Tom Ognibene ran on a platform supporting tax cuts, education reform and opposed Mayor Bloomberg's smoking ban.

The Anthony Weiner campaign launched television ads on August 19, the same day voter registration for the primary elections ended.

Prior to the primary, Ferrer was endorsed by New York state attorney general Eliot Spitzer, Carl McCall, Geraldine Ferraro, Sheldon Silver, the Transport Workers Union, Bronx borough president Adolfo Carrión Jr. and Ruth Messinger.

Ferrer was also endorsed by Representatives Joseph Crowley, Gregory Meeks, Major Owens, José E. Serrano, Edolphus Towns and Nydia Velázquez.

The Democratic primary was held on Tuesday, September 13, with initial returns showing Fernando Ferrer receiving 39.95% of the votes, just short of the 40% needed to avoid a run-off with second-place Anthony Weiner.

This prompted a lawsuit supported by both candidates to prevent the election, the circumstance of which was avoided by a final count giving Ferrer just slightly over 40% of the vote.

[3] Audrey Silk, a former NYPD officer, community activist and founder of NYC Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, was nominated by the party on April 16, 2005.

[4] Issues in the 2005 mayoral race included education, taxes, crime, transportation, public housing, homeland security funding, and the city budget.

On June 6, the planned West Side Stadium was defeated by the Public Authorities Control Board when Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno refused to vote for it.

As a result, the new Mets ballpark, later Citi Field, had been supported by Mayor Bloomberg as the centerpiece of the revised bid.

Bloomberg was endorsed by former mayors Rudy Giuliani and Ed Koch, Jeanine Pirro, Herman Badillo, former congressman Reverend Floyd Flake, Reverend Calvin Butts, and many prominent local Democrats who chose to cross party lines.

[6] After winning the Democratic nomination, Ferrer was endorsed by Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton on September 16.