New York City
The major 2021 mayoral contenders
What you need to know about the likely candidates for New York City’s 2021 mayoral race.

New York City comptroller Scott Stringer. Emily Assiran
Of all the mayoral hopefuls, New York City Comptroller and numbers man Scott Stringer has the most in his campaign coffers – but he isn’t the only one laying the groundwork for a run.
Here are the declared and potential 2021 New York City contenders – and how much they’ve raised so far, as of the most recent filing.
Scott Stringer
Born: 1960
Home: Financial District, Manhattan
Current job: New York City comptroller
Previous jobs: Manhattan borough president, assemblyman
Fundraising: $2.59 million in 2021 account
Declared? Officially, no
Why he’ll win: Stringer is a political animal, with citywide executive experience, Upper West Side establishment credentials and a progressive track record.
Why he won’t: Stringer doesn’t fit the mold of the insurgent political movement he’s appealing to, and lacks the charisma of his main competitors.
Eric Adams
Born: 1960
Home: Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Current job: Brooklyn borough president
Previous jobs: State senator, NYPD officer
Fundraising: $2.29 million in 2021 account
Declared? Verbally yes, officially no
Why he’ll win: Adams, the only major black candidate, is appealing to outer-borough voters with his law enforcement credentials and pragmatic politics.
Why he won’t: Adams has been flying under the radar and doesn’t speak the language of the left that’s politically en vogue.
Ruben Diaz Jr.
Born: 1973
Home: Soundview, Bronx
Current job: Bronx borough president
Previous job: Assemblyman
Fundraising: $931,000 in 2021 account, $384,000 in previous accounts
Declared? Yes
Why he’ll win: Diaz has close ties to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Bronx Democratic machine, and can appeal to Spanish-speaking voters as the only Latino in the race.
Why he won’t: Those Cuomo and machine ties could actually hurt him. Not to mention his gaffe-prone father with the same name.
Corey Johnson
Born: 1982
Home: Chelsea, Manhattan
Current job: New York City Council speaker
Previous jobs: New York City councilman; Manhattan Community Board 4 chairman
Fundraising: $432,000 in 2021 account
Declared? Officially no, just “exploring”
Why he’ll win: Johnson is full of charisma and big ideas, building allies in a City Council with a growing list of progressive wins.
Why he won’t: No City Council speaker has gone on to win higher office – maybe because it’s easy to make political enemies.
Christine Quinn
Born: 1966
Home: Chelsea, Manhattan
Current job: President and CEO at Win, a homeless services provider
Previous job: New York City Council speaker
Fundraising: $263,000 in previous accounts
Declared? No, but she’s reportedly thinking about it
Why she’ll win: There’s an opening for a woman in the race, and Quinn has an intriguing record working to fix homelessness, one of the city’s biggest problems.
Whe she won’t: Quinn couldn’t win in 2013, and her time out of government could make her an even weaker candidate this time around.
Editor's note: This post has been updated with more recent fundraising numbers as of July 17, 2019.
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