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1965 New York City mayoral election

Updated: Wikipedia source

1965 New York City mayoral election

The 1965 New York City mayoral election occurred on Tuesday, November 2, 1965, with Republican Congressman John Lindsay winning a close plurality victory over the Democratic candidate, New York City Comptroller Abraham Beame. Lindsay received 44.99% of the vote to Beame's 40.98%, a victory margin of 4.01%. Finishing in a distant third was the candidate of the recently formed Conservative Party, conservative author and commentator William F. Buckley Jr., who received 13.36% of the vote, but whose unexpectedly strong support made the race "one of the most memorable ... in New York history." Lindsay and Beame received the Liberal and Civil Service ballot line respectively. Lindsay won a decisive majority in Manhattan, while winning comfortable plurality victories in Queens and Staten Island. Beame won pluralities in the Bronx and Brooklyn. This was the first time since 1941, and the last time until 1993, that Republicans won a mayoral election in New York City.

Infobox

Registered
3,281,689
Turnout
2,652,45180.82% (4.66 pp)
Candidate
John Lindsay
Party
Republican
Alliance
Liberal
Popular vote
1,149,106
Percentage
45.0%

Tables

1965 New York City Democratic primary · Democratic primary › Results
Total votes
Total votes
Party
Total votes
Party
750,139
Candidate
100.00%
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
Democratic
Abraham Beame
336,345
44.84%
Democratic
Paul R. Screvane
271,381
36.18%
Democratic
William Fitts Ryan
113,738
15.16%
Democratic
Paul O'Dwyer
28,675
3.82%
Total votes
750,139
100.00%
· Democratic primary › Results › Results by borough
1965 Democratic primary
Manhattan
The Bronx
Brooklyn
Queens
Staten Island
Total
Abraham D. Beame
53,386
66,064
128,146
82,601
6,148
336,345
Paul R. Screvane
66,444
54,260
79,485
63,680
7,512
271,381
William F. Ryan
48,744
16,632
24,588
22,570
1,204
113,738
Paul O'Dwyer
6,771
5,976
8,332
6,895
697
28,675
750,139
1969 New York City mayoral election · General election › Results
Total votes
Total votes
Party
Total votes
Party
2,554,199
Candidate
100.00%
Party
Candidate
Votes
%
mw- ±%
Republican
John Lindsay
%
Liberal
John Lindsay
281,796
11.03%
2.32
Independent
John Lindsay
%
Total
John Lindsay
1,149,106
44.99%
N/A
Democratic
Abraham Beame
983,109
38.49%
1.11
Civil Service
Abraham Beame
63,590
2.49%
N/A
Total
Abraham Beame
1,046,699
40.98%
N/A
Conservative
William F. Buckley
341,226
13.36%
N/A
United Taxpayers
Vito Battista
11,104
0.43%
0.39
Socialist Workers
Clifton DeBerry
3,977
0.16%
0.13
Socialist Labor
Eric Haas
2,087
0.08%
0.06
Total votes
2,554,199
100.00%
· General election › Results › Results by borough
John V. Lindsay
John V. Lindsay
1965 General Election
John V. Lindsay
party
Republican - Liberal - Independent Citizens
Manhattan
291,326
The Bronx
181,072
Brooklyn
308,398
Queens
331,162
Richmond [Staten Is.]
37,148
Total
1,149,106
%
45.0%
55.8%
55.8%
1965 General Election
55.8%
party
39.5%
Manhattan
40.0%
The Bronx
47.1%
Brooklyn
45.8%
Abraham Beame
Abraham Beame
1965 General Election
Abraham Beame
party
Democratic - Civil Service Fusion
Manhattan
193,230
The Bronx
213,980
Brooklyn
365,360
Queens
250,662
Richmond [Staten Is.]
23,467
Total
1,046,699
%
41.0%
37.0%
37.0%
1965 General Election
37.0%
party
46.6%
Manhattan
47.4%
The Bronx
35.6%
Brooklyn
28.9%
William F. Buckley, Jr.
William F. Buckley, Jr.
1965 General Election
William F. Buckley, Jr.
party
Conservative
Manhattan
37,694
The Bronx
63,858
Brooklyn
97,679
Queens
121,544
Richmond [Staten Is.]
20,451
Total
341,226
%
13.4%
7.2%
7.2%
1965 General Election
7.2%
party
13.9%
Manhattan
12.7%
The Bronx
17.3%
Brooklyn
25.2%
subtotal
subtotal
1965 General Election
subtotal
party
522,250
Manhattan
458,910
The Bronx
771,437
Brooklyn
703,368
Queens
81,066
Richmond [Staten Is.]
2,537,031
Total
99.4%
others
others
1965 General Election
others
Manhattan
17,168
The Bronx
0.6%
T O T A L
T O T A L
1965 General Election
T O T A L
Manhattan
2,554,199
1965 General Election
party
Manhattan
The Bronx
Brooklyn
Queens
Richmond [Staten Is.]
Total
%
John V. Lindsay
Republican - Liberal - Independent Citizens
291,326
181,072
308,398
331,162
37,148
1,149,106
45.0%
55.8%
39.5%
40.0%
47.1%
45.8%
Abraham Beame
Democratic - Civil Service Fusion
193,230
213,980
365,360
250,662
23,467
1,046,699
41.0%
37.0%
46.6%
47.4%
35.6%
28.9%
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Conservative
37,694
63,858
97,679
121,544
20,451
341,226
13.4%
7.2%
13.9%
12.7%
17.3%
25.2%
subtotal
522,250
458,910
771,437
703,368
81,066
2,537,031
99.4%
others
17,168
0.6%
T O T A L
2,554,199

References

  1. "New York City Mayoral Election 1965"
    http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=79103
  2. New York Times Magazine
    https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/02/magazine/the-buckley-effect.html
  3. Cannato 2001, p. 22.
  4. Cannato 2001, p. 21.
  5. Cannato 2001, pp. 22–23.
  6. The New York Times
    https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1965/06/24/106995332.html
  7. Soyer 2021, p. 189.
  8. Soyer 2021, p. 190.
  9. Soyer 2021, p. 191.
  10. New York Times
    https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/remembering-buckleys-1965-run-for-mayor/
  11. New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/books/review/buckley-sam-tanenhaus.html
  12. The New Yorker
  13. Soyer 2021, p. 194.
  14. Page 41 of the 1966 World Almanac & Book of Facts and page 69 of Cannato's The Ungovernable City: John Lindsay and His S
    https://books.google.com/books?id=Upv5ezVPBOMC&pg=PA69
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