Why being a ‘numbers guy’ on social media hasn’t worked in the NYC mayoral race

Voting may be over in the New York City mayoral primary election, but the candidates are far from the finish line. For the first time, NYC will choose their new mayoral nominees using ranked-choice voting. As no candidate had a clear majority, it is projected that it could be weeks until we have a clear result.

That doesn’t mean the race hasn’t been dramatic since the polls closed. One of the Democratic frontrunners, arguably with the biggest national name recognition, was Andrew Yang, who has since conceded after early results showed him placed fourth.

One of the biggest hurdles in primary elections is often visibility. We’ve been all too familiar in the US with politicians using social media to hugely increase their presence (not to name names!) – but did it have any impact in this pivotal race?

Although 13 Democrats were in the running, there are five clear frontrunners. If we take a look at their social media followings, there is a clear difference between the candidates. Here’s how their Facebook followers compare, according to Newswhip data:

Number of Facebook followers

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If we break that down into interactions – in other words, people commenting, sharing and reacting to posts – Andrew Yang remains the clear frontrunner:

Facebook interactions

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Twitter tells us a similar story...

Twitter followers

Scott Stringer 17.7k

Eric Adams 34.4k

Maya Wiley 451.5k

Kathryn Garcia 16.3k

Andrew Yang 1.9m

Despite having a huge social footprint, former presidential candidate and “numbers guy” Andrew Yang failed to make the cut. In contrast to this, former police officer Eric Adams has taken the early lead despite a comparatively small presence. He is followed by Maya Wiley and Kathryn Garcia, who despite endorsements from social media powerhouses Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and The New York Times respectively, have not managed to get close to Yang’s impressive following.

After the last administration and the undeniable power of social media, it can be easy to assume that followers equal popularity. But in this closely watched race, we can clearly see that is not the case. Despite what some might tell you about the nature of modern politics, New Yorkers appear to care more about policies and candidate history.

Yours,

Lucy Anna Gray

US audience editor