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The borough of Manhattan has a huge gay population. And it has a Hispanic population that accounts for more than a quarter of the borough, as well as a black population that numbers in the hundreds of thousands. And it has a historic Asian neighborhood in Chinatown and a large white population in the Upper and Lower East Sides.

Given such diversity, can any one politician represent the whole island?

The candidates running for Manhattan borough president, in a group that now numbers nearly a dozen, have realized that to gain any headway in such a crowded field, they must largely forsake a borough-wide campaign and play to their bases, slicing up the electorate's many voting blocs in hopes of gaining an edge.

And while they all say they want to appeal to all Manhattanites, their initial strategy, it seems, is to get a stronghold in the borough's slices: Dominicans in Washington Heights, black voters in central Harlem, Puerto Ricans on the Lower East Side and East Harlem, white residents on the Upper East and West Side, and gay voters in Chelsea and Greenwich Village.

Recently, one candidate, Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat, was preparing for a morning of campaigning at a subway station in Washington Heights, and noted how he had hopscotched around to strategic subway stations in his quest for support.

"So far, I've done all the stations in Washington Heights," Mr. Espaillat said, referring to the Manhattan neighborhood that he has represented in the Assembly for eight years. "I've also done all the stations in East Harlem and the subway stations on the Lower East Side. In fact I've gone to all the subway stations north of 135th Street."

In essence, Mr. Espaillat was outlining the areas that are home to most of the borough's Hispanic voters. And, in concentrating first on those areas, Mr. Espaillat, the first Dominican-American member of the State Assembly, is focusing most intently on what he sees as his natural political base.

And he is no different from his contenders in the crowded race for borough president. In fact, the nearly dozen candidates reflect the borough's complex stew of ethnicity, race and sexual orientation. While all the candidates agree that it is important that they try to appeal to the breadth of Manhattan voters, they also acknowledge that their campaigns must be built on a secure foothold in one community.

"The key right now for us is to solidify our base," Mr. Espaillat said. "It's critical. If your base is splintered, you're going to have serious trouble. Once it's solidified, you can go outside of your base and build on those other building blocks."

For the candidates, it is hard to ignore the ethnic and racial considerations of the contest. Many of the candidates are elected officials or former officeholders who have some history attaining votes in their corner of the borough. And they say it is most important initially to make sure that their constituents know about their candidacies and that they come to the polls.

The September Democratic primary includes three Hispanic candidates: Mr. Espaillat, Councilwoman Margarita López and Carlos Manzano, a former city administrator. There are two black candidates: Assemblyman Keith L. T. Wright and Councilman Bill Perkins. The remaining candidates are white; they include Brian Ellner, a lawyer; former Councilman Stanley Michels; Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz and Assemblyman Scott Stringer. Barry Popik, who is an administrative law judge, is a Republican candidate. The large Democratic field could narrow after the deadline for candidate petitions on July 14, when the Board of Elections begins to determine who is qualified for the ballot. The candidates are competing in a borough that is about 45 percent white and roughly 27 percent Hispanic. Black Manhattanites account for about 15 percent of the borough, and Asian-Americans account for slightly less than 10 percent.

Mr. Ellner said his campaign was conducting "the most sophisticated program as we have ever seen," to concentrate on Manhattan's gay voters. "We know that the gay community is a significant percentage of the voting population in Manhattan," said Mr. Ellner, who aims to become the first openly gay Manhattan borough president - as does Ms. López.

"It's a population that continues to be denied basic rights. And we're eager to reach these voters," Mr. Ellner said. He held a campaign kickoff during a gay pride rally in Manhattan last weekend.

And Mr. Wright, another candidate, said he had campaigned throughout Harlem, the area he represents in Albany. "I have campaigned at every subway station in Harlem, and I have also gone to Washington Heights and down to 86th Street," he said.

"I plan to campaign downtown and in other parts of Manhattan," Mr. Wright said. "I like to hit the home stations and territory first before venturing out. I think it could be viewed as consolidating one's base."

Given the dynamics of such a crowded race in such a diverse borough, that strategy makes sense, consultants say.

"The key to this race is for a candidate to pull out his or her base the strongest and then to expand that base the most," said Basil Smikle, a political consultant. "No one candidate is going to be able to pull much from anyone else's backyard. So the question is, what candidate can do the best job of pulling out their supporters and building on that group."

Perhaps the most high-profile candidate in the race is Ms. Moskowitz, a city councilwoman from the East Side who earned widespread attention when she held Council hearings over work rules governing teachers and others in the school system. She says she is working to broaden her appeal boroughwide. "I feel that I'm doing pretty well with my base and that no one can make real inroads there," Ms. Moskowitz said. "I have worked like a dog for my constituents for six years, and I'm confident that I'm on solid ground with them."

As a result, Ms. Moskowitz said, she has been making more campaign appearances in Harlem, Chelsea and other parts of the borough in recent weeks. "Right now, I'm trying to be visible all over Manhattan."

Those who have been in office for some time say their challenge is creating enthusiasm among their constituents, who can help elect them to a different office.

"I have to convince people who know me the best that my election as borough president will enhance their quality of life," said Assemblyman Stringer, who represents the Upper West Side of Manhattan, "as opposed to my staying in the Assembly. I have to convince them that the borough president race matters. The more I do that, the more I drive my base."