speaker of the New York City Council
• Arthur Piccolo
• Anthony Weiner, U.S. Representative from Brooklyn and Queens

Declined

• Mark Green, nominee for mayor in 2001 (running for New York Attorney General in 2006)
• Bob Kerrey, former U.S. Senator from Nebraska and President of the New School (declined April 20)

Campaign

On August 3, Fernando Ferrer began running campaign advertisements. On August 12, the Gifford Miller campaign launched their own television ads. The Democratic candidates held their first debate on August 16. The Anthony Weiner campaign launched television ads on August 19, the same day voter registration for the primary elections ended. The Democratic candidates held their second televised debate on August 21; the live debate was sponsored by WCBS and The New York Times.

Endorsements

On September 1, Fernando Ferrer was endorsed by City Comptroller Bill Thompson and ACORN. On September 3, The New York Times endorsed Ferrer in the Democratic primary. The Democratic candidates held two final debates with the first on WNBC on September 7 and on WABC on September 8. On September 10, Reverend Al Sharpton endorsed Ferrer.

Prior to the primary, Ferrer was endorsed by New York state attorney general Eliot Spitzer, Carl McCall, Geraldine Ferraro, Sheldon Silver, the Transport Workers Union, Bronx borough president Adolfo Carrión Jr. and Ruth Messinger. Ferrer was also endorsed by Representatives Joseph Crowley, Gregory Meeks, Major Owens, José E. Serrano, Edolphus Towns and Nydia Velázquez.

Results

Democratic primary election results Total votes: 478,818
Borough	Fernando Ferrer	Anthony Weiner	C. Virginia Fields	Gifford Miller	Christopher X. Brodeur	Arthur Piccolo	Michael Bloomberg (write-in)	Other write-in
Manhattan	56,579	46,668	24,856	22,075	5,667	1,388	95
The Bronx	50,088	11,422	10,381	3,491	4,942	938	13
Brooklyn	50,068	41,358	25,612	14,324	3,724	1,963	9
Queens	32,506	34,028	13,918	7,956	2,054	1,175	1
Staten Island	3,021	5,441	1,059	1,669	174	120	3
Total	192,262	138,917	75,826	49,515	16,561	5,584	121	32

The Democratic primary was held on Tuesday, September 13, with initial returns showing Fernando Ferrer receiving 39.95% of the votes, just short of the 40% needed to avoid a run-off with second-place Anthony Weiner. Despite at first seeming poised to continue, the next morning Weiner conceded the election to Ferrer. However, the city election board insisted on proceeding with a $12 million election scheduled for Tuesday, September 27, with an additional debate even planned. This prompted a lawsuit supported by both candidates to prevent the election, the circumstance of which was avoided by a final count giving Ferrer just slightly over 40% of the vote.

Other nominations

Conservative

Despite his removal from the Republican primary, Tom Ognibene ran as the Conservative Party nominee.

Independence

On May 28, the Independence Party endorsed Michael Bloomberg for re-election.

Liberal

The Liberal Party of New York endorsed Bloomberg.

Green

Manhattan College history professor Anthony Gronowicz was the Green Party's mayoral nominee. Gronowicz sought to strengthen affordable housing, supported renewable sources of energy and sought to provide free tuition to City University of New York. He was featured in an article in The Villager.

Libertarian

Audrey Silk, a former NYPD officer, community activist and founder of NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, was nominated by the party on April 16, 2005.

General election

Candidates

• Michael Bloomberg, incumbent mayor since 2002 (Republican, Independence, Liberal)
• Fernando Ferrer, former 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

Issues in the 2005 mayoral race included education, taxes, crime, transportation, public housing, homeland security funding, and the city budget. One prominent issue throughout 2005 was New York's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, as New York City was one of the finalists to serve as host city. On June 6, the planned West Side Stadium was defeated by the Public Authorities Control Board when Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno refused to vote for it. As a result, the new Mets ballpark, later Citi Field, had been supported by Mayor Bloomberg as the centerpiece of the revised bid. On July 6, the IOC awarded London with the 2012 Summer Olympics.

On October 23, Ferrer proposed Home Owner Property Exemption, or HOPE, a tax break for homeowners with a home property value of less than $100,000.

On October 6, a mayoral debate was held at the Apollo Theater from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with Fernando Ferrer and Tom Ognibene; Mayor Michael Bloomberg was absent. The last day for voter registration for the general election was October 14, 2005. The first mayoral debate between Fernando Ferrer and Mike Bloomberg was held on October 30, and broadcast on WABC. Ferrer and Bloomberg debated each other again on November 1, at a debate sponsored by WNBC and the New York City Campaign Finance Board.

The general election was held on Tuesday, November 8. Members of the New York City Council, as well as the offices of borough president, city comptroller, public advocate, and district attorney, were also up for election. At 10:30 p.m. on November 8, Fernando Ferrer conceded the election to Michael Bloomberg in a speech at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Bloomberg was sworn in for a second term on January 1, 2006.

Endorsements

Bloomberg was endorsed by former mayors Rudy Giuliani and Ed Koch, Jeanine Pirro, Herman Badillo, former congressman Reverend Floyd Flake, Reverend Calvin Butts, and many prominent local Democrats who chose to cross party lines.

On October 23, Bloomberg was endorsed by both Newsday and The New York Times for the general election. The Times wrote that Bloomberg could be "one of the greatest mayors in New York history"; however, The Times editorial board criticized "his 'obscene' unlimited spending on his political campaigns", creating an "uneven playing field".

After winning the Democratic nomination, Ferrer was endorsed by Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton on September 16. On September 19, Ferrer received the endorsement of SEIU Local 1199. He was endorsed by former mayor David Dinkins on September 23. Ferrer was endorsed by the Working Families Party on September 27, but did not appear on the Working Families Party line on Election Day. Andrew Cuomo endorsed Ferrer on September 29. On October 20, Ferrer campaigned with Bill Clinton on Charlotte Street in the South Bronx.

Polling

Source	Date	Sample size	Margin of error	Ferrer (D)	Bloomberg (R)
Quinnipiac University	November 10, 2004			45%	40%
Quinnipiac University	January 19, 2005			43%	43%
Quinnipiac University	March 2, 2005			47%	39%
Marist College	March 23, 2005			49%	42%
Quinnipiac University	March 30, 2005			46%	40%
Marist College	April 27, 2005			38%	51%
Marist College	April 27, 2005			38%	51%
Quinnipiac University	May 11, 2005			38%	47%
Marist College	June 10, 2005			46%	45%
Quinnipiac University	June 22, 2005			37%	50%
Quinnipiac University	July 19, 2005			36%	52%
Marist College	July 22, 2005			36%	52%
Marist College	August 9, 2005			36%	52%
The New York Times	August 22–28, 2005	718 RV	± 5.0%	32%	54%
Quinnipiac University	September 20, 2005			38%	52%
Marist College	September 27, 2005			38%	53%
Marist College	October 12, 2005			32%	59%
Quinnipiac University	October 12, 2005			32%	60%
Quinnipiac University	October 25, 2005			30%	61%
Pace University	October 27, 2005			27%	58%
The New York Times	October 21–26, 2005	758 RV	± 4.0%	30%	57%
Marist College	November 1, 2005			31%	62%
Quinnipiac University	November 1, 2005			31%	59%
Marist College	November 4, 2005			30%	64%
Quinnipiac University	November 7, 2005			30%	68%

Results

Results of the 2005 New York City mayoral election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican/Liberal	Michael Bloomberg	678,444	52.6
	Independence	Michael Bloomberg	74,645	5.8
	Total	Michael Bloomberg (incumbent)	753,089	58.4	+8.1
	Democratic	Fernando Ferrer	503,219	39.0	−8.9
	Conservative	Thomas Ognibene	14,630	1.1	+0.9
	Green	Anthony Gronowicz	8,297	0.6	+0.1
	Rent Is Too Damn High	Jimmy McMillan	4,111	0.3	+0.3
	Libertarian	Audrey Silk	2,888	0.2	+0.1
	Socialist Workers	Martin Koppel	2,256	0.2	+0.2
	Education	Seth Blum	1,176	0.1	+0.1
	Write-Ins		269	0.02	+0.02
Majority			249,870	19.4	+17.0
Turnout			1,289,935
	Republican hold		Swing	+8.5

Results by borough

Results by borough of the 2005 New York City mayoral election
		Manhattan	The Bronx	Brooklyn	Queens	Staten Island	Total
Bloomberg–Green margin (2001)		−22,777	−21,683	−28,182	+46,904	+61,227	+35,489
Bloomberg–Ferrer margin		+76,197	−41,317	+69,441	+95,030	+50,523	+249,871
Republican–Liberal	Michael Bloomberg	171,593	69,577	189,040	184,426	63,267	678,444
Independence	Michael Bloomberg	25,416	6,840	20,141	17,689	4,559	74,645
Combined total	Michael Bloomberg	197,010	76,417	209,723	202,116	67,827	753,090
		60.4%	38.8%	58.2%	63.5%	76.7%	58.4%
Democratic	Fernando Ferrer	120,813	117,734	140,282	107,086	17,304	503,219
		37.0%	59.8%	39.0%	33.6%	19.6%	39.0%
Conservative	Thomas Ognibene	1,729	1,185	3,573	5,645	2,498	14,630
Green	Anthony Gronowicz	3,195	466	3,112	1,285	239	8,297
Rent Is Too Damn High	Jimmy McMillan	1,369	474	1,293	799	176	4,111
Libertarian	Audrey Silk	991	234	841	617	205	2,888
Socialist Workers	Martin Koppel	758	231	766	384	117	2,256
Education	Seth Blum	322	131	382	264	77	1,176
write-ins		109	1	90	57	12	269
	T O T A L	326,295	196,873	360,061	318,252	88,454
							1,289,935

External links

• Mike Bloomberg for NYC webpage
• CityMayors.com NYC elections page
• Gotham Gazette 2005 webpage