Who won the New York City mayoral election in 2021 and who succeeded them if any?

1. How the 2021 result is reported: a clear Adams victory

Contemporary reporting and election summaries record that Eric Adams won the November 2, 2021, general election for New York City mayor by a wide margin over Republican Curtis Sliwa; major outlets and the city’s election summaries note Adams’s victory and his January 1, 2022, swearing-in ^{[1] [2]}. Ballotpedia and Wikipedia entries for the 2021 race likewise describe Adams as the Democratic nominee who prevailed in both the party primary and the general election ^{[5] [1]}.

2. Why that race mattered politically and procedurally

The 2021 mayoral contest was the first New York City mayoral primary season to use ranked-choice voting after voters approved the change in 2019; the new system shaped the Democratic primary dynamics in which Adams emerged from a crowded field that included Andrew Yang and Kathryn Garcia ^{[1] [6]}. Reporting at the time underlined that Adams entered City Hall as the city’s second Black mayor and as the winner of an open-seat contest after term-limited Bill de Blasio left office ^[1].

3. What “who succeeded them” means here — immediate succession vs. later turnover

If the question asks who succeeded Adams immediately after his 2021 win: he was sworn in January 1, 2022, and served as mayor following Bill de Blasio; available official lists put Eric L. Adams as mayor starting in 2022 ^{[3] [7]}. If the question asks who later succeeded Adams in office: multiple independent outlets and election reporting state that Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 mayoral election and will replace or replaceed Adams as mayor following that vote ^{[4] [8]}.

4. The 2025 context that produced a successor: a quick chronology from sources

Sources covering the 2025 cycle describe an embattled Adams running for re-election but ultimately dropping his campaign late in 2025 and remaining on the ballot as an independent; that year’s contest featured Zohran Mamdani as the Democratic nominee, former governor Andrew Cuomo running as an independent, and Curtis Sliwa again on the Republican line ^{[9] [10]}. News projections and outlets reported Mamdani’s victory on November 4, 2025, citing more than 2 million votes cast and calling Mamdani the mayor-elect who will replace Mayor Eric Adams ^{[4] [8]}.

5. Competing narratives and how outlets frame the change of guard

Mainstream outlets presented Adams’s 2021 win as a decisive, relatively uncompetitive general-election victory against Sliwa ^{[1] [2]}. By contrast, 2025 coverage framed Mamdani’s win as a historic upset for progressives and as a repudiation of Adams’s tenure; NPR and other outlets highlighted the generational and ideological shift represented by Mamdani’s victory and emphasized the large turnout ^{[8] [4]}. Local commentary noted Adams’s struggles in his second term and the unusual dynamic of a former governor (Cuomo) re-entering the municipal arena, which shaped voter choices in 2025 ^{[9] [11]}.

6. What the official records and city lists show

The city’s official lists of mayors and municipal references document the sequence: Bill de Blasio (2014–2021), Eric L. Adams (2022– ), and public reporting confirms that Adams was elected in 2021 and took office in early 2022 ^{[3] [7]}. Subsequent election projections and reporting identify Zohran Mamdani as the projected winner in 2025 who will replace Adams after that election ^{[4] [11]}.

7. Limitations, remaining questions and how to check further

This summary relies solely on the assembled sources: they consistently record Adams’s 2021 victory and report Mamdani’s 2025 win. Available sources do not mention details such as the exact date Mamdani will be sworn in, post-inaugural transition plans, or any litigation or recount activity that might affect the successor timeline — for those specifics check the NYC Board of Elections or future detailed local reporting ^{[12] [4]}. If you want contemporaneous documents (vote tallies, inauguration date) look up the NYC Board of Elections official results and the city’s mayoral office statements cited above ^{[12] [3]}.