In the first round, Craig secured 46.5% of the vote, compared with Astley’s 22.2%.
This meant the ballot papers from voters who did not select either of them as their first choice were brought back into play.
They were checked to see if the second-preference votes were for either the Labour or Reform candidate.
They were then added to the first-preference votes.
Craig expanded her already significant lead.
More than two million people across Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs were eligible to vote in the contest but turnout was just under 25%.
Analysis of the votes showed that Craig came top of the poll in the first round of voting in all the 10 local authority areas that make up Greater Manchester.
Astley came second in eight of the 10 areas, while the Green candidate Geraldine Coggins came second in Manchester and the Conservative candidate Phil Eckersley was second in Trafford.