2009 New York City Comptroller election

Democratic nomination

Four candidates sought the Democratic Party nomination.

They were:

• Melinda Katz, City Council member and former State Assemblywoman
• John Liu, City Council member
• David Weprin, City Council member and former Deputy Superintendent of the New York State Banking Commission
• David Yassky, City Council member

In March 2009, Liu announced that he was running for the post of New York City Comptroller. As part of this bid, Liu donated $10,000 to the Working Families Party; they endorsed him less than 6 months later. Liu raised $3 million for his political run, more than his competitors.

Beginning in May, Liu picked up several endorsements. The Village Independent Democrats, The Queens County Democratic organization, the local Americans for Democratic Action chapter and the Working Families Party, 1199 SEIU union local and the Uniformed Firefighters Association endorsed him. On September 1, the United Federation of Teachers endorsed Liu.

Primary election

In the September 15 Democratic primary, Liu was the front-runner, ending up with 133,986 votes, or 38 percent of the vote.

Run-off election

Because he did not manage to reach 40 percent of the vote, a run-off election was required between Liu and runner-up Yassky, who received 30 percent of the vote in the primary. The Daily News wrote that Yassky and Liu slung mud in a spirited debate on September 24, 2009. On September 29, Liu won the run-off by taking 55.6% of the vote against Yassky.

Republican nomination

One candidate sought the Republican Party nomination.

• Joe Mendola

Polling

Election returns

Democratic primary election

First round, Tuesday, September 15, 2009

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Most (about 65) of the 108 write-in votes were for Salim Ejaz, over 40 of which were cast in Brooklyn.

Democratic primary run-off election

As no candidate had received 40% of the Democratic vote for this office in the September 15 primary, a run-off election between the two most-popular candidates was held on Tuesday, September 29, 2009.

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General election

John Liu won the general election held on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.

Source: Board of Elections in the City of New York

References

References

1. Victoria Cavaliere. (2009-11-04). "Liu Becomes First Asian-American in City-Wide Office". [[NBC]].
2. (August 26, 2009). "The Contest List". Board of Elections in the City of New York.
3. (June 17, 2009). "Races to Watch - New York City Comptroller". [[WABC-TV]].
4. Pete Davis. (2009-03-11). "John Liu now running for City Comptroller". [[The Queens Courier]].
5. David Seifman. (March 22, 2009). "'Family'-Man Wannabes $helling Out". New York Post.
6. Hicks, Jonathan P.. (September 25, 2008). "Queens Councilman Leaning Toward Comptroller Run". New York Times City Page Blog.
7. "Village Independent Democrats (VID)".
8. "Working Families » WFP Endorses Councilmember John Liu for Comptroller".
9. "Americans for Democratic Action Endorsements for Sept. 15th Primary {{!}} The Daily Gotham".
10. "Working Families » WFP Endorses Councilmember John Liu for Comptroller".
11. (August 31, 2009). "Liu and de Blasio Gain Key Endorsements". The New York Times.
12. (September 17, 2009). "Liu, Yassky head for Comptroller Run-off".
13. (2009-09-25). "Controller hopefuls John Liu, David Yassky sling mud in debate". Daily News.
14. (2009-09-29). "De Blasio, Liu Claim Victory In Primary Runoff". [[NY1]].
15. (2009-09-29). "De Blasio and Liu Win in N.Y. Democratic Runoffs". [[The New York Times]].
16. [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=106d2bbc-8a05-490f-b3e0-cccdfaa83903 SurveyUSA]
17. (2009-09-25). "Statement and Return Report for Certification Primary Election 2009 - 09/15/2009 Crossover - Democratic Party Democratic City Comptroller". [[New York City Board of Elections]].
18. (2009-10-20). "Statement and Return Report for Certification Run-off Primary 2009 - 09/29/2009 Crossover - Democratic Party Democratic City Comptroller". [[New York City Board of Elections]].