Whereas the two preceding mayoral elections of the 1980s had been landslide victories for Koch, who had not lost a single borough and had received the co-endorsement of the Republican Party in 1981, this election was a closely contested race. Dinkins won majorities inthe Bronx,Manhattan,andBrooklyn,while Giuliani carriedQueensand won a landslide onStaten Island.Four years later, in the1993 election,Dinkins and Giuliani would face each other again in a re-match and Dinkins would narrowly lose to Giuliani in his bid for re-election.
Democrats would not win a mayoral election in New York City again until2013.