1981 New York City mayoral election
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The 1981 New York City mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 3, 1981, with Democratic incumbent Mayor Ed Koch being re-elected to a second term by a landslide margin.
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55.67% (
4.19 pp) | |||||||||||||||||||
November 3, 1981
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| Registered | 2,345,001 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 1,305,368 55.67% ( 4.19 pp) | ||||||||||||||||||
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 Borough results Koch: 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||||
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Koch won both the Democratic and Republican nominations and appeared on the ballot with both of their lines. He only faced opposition from third parties in the election.[1]
Koch received an overwhelming 74.64% of the vote citywide. Koch also swept all five boroughs by landslide margins, breaking 60% of the vote in Manhattan and breaking 70% of the vote in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island.[2] Koch's closest competitor was the short-lived New York Unity Party nominee Frank J. Barbaro, who received 13.31%. Finishing in a distant third and fourth were the Conservative Party nominee, John A. Esposito, who received 4.92%, and Liberal Party nominee, Mary T. Codd, who received 3.41%.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Frank J. Barbaro, Assemblyman from Bensonhurst
- Melvin Klenetsky, LaRouchite Activist
- Ed Koch, incumbent mayor
Koch won the Democratic Primary with 347,351 votes (59.8%), defeating Barbaro who had 209,369 votes (36.0%) and Melvin Klenetsky who had 24,352 votes (4.2%).
Republican primary
Candidates
- John Esposito
- Ed Koch, incumbent Democratic mayor
Koch also won the Republican Primary, defeating Esposito by 44,724 to 22,354.
General election
Candidates
- Frank J. Barbaro, Assemblyman from Bensonhurst (Unity)
- Mary Codd (Liberal)
- Jeronimo Dominguez, Roman Catholic activist, physician, and candidate for Bronx Borough President in 1979 (Right to Life)
- John Esposito (Conservative)
- Judith Jones (Libertarian)
- Ed Koch, incumbent Mayor (Democratic–Republican)
- Wells Todd (Socialist Workers)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ed Koch (incumbent) | 738,288 | 60.38% | 10.39 | |
| Republican | Ed Koch (incumbent) | 174,334 | 14.26% | 10.18 | |
| Total | Ed Koch (incumbent) | 912,622 | 74.64% | 24.65 | |
| Unity | Frank J. Barbaro | 162,719 | 13.31% | N/A | |
| Conservative | John Esposito | 60,100 | 4.92% | 0.92 | |
| Liberal | Mary Codd | 41,718 | 3.41% |  37.56 | |
| Right to Life | Jeronimo Dominguez | 32,790 | 2.68% | N/A | |
| Libertarian | Judith Jones | 6,902 | 0.56% | 0.49 | |
| Socialist Workers | Wells Todd | 5,793 | 0.47% | 0.24 | |
| Total votes | 1,222,644 | 100.00% | |||
Results by borough
| General Election | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | The Bronx | Brooklyn | Queens | Staten Island | Total | ||
| Democratic – Republican | Edward I. Koch | 189,631 | 132,421 | 261,292 | 275,812 | 53,466 | 912,622 |
| Unity | Frank J. Barbaro | 56,702 | 22,074 | 48,812 | 31,225 | 3,906 | 162,719 |
| Conservative | John Esposito | 6,682 | 7,634 | 15,388 | 26,515 | 3,881 | 60,100 |
| Liberal | Mary Codd | 14,228 | 5,902 | 7,958 | 8,795 | 4,835 | 41,718 |
| 1,222,644 | |||||||