1993 New York City Public Advocate election
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  Green: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Alter: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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An election was held on November 2, 1993 to elect the New York City Public Advocate, an office created for this election following reforms to the city charter which held some of the devolved powers of the defunct office of New York City Council President. Democratic incumbent City Council President Andrew Stein initially did not seek re-election to the office, opting instead to challenge incumbent mayor David Dinkins in the Democratic primary. However, he dropped out of the mayoral race and ran for Public Advocate before withdrawing from that race, too. Mark Green won the Democratic primary over a large field led by Harlem state senator David A. Paterson.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Susan Alter, City Councilwoman from Brooklyn (also running as Republican and Liberal)[1]
- Mark Green, Consumer Affairs Commissioner of New York City and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1986
- Donald Halperin, State Senator from Brooklyn[1]
- David A. Paterson, State Senator from Harlem[1]
- Roberto Ramirez, State Assemblyman from the Bronx[1]
- Ronald W. Reale, president of the Transit Police Benevolent Association[1]
Withdrew
- Andrew Stein, incumbent City Council President since 1986
Campaign
Although the new office of Public Advocate was less powerful than the City Council presidency which it replaced, it drew an uncommonly large number of candidates. Many analysts predicted that despite the reduced powers under the revised charter, the office would still provide its holder citywide name recognition and a springboard for higher office.[1]
While most candidates in the race sought to address core racial or ethnic constitutencies, Green campaigned vigorously in every neighborhood and among every ethnic group.[1] His chief opponent was David A. Paterson of Harlem, who expected to capitalize on black voter turnout with David Dinkins on the ballot and force the race into a run-off.[1]
Dinkins declined to endorse any candidate in the primary, viewing both Green and Paterson as allies and seeking to avoid alienating the large Hispanic constituency which supported Ramirez. Susan Alter, who was also running on the Republican and Liberal ticket of Rudolph Giuliani, actively campaigned against Dinkins.[1]
Results
- 30%–40%
- 40%–50%
- 50%–60%
- 60%–70%
- 70%–80%
- 30%–40%
- 40%–50%
- 60%–70%
- 30%–40%
- 40%–50%
- 50%–60%
- 30%–40%
- 40%–50%
- 50%–60%
- 30%–40%
By receiving over 40 percent of the vote, Green was able to win the nomination outright and avoid a run-off election against Paterson. The strength of his victory came as a surprise to political observers, who expected a run-off between Green and Paterson.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Green | 226,916 | 44.87% | |
| Democratic | David A. Paterson | 94,755 | 18.74% | |
| Democratic | Susan Alter | 70,504 | 13.94% | |
| Democratic | Roberto Ramirez | 61,959 | 12.25% | |
| Democratic | Donald Halperin | 39,960 | 7.90% | |
| Democratic | Ronald W. Reale | 11,662 | 2.31% | |
| Total votes | 505,756 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Susan Alter, City Councilwoman from Brooklyn (Republican and Liberal)[1]
- Al Duncan (Socialist Workers)[3]
- Bob Falk (Libertarian)[3]
- Marjorie Barrett Garvey (Right to Life)[3]
- Mark Green, Consumer Affairs Commissioner of New York City and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1986 (Democratic)
- Ronald W. Reale, president of the Transit Police Benevolent Association[1][4] (Conservative)[5]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Green | 949,000 | 60.33% | |
| Republican | Susan Alter | 574,453 | 36.52% | |
| Conservative | Ronald W. Reale | 20,890 | 1.33% | |
| Right to Life | Majorie Barrett Garvey | 17,498 | 1.11% | |
| Socialist Workers | Al Duncan | 5,778 | 0.37% | |
| Libertarian | Bob Falk | 5,410 | 0.34% | |
| Total votes | 1,573,029 | 100.00% | ||
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Hicks, Jonathan P. (September 15, 1993). "Green Scores Big Victory Over His Five Opponents". The New York Times. p. 38.
- ^ "The Primary Races, District by District". The New York Times. September 15, 1993. p. B2.
- ^ a b c "The Year in Politics: 1993 Election Profiles" (PDF). New York City Campaign Finance Board. p. 79.
- ^ Roberts, Sam (October 14, 1993). "Alter Misses the Fun". The New York Times. p. 29.
- ^ "Mark Green for Public Advocate". The New York Times. October 26, 1993. p. 20.
- ^ "On the Road to Reform: Campaign Finance in the 1993 New York City Elections — Volume II: Appendices" (PDF). New York City Campaign Finance Board. p. 19.
