Former NYC subway chief loses mayoral bid by 49 percent

Former New York City Subway chief Joe Lhota (R) lost his bid to become the city’s mayor on Tuesday night by nearly 50 points.

Lhota was defeated by Democrat Bill de Blasio 73 percent to 24 percent in a race that saw de Blasio become the first Democrat to be elected mayor of New York since 1989.

{mosads}Lhota, who is a former aide to New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani (R), had hoped to turn plaudits he won for his response to Hurricane Sandy as New York City Subway chief into a political advantage.

The transit system was shut down during the storm after sustaining widespread damage, however, service was restored in about a week.

From the beginning of the 2013 mayor’s race, the former subway chief struggled to gain traction in overwhelmingly Democratic New York City, however. He sought unsuccessfully to distance himself from national Republicans, while de Blasio frequently tied him to Tea Party groups.