Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams competed in a crowded Democratic Primary for New York Mayor -- the first Rank Choice Voting election in the City’s history. At the outset, Adams was thirteen points back, battling against self-funding, multi-millionaires, and candidates with greater initial name identification. We developed a campaign narrative focused on Eric Adams’s unique story -- someone who as a teenager suffered police brutality, then went on to become a police officer to tackle racism from within and bridge the divide. As his opponents broadcast milquetoast, generic, shopworn rhetoric in their advertising, Adams struck a unique chord with a vision of tackling violent crime AND police misconduct -- that Adams would be a blue collar mayor who can provide the safety we need and the justice we deserve. We broadened our argument to showcase Eric’s vision, including critical investments in affordable housing, early childhood education, and universal child care -- to bring New York back. As we surged in the polls, when virtually the entire Democratic field launched unfair attacks against Eric, we pushed back effectively, in an authentic, customized way, with local New York City validators. Adams went on to win a crowded Primary and general election to become Mayor in one of the most challenging times in New York history. The New Yorker stated, “Adams’s message of justice and safety and possibility and opportunity will resonate far beyond NYC and will chart a course for Democrats around the country.”