Rank Thoughtfully
The Democratic primary is this Tuesday, June 24, and everyone from the Mayor to City Council members is on the ballot. Early voting continues through Sunday afternoon (check your polling location here).
As you probably know by now, it will be increasingly extremely hot this weekend, with temperatures potentially hitting 101°F by Tuesday. If you can, vote early, drink plenty of water, and be safe out there. (More tips here from Governor Hochul.) But from a campaign perspective, this is bad news for those hoping for a large Election Day turnout to win.
How the Race Looks Right Now:
According to Marist and the Manhattan Institute polls, former Governor Andrew Cuomo is currently leading by 10 points, but Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani is catching up, especially here in Brooklyn.
The race is decidedly intergenerational. Mamdani's supporters are young, and his victory hinges on his impressive volunteer operation's ability to get his voters to the polls. So far, it is working. Early voting turnout has been at record levels, thanks to those under 35 showing up in force, as Gothamist reported earlier this week. Conversely – Cuomo needs the votes of his base, those over 45.
Moderates Scott Stringer, Adrienne Adams, and Brad Lander are lagging behind, but their supporters' second and third-choice picks will swing the election—so everyone's rankings really count.
Ranked-Choice Voting Reminder:
Rank your favorite candidate first and your least favorite (but still acceptable) very last. If your top choice gets eliminated, your other rankings will still influence the outcome. Suppose you're not thrilled by either Cuomo or Mamdani. In that case, you don't have to rank them—but know you might lose a chance to influence the final result as your ballot will become exhausted after all your candidates are eliminated and will no longer count.
New York Editorial Board Interviews:
Over the past few months, I've been part of an informal group of veteran editors called the New York Editorial Board, and we interviewed all major candidates for mayor, comptroller, and public advocate with one exception – Andrew Cuomo. These conversations covered their policies, experience, and vision for New York City. You can find all these interviews here and our de-brief here. You may also want to read Josh Greenman's piece on how Mamdani and Cuomo are not all that different for the Vital City and Nicole Gelinas' piece in the New York Times about how the shift on crime upended the mayor's race.
Brooklyn's Candidates:
Brooklyn put up two excellent candidates for mayor in the primary: City Comptroller Brad Lander, who used to represent Park Slope in the city council, and Senator Zellnor Myrie, who represents the neighborhoods from East Flatbush to Park Slope. Both offer pragmatic, progressive policies.
With his goal of building one million housing units, Zellnor Myrie set the bar for the conversation of how much housing we need to build in the city and that it cannot be done without significant private sector involvement. He also champions free afterschool, a must for working parents in this city.
Unfortunately, like most candidates in the center, he did not succeed in attracting enough attention to make it likely that he'd be elected, but he's definitely someone to watch going forward.
Of all the candidates we interviewed, Brad Lander had the deepest knowledge of the city and the most thought-out, realistically implementable solutions to fix what's broken and move it forward. Not all of them (like being rational about school consolidation) are popular with his base.
You may disagree with Lander on many issues—I do—but he has integrity, an open mind, and unparalleled dedication. His endorsement of Zohran Mamdani left me perplexed, having seen him position himself as more of a centrist. Still, maybe that is the pragmatic move for someone who really does not want to see Andrew Cuomo win the election.
Others:
Former Comptroller Scott Stringer, like Lander, knows the city incredibly well and has pragmatic solutions. However, they are more about restoring what's worked than moving the city forward. He knows what can be done, and how to do it.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams entered the race late, and it seems somewhat reluctantly. She's a thoughtful, solidly progressive choice with a base in Queens that overlaps somewhat with the frontrunner Cuomo.
Whitney Tilson is a conservative favorite for his businesslike approach to fixing the city's problems. Unfortunately, his plans are rather unrealistic when it comes to implementation, but there are good ideas there that I hope the next mayor will consider.
Here's more on Queens Senator Jessica Ramos and Michael Blake, as well as Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who by now requires no introduction.
Other races:
Bay Ridge and Coney Island Councilmember Justin Brannan is running against Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine for Comptroller. Queens Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar is running against Public Advocate Jumaane Williams (also from Brooklyn) for Public Advocate.
When We'll Know the Results:
The initial first-choice results will be announced on election night, but because of election rules, the final results will likely come a week later.
Don't sit this one out if you can—your vote matters!
( I've been writing about the mayor's race for the weekly Bigger Apple newsletter, so please check it out for a more in-depth conversation.)
