N.Y.C. Mayoral Debate: Live Updates
Almost all of the leading Democratic candidates for mayor have followed the same playbook when it comes to television ads: save your money until the end, and then bombard voters.
So far, candidates have spent and committed $37 million in television advertising, mostly in the last several weeks, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking firm.
The late ad blitz was boosted by the presence of candidate-specific super PACs, a first in a New York mayoral race. The PACs, some with millions to spend on ads, are funded by Wall Street donors, pro-charter school groups, labor unions and even one candidate’s father.
The first ad for Andrew Yang, a former presidential candidate, was called “Hope is on the way” and showed him out with New Yorkers playing the role of cheerleader for the city’s recovery from the pandemic.
Kathryn Garcia, the former sanitation commissioner, released an ad called “Break Glass” in which she talked about her skills as a crisis manager.
NY 4 Kids, a super PAC supporting Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller, released an advertisement with a child playing a news anchor and talking about Mr. Stringer’s strengths.
Tom Meara, a spokesman for NY 4 Kids said that after the 2020 presidential election and the pandemic, the ad on behalf of Mr. Stringer needed a “unique messenger” that would “break through the clutter.”
The PAC is supported by the American Federation of Teachers and its large New York City affiliate, the United Federation of Teachers. Both groups continued to support Mr. Stringer after he faced an allegation of sexual misconduct from 20 years ago, which Mr. Stringer has vehemently denied.
Ads for Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president and front-runner, have focused on his background as a former police officer and his plan to address the city’s recent uptick in violent crime, while also highlighting his history as an internal critic of the police department.
In her first ad, Maya Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, talked about overcoming adversity after she watched her father die when she was 9 years old.
The ad, titled “Overcome,” goes on discuss her background as a civil rights lawyer and how she will focus on crime and injustice while working to “transform the police.”
Two candidates who lacked name recognition, Shaun Donovan, a former federal housing secretary, and Raymond J. McGuire, a former Citi executive, took to the airwaves early. Both men have super PACs supporting their campaigns; Mr. Donovan’s was funded almost exclusively by $6.8 million in donations from his father.
But both remain among the second tier of candidates in the available polling, demonstrating the limits of advertising.
