Here is an article from the Huffington Post that postulates that had 9/11 not occurred former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer would have been Mayor of New York. Over the years I have seen countless articles that point to 9/11 to justify an election win or loss in New York because of changed dynamics after the attack, but I have never been able to see how it helped or hurt one candidate more than another. What do you think?
To help put things in correct perspective, here's an excerpt from the beginning of the NY Times article from back then reporting what happened:
ReplyDeleteThe New York Times
October 12, 2001
THE NEW YORK RUNOFF: THE DEMOCRATS;
GREEN BEATS FERRER IN DEMOCRATIC MAYORAL RUNOFF
By Adam Nagourney
Against a backdrop of civic trauma and deep anxiety about the future of New York City, Mark Green won the Democratic nomination for mayor last night. He defeated Fernando Ferrer in a racially divided contest in which voters embraced Mr. Green's declaration that recovering from the World Trade Center attack should be the central focus of New York's next mayor.
The victory by Mr. Green, the city's public advocate, derailed the second attempt in four years by Mr. Ferrer, the Bronx borough president, to become New York's first Puerto Rican mayor. But Mr. Ferrer came close to assembling a winning coalition of Hispanic and black voters, in a way that suggested that this election marked a new chapter in the continuing ethnic and political realignment in New York. One-quarter of the primary electorate was Hispanic, and the turnout of more than 800,000 was even higher than it was in the first round of Democratic voting on Sept. 25.
Mr. Ferrer called Mr. Green to concede at 10:40 p.m., before heading down to address supporters at the headquarters of 1199/S.E.I.U., New York's Health and Human Service Union, on West 43rd Street . . . .
It's interesting that every candidate who lost a race in 2001 blames 9-11.
ReplyDeleteI'm just happy that we didn't end up with another recycled Democratic politico as our mayor for the past decade. Mark Green or Fernando Ferrer ... it's the same difference.
ReplyDeletewho cares!
ReplyDeleteI actually miss him as borough president.
ReplyDeleteOld complaint heard it all before
ReplyDeletebig yawn
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