Ex-policeman Eric Adams is on track to become New York’s next mayor after the city’s elections authorities on Tuesday released new results showing he had maintained a lead in the Democratic primary.

The 60-year-old Brooklyn borough president claimed victory after the Board of Elections said he held a lead of one percentage point over nearest rival and fellow moderate Kathryn Garcia.

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Adams ran on a public safety platform after a surge in crime in New York, as in most major US cities, since last summer.

The Associated Press news agency called the election for Adams but Garcia did not immediately concede and several local media remained cautious.

“While there are still some very small amounts of votes to be counted, the results are clear: a historic, diverse, five-borough coalition led by working-class New Yorkers has led us to victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York,’ Adams said in a statement.

Adams spent almost two decades as a police officer in the New York City Transit Police and subsequently the New York City Police Department, retiring with the rank of captain.

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From 2006 until 2013, he represented Brooklyn’s 20th Senate District in the New York State Senate. Adams was elected Brooklyn Borough President in November 2013, making him the first African American to occupy the post, and he was reelected in November 2017.

According to the New York Times, Adams and his brother were jailed for criminal trespassing when they were 15-year-old. They were assaulted by NYPD policemen while in detention until a black cop interfered.

After the event, Adams struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, although he has stated that the violent encounter inspired him to pursue a career in law enforcement.

His resolve was bolstered when a local preacher advised that by joining the police department, he might help transform police culture from the inside.

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If elected, Adams, a former police captain, will be the city’s second Black mayor.