Eric Adams, a former policeman who has vowed to combat rising crime in New York, was the most favored candidate in yesterday’s Democratic primary to decide the successor to Bill de Blasio, who leads the Big Apple. But the 60-year-old Brooklyn-area mayor, who would become New York’s second-first African mayor if elected, fell short of 50%, and stopped at about 31%, so the count will now continue with the “rounds” provided by the preference system that chose New York adopted in this crowded primaries.

According to the ranked selection system, voters were able to choose five different candidates, from first choice onwards: in the first ballot, only the first choices were counted, and now the others would be counted in rounds, a complex system that would last weeks. The final results are actually scheduled for July 12.

Even so, in the face of the advantage scored in the first count, Adams’s entourage argued that if the candidate with the most preferences as first choice did not ultimately win, there would be a voter infringement. “I assure voters that no one will steal my election,” the former policeman said.

Based on the first count, there are two other candidates who may hope to “overtake” Adams in the upcoming rounds, when other voters’ options are also considered: human rights attorney Maya Wylie and former chancellor Catherine Garcia. Fourth place is Andrew Yang, a regressive candidate in the 2020 Democratic primary, who conceded defeat.

Fencing in the Republican realm is simpler, as only two were vying for the flag nomination in a strong Democratic city like New York. According to forecasts, talk show host Curtis Selwa, who did not support Donald Trump in the last elections, defeated Fernando Mateo, a zealous businessman who was a staunch supporter of the former president and his alleged electoral victory last November.