New York City’s Mayoral Primary Election Results Demonstrate the Disconnect Between Radicalism and Real Life

New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams speaks during a Get Out the Vote rally in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn borough in New York City, on June 21, 2021. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Commentary

Despite confusion over the botched ranked-choice results in New York City, tallies thus far demonstrate one thing clearly: a blatant disconnect between utopian theorists and those who live at the mercy of their naive policy.

In their attempt to revolutionize the voting system by introducing a ranked vote, New York City’s Board of Elections succeeded in creating an alternative so convoluted that it even required a practice ballot for voters. After first choice votes were tallied in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, Eric Adams assumed a considerable lead.

The subsequent release of second-round voting data, however, suggested Adams’s lead was shrinking. But earlier this week, the Board of Elections was forced to retract this data. A typical failure of the city’s bloated and incompetent bureaucracy, the Board apparently neglected to remove fake ballots that had been used to test the new system. As they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it—especially if your department has an extensive history of incompetence.

Regardless of the rank-voting chaos, however, the valid results ascertained thus far reveal dramatic disparities by borough and neighborhood. Taking account of their respective demographics, it appears Adams swept minority and lower income areas but lagged behind in wealthier and predominantly white neighborhoods, particularly in Manhattan.

This is demonstrative of a startling disconnect in priorities between New Yorkers. While other candidates appeal to wealthy radical contingents with promises to “transform the police,” Adams has managed to stand as a voice of reason and is the clear champion of safety among his challengers.

A retired police officer of 20 years, Adams delivered a unique campaign. He heavily concentrated on rebuilding New York and lifting up small businesses targeted by unfair restrictions. But most differentiating of all is his commitment to a safety-first, law-and-order mentality. In his own words: “The first order of business is to get violence under control.”

While Manhattan elites in their doorman buildings opted for their vision of progress in the form of defunding the police, Adams spoke to the concerns of New Yorkers who face the prospect of violence every day in their communities. The disconnect between supposed “allies” and actual victims could not be more clear. 

Manhattanites could afford a trip to the Hamptons while anarchy took a grip over the city last summer under the guise of progress. Those in the less-fortunate areas Adams won, on the other hand, were forced to face the consequences. The extremist fight to defund the police on behalf of minorities continues to be waged by privileged theorists unaffected by its consequences.

But, despite the bureaucratic fumble, Adams’s victory thus far is demonstrative of a plain and simple truth: Safety and wellbeing is far more important to the typical New Yorker than the misguided utopian idealism of the privileged. 

Adams put it best himself in a 2020 speech: “You were here before Starbucks. You were here before others came and decided they wanted to be a part of this city. Folks are not only hijacking your apartments and displacing your living arrangements, they displace your conversations and say things that are important to you are no longer important.”

A potential Adams victory could finally lend a voice to New York City’s voiceless. The gap between theorist and theorized has grown too wide. Common sense, safety, and security should always come first.

Rikki Schlott is a writer and student based in New York. As a young free speech activist, her writing chronicles the rise of illiberalism from a Generation Z perspective. Schlott also works for The Megyn Kelly Show and has been published by The Daily Wire and The Conservative Review.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.