1961 New York City mayoral election

1961 New York City mayoral election

← 1957 November 7, 1961 1965 →

Candidate Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Louis J. Lefkowitz Lawrence E. Gerosa Party Democratic Republican Citizens Alliance Liberal Popular vote 1,237,423 835,691 321,604 Percentage 51.0% 34.5% 13.3%

Results by Borough   Wagner—50–60%   Wagner—40–50%   Lefkowitz—40–50%

Mayor before election Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Democratic Elected Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Democratic

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v t e

The New York City mayoral election of 1961 occurred on Tuesday, November 7, 1961. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr. won a decisive re-election victory for a third term in office. Wagner defeated the Republican nominee, state Attorney General Louis J. Lefkowitz, and the Citizens Party nominee, New York City Comptroller Lawrence E. Gerosa. Wagner received 51.03% of the vote to Lefkowitz's 34.46%, a Democratic victory margin of 16.57%.^[1]

Gerosa, running with the short-lived "pro-taxpayer" Citizens Party, billed himself as the "real Democrat" in the race, and took many Democratic votes, finishing relatively strongly for a third party candidate.^[2]

Wagner won decisive majorities in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, and won a plurality in Queens. Lefkowitz eked out a narrow 1-point plurality win in Staten Island.

Wagner was also the nominee of the Liberal Party, and additionally ran on the Brotherhood ballot line. Lefkowitz also ran on the Nonpartisan and Civic Action ballot lines, while Gerosa also ran on the Independent ballot line.

After being supported by the Tammany Hall machine in his 1953 and 1957 elections, Wagner broke with Tammany Hall in 1961, defeating the Democratic Party power brokers' chosen candidate, Arthur Levitt, in the Democratic primary and then going on to win a third term in the general election. Wagner's victory thus ultimately signified the decline of the power of political machines in New York City.^[3]

Wagner was sworn into his third and final term in January 1962.