Bill de Blasio Mayoral landslide victory

Calling for an era of progressive change, New Yorkers elected Bill de Blasio as their next mayor in a landslide election on Tuesday. The candidate appealed to the diverse mix of voters and secured victory by keeping to the same liberal agenda throughout the campaign, as well as showcasing his biracial family and humble life.

New Yorkers longed for a change from former mayor Bloomberg's billionaire businessman era, opting for a firm liberal who's against stop and frisk and rising income inequality.

With a lead of 73 to 24 percent, De Blasio crushed his Republican opponent, Joe Lhota, to become the first Democrat to hold the seat in over 20 years. Lhota was chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and offered little alternatives to Bloomberg's economic policies, such as not raising taxes on the rich.

The tougher part of the election was the primaries, with De Blasio trailing in fourth place at the beginning of the summer. As the other candidates got distracted by scandals or couldn't effectively respond to scrutiny of their voting record, the next mayor's consistent rhetoric ignited support and claimed him the top Democratic spot.

De Blasio's "tale of two cities" catchphrase highlighted his main concern in New York: the growing gap between the rich and the working class. The slogan became a campaign favorite and separated him from Bloomberg's pro-business policies.

The elected mayor's compassion for activism and politics was evident in his early adult life and he became more involved in his community and civic leadership. De Blasio cites his mother as a key figure in his life, their close relationship unparallel to one with his father. The young De Blasio had an estranged connection with his troubled father, who lost his leg serving in WWII, became an alcoholic and later committed suicide.

Serving as an aide to local politicians for many years, De Blasio's popularity grew as the campaign manager of Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate race. He was then elected to be a New York City councilor, a position he held for eight years until moving on to become the city's public advocate.

Personalizing his campaign depicted De Blasio as a "normal man", much different than Bloomberg who was criticized for being out of touch with the everyday New Yorker. De Blasio lives in a modest home in Brooklyn with his racially mixed family and he will be the first mayor to have children attending public school.

He is married to a black woman, Chirlane McCray, and together they have raised two children, Dante and Chiara. The 16-year-old Dante rocked an afro as he appeared in De Blasio's first campaign commercial. Putting his biracial family in the spotlight resonated with voters who appreciate diversity in such a multicultural city.

Speaking on his father's policies, Dante said,

He's the only one who will end a stop and frisk era that unfairly targets people of color. Bill de Blasio will be a mayor for every New Yorker, no matter where they live or what they look like. And I'd say that even if he weren't my dad."

The advertisement struck a chord with New Yorkers who realized that Dante could be a victim of the police tactic criticized for commonly targeting black and minority communities. De Blasio's deep connection and sensitivity to the issue was evident and voters could predict where he would stand on issues of racial justice.

Although he ran on bold progressive campaign promises, De Blasio may be facing obstacles as he is sworn in on January 1st. With crime rates in the city at record lows, he is at risk of backlash if the removal of stop and frisk policy leads to a rise in crime.

De Blasio's other priority is to increase taxes for those making $500,000 or more to fund pre-kindergarten classes. He unluckily needs the support of Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has already said his goal before his own election next year is not to raise any taxes.

Governing 8 million people won't be an easy task for the next mayor, but his overwhelming victory will give De Blasio the confidence to keep his progressive promises.

In his victory speech, De Blasio reminded people of the difficulties ahead:

Tackling inequality isn't easy. It never has been, and it never will be. The challenges we face have been decades in the making, and the problems we set out to address will not be solved overnight. But make no mistake: The people of this city have chosen a progressive path. And tonight we set forth on it - together, as one city."

Nilay Tuncok