NY Primary Preview - Citywide and Boroughwide

New York City Mayor

Adrienne Adams vs. Selma Bartholomew vs. Michael Blake vs. Andrew Cuomo vs. Brad Lander vs. Zohran Mamdani vs. Zellnor Myrie vs. Paperboy Prince vs. Jessica Ramos vs. Scott Stringer vs. Whitney Tilson

So. Andrew Cuomo is back. The ex-governor resigned in disgrace after more than a dozen sexual misconduct allegations finally did what numerous corruption scandals had failed to do—cost him the support of New York’s atrociously conservative and corrupt Democratic establishment.

They are, for the most part, supporting his return as if none of that ever happened. And he’s led in every poll save one.

Some, if not most, will claim it is out of a fear of socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, Cuomo’s leading opponent in the polls. Some will falsely smear Mamdani as an antisemite to explain away their sudden reversal on the fairly easy question of “Is Andrew Cuomo a piece of shit?” But the reality is that New York’s Democratic establishment doesn’t just fear Mamdani—they like Cuomo. They like corruption, they like retaliation, they like living in fear of a crooked strongman from Queens, whether that strongman is a brash developer turned tabloid fixture or the entitled son of a popular governor. They could have coalesced around anyone else to stop Mamdani if that was really their intention—Comptroller Brad Lander is a dogged progressive but also a competent, honest public servant; much of the same could be said of state Sen. Zellnor Myrie or former Assemblyman Michael Blake, and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is a perfectly normal, competent moderate Democrat, if that’s more your speed. You need no further proof than the fact that a long list of New York Democratic politicians who called for Cuomo’s resignation once his end seemed inevitable are now enthusiastically backing his return, now that he seems ascendant rather than moribund. At best, his endorsers are spineless hacks who don’t believe in anything; at worst, his endorsers were lying for political gain when they called for his resignation four years ago, and they want a crooked tyrant in Gracie Mansion.

What kind of crooked tyrant, you ask? Let me give you a brief and by no means exhaustive history of Andrew Cuomo Sucking Ass.

There’s the time he set up a commission to investigate corruption in New York state government, then obstructed its operations and investigations. There’s the time he stacked New York’s top court with conservatives who would go on to prevent Democrats from drawing a more favorable congressional map. There’s his steep cuts to Medicaid and the MTA, the latter helping to cause the MTA’s notorious “summer of hell.” There’s his deeply corrupt economic redevelopment in Buffalo, termed the Buffalo Billion—which resulted in the corruption convictions of top Cuomo aides until the corrupt Supreme Court overturned them. There’s his deadly policy of forcing COVID patients into nursing homes, and the subsequent coverup. There’s his sexual harassment of over a dozen women, and the subsequent coverup. And, in my opinion worst of all, there’s his role in brokering Republican control of the New York State Senate for a decade. Don’t fucking vote for this guy! He is the closest thing to a Democratic Trump there is (though incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, who is running on an independent ballot line in November, bears a passing resemblance himself, mostly for his tendency to say off-the-wall shit.)

Nevertheless, he has racked up endorsements from across the city, state, and country. The party bosses and machinery in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens are openly backing him, and the party machinery in the Bronx is tacitly doing so. Former President Bill Clinton and former House Democratic #3 Jim Clyburn have dropped in to endorse Cuomo as well. As many a hackneyed commentator has said: it’s one big club and you ain’t in it.

And the great thing about this mayoral race? If you’re uneasy about Mamdani, the avowedly socialist legislator—who promises a citywide rent freeze in rent-stabilized apartments, universal childcare, and a free bus program—you can happily rank him fifth to stop Cuomo, because voters skeptical of both leading candidates have an embarrassment of riches to choose from. There’s Lander, the progressive comptroller who recently gained national attention for his arrest as he defended an immigrant from ICE at the immigrant’s court hearing; there’s Adams, a pro-business moderate who’s on good terms with progressives, so much so that the progressive WFP and AOC both ranked her on their mayoral endorsement slates; there’s Myrie, a wonkish, generally progressive state senator who’s gotten particular attention from YIMBYs; there’s Blake, a normie Democrat with a clear-eyed view of Cuomo’s flaws; there’s Scott Stringer, a former City Comptroller with sexual harassment allegations of his own but also a record of actual competence; even worse, there’s Jessica Ramos, a formerly progressive state senator who has endorsed Cuomo out of spite after her campaign failed to launch, but at least is not Cuomo herself. If you are a real conservative, there's hedge fund guy Whitney Tilson, who is authentically terrible but also not Cuomo. New Yorkers have options!

Some candidates have openly cross-endorsed to stop Cuomo; Mamdani has cross-endorsements with both Lander and Blake, the latter of whom got a last-minute infusion of public matching funds. And non-candidates like AOC, the WFP, and state AG Tish James have done their part to encourage voters to rank a full slate: while WFP and AOC have Mamdani as their first choice, they have encouraged voters to rank a full slate also including Lander, Adrienne Adams, Myrie, and Blake, and James has encouraged voters to rank Adrienne Adams first with Lander second and Mamdani third. Some non-Mamdani candidates including Lander and Myrie have pivoted to hard-hitting Cuomo attacks in the final stretch, seemingly realizing they may not have a chance at victory but may still have the opportunity to stop Cuomo.

Will it be enough? God only knows, but if you’re a New Yorker who hasn’t voted already, please take the time to vote on Tuesday. Rank Mamdani somewhere (fifth is fine!) and, more importantly, do not rank Cuomo.

New York City Public Advocate

Jumaane Williams (i) vs. Martin Dolan vs. Jenifer Rajkumar

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams appears to be a strong favorite for reelection this year, despite a spirited challenge from Queens Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar. What scant polling is available suggests Williams is popular and well-known. While Rajkumar’s eccentric centrist campaign is well-funded—she has outraised and outspent the incumbent before taking independent expenditures into account, and she has benefited from those as well—she simply hasn’t articulated a compelling argument for firing the progressive Williams from the largely symbolic role, which has little formal power other than being next in line in the event that the mayor leaves office before their term is up. (She may also be suffering from her association with Mayor Eric Adams, to whom she tied herself rather tightly prior to his federal corruption indictment.) Also running is Marty Dolan, a conservative protest candidate most notable for losing 82%-18% in a 2024 primary challenge to AOC.

New York City Comptroller

Justin Brannan vs. Mark Levine vs. Ismael Malave vs. Kevin Parker

Who’s the progressive choice for Comptroller? It’s hard to say at first glance, but it’s clear New Yorkers are in for a downgrade from first-term Comptroller Brad Lander. It might be easiest to start with who the progressive choice most definitely isn’t: Brooklyn state Sen. Kevin Parker. A loyal cog in the Brooklyn machine and a stubborn obstacle to progressive legislative priorities, Parker is best known for his incredible temper, which has repeatedly erupted into physical violence. Thankfully, he is widely seen as hopeless in this year’s primary; the real contest is between Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Bay Ridge City Council Member Justin Brannan.

Brannan is, depending on who you ask, either a cautious progressive or an opportunistic phony. A longtime favorite of the Working Families Party, he has their support in this race despite being an early and enthusiastic booster of Eric Adams’s mayoral run—right up until Adams cut Brannan out of his inner circle. Brannan has attacked Levine for failing to call for Adams’s resignation—an attack Levine has tried to neutralize by pointing out that Brannan (and not Levine) was an Adams backer in 2021. Brannan has also flip-flopped on a Coney Island casino project, and, probably not coincidentally, he’s now backed by a super PAC run by a Coney Island casino lobbyist.

Levine is a lot simpler: he’s a machine liberal. Not a progressive or a reformer, but also not a conservative and fairly predictable. Some progressives are skeptical of his ardent pro-Israel stance, which isn’t particularly relevant to the job of comptroller, and more are understandably skeptical of his support from much of New York City’s moderate establishment; New York City’s deep bench of progressive elected officials is generally backing Brannan (though AOC is notably sitting this race out.)

Polling is scarce but consistently shows a Levine lead, even in Brannan internals; the Manhattan Borough President should be seen as at least a slight favorite.

Albany Mayor

Dorcey Applyrs vs. Corey Ellis vs. Carolyn McLaughlin vs. Dan Cerutti

Stop if you’ve heard this one before: a polished centrist outsider with a spotty political track record swoops into a mayoral race packed with more experienced liberals and progressives, promising to Clean Things Up, all while supported by the people who benefit most from the status quo due to a shared allegiance to generally conservative politics. Am I talking about Josh Kraft? Rick Caruso? Daniel Lurie? Michael Bloomberg? Well, yes. But I’m also talking about self-funding eldercare company executive Dan Cerutti, one of the frontrunners for mayor of Albany—and also a former Republican in Texas. City Auditor Dorcey Applyrs is Cerutti’s main obstacle; backed by the Working Families Party and progressive Asw. Gabriella Romero, she has the most citywide name recognition and apparent support. However, a PAC supporting Cerutti has gone negative on all three of Cerutti’s opponents—Common Council President Corey Ellis and County Legislator Carolyn McLaughlin as well as Applyrs—attacking all three for allegedly wanting to defund the police. (None do. However, all three are Black.) Cerutti is also a big fan of public-private partnerships, which could insert a whole lot of graft and profiteering into the recently-authorized $400 million redevelopment package which the state legislature just passed to revitalize Albany’s ailing downtown and undo the damage of urban freeways.

Buffalo Mayor

Chris Scanlon (i) vs. Sean Ryan vs. Anthony Tyson-Thompson vs. Garnell Whitfield vs. Rasheed Wyatt

Four-term Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown achieved national attention for his stunning upset loss to democratic socialist India Walton in the 2021 mayoral primary and his equally stunning Republican-backed write-in victory over Walton in the general election. Then, after all that, the longtime fixture of Buffalo politics abruptly quit midway through his fifth term in 2024 to take a private-sector job as a gambling executive.

Sure, I guess.

With Brown’s seat vacant, the president of the Buffalo Common Council, Christopher Scanlon, became the acting mayor. Scanlon previously represented the conservative, heavily Irish South District on the Common Council, and he’s running a predictable campaign for mayor, super heavy on law-and-order themes and defund-the-police fearmongering. The city’s business establishment—including the business empire of notorious Republican activist and bigot Carl Paladino—is backing him financially, as are unions representing police and firefighters. However, much of the city’s Democratic establishment—though not all of it, as Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes’s Scanlon endorsement proves—is set on a different and thankfully less conservative candidate, state Sen. Sean Ryan. (Also running are former Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield, former state legislative aide Anthony Tyson-Thompson, and Common Council member Rasheed Wyatt—but it seems like a Scanlon-Ryan race to most observers.) Ryan is backed by the bulk of organized labor, the Erie County Democratic Committee, and Buffalo politicians including Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz and state Sen. April Baskin, as well as the left-wing Working Families Party, which has its own ballot line in the general election. Speaking of the general election, Ryan isn’t the only candidate with a second ballot line as insurance for November if the Democratic primary doesn’t go his way; Scanlon and Whitfield have also filed sufficient petitions to earn a spot on the November ballot on an independent line if they wish.

Rochester Mayor

Malik Evans (i) vs. Mary Lupien vs. Shashi Sinha

Four years ago, then-City Councilor Malik Evans unseated indicted Mayor Lovely Warren with the backing of a wide cross-section of Rochester politics. He seems headed to reelection against a split opposition, as progressive City Councilor Mary Lupien’s campaign doesn’t seem to have gained enough traction and self-funders like Shashi Sinha usually struggle, though Mercedes Vasquez-Simmons, the president of the county legislature, did donate $500 to Sinha’s campaign. Lupien is staking her campaign on an ambitious set of policy proposals including a guaranteed basic income (implemented as, essentially, a child stipend) and greater funding for comprehensive afterschool and summer youth support programs. Curiously, the Working Families Party is sitting this race out, while some other progressive groups which normally align with the WFP are backing Lupien.

Syracuse Mayor

Patrick Hogan vs. Chol Majok vs. Sharon Owens

Technically, this is an offensive race for Democrats, as outgoing mayor Ben Walsh is an independent formerly aligned with the Republican Party. But it’s deep-blue Syracuse, and there’s no strong independent candidate like Walsh on the horizon; the next mayor is quite likely to be one of the three Democrats competing in Tuesday’s primary. Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens is the consensus choice of Walsh and progressives like state Sen. Rachel May and the Working Families Party, while Common Councilor Patrick Hogan is the choice of the city and county Democratic committees as well as more establishment-minded local elected officials like state Sen. Chris Ryan. Common Councilor Chol Majok is also running but seems like the odd man out in this race. Owens has outspent Hogan, but Hogan has been much more reliant on corporate contributions, while Majok has trailed both. As far as messaging goes, Owens has been betting on Walsh’s popularity, framing herself as a continuity candidate, while Hogan has been doing the exact opposite, attacking Owens and the mayor at every turn, particularly over a city budget which raised taxes to fund schools and which the council unilaterally decided to cut.

Manhattan DA

Alvin Bragg (i) vs. Patrick Timmins

Alvin Bragg is a safe bet for another term. Patrick Timmins, an attorney for union workers injured by asbestos who is backed by former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, will serve as a barometer of conservative protest voting.

Manhattan Borough President

Brad Hoylman-Sigal vs. Keith Powers vs. Calvin Sun

State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal is, once again, a frontrunner for Manhattan Borough President, four years after losing to establishment favorite Mark Levine. Now, his more establishment foe is term-limited Council Member Keith Powers, who has represented a segment of Midtown and the Upper East Side since 2022. The Working Families Party has sat this race out, reflecting Hoylman-Sigal’s NIMBYism and Powers’s general past centrism. Actual disagreements between the candidates are hard to come by, other than on housing—Hoylman-Sigal is generally anti-, while Powers and physician Calvin Sun, who has cross-endorsed with Powers, are generally pro-.

Brooklyn Borough President

Antonio Reynoso (i) vs. Khari Edwards

Progressive City Council member Antonio Reynoso won a crowded primary to succeed Eric Adams as Brooklyn Borough President in 2021, defeating a long list of candidates including Khari Edwards, a local nonprofit executive. Reynoso is now heavily favored for a second term, but Edwards is back for a rematch, endorsed by local machine politicians including Assemblypersons Brian Cunningham and Stefani Zinerman, as well as some major unions like AFSCME DC-37 and UFT. Edwards is running as almost a single-issue NIMBY, while Reynoso, a progressive who had been floated as a potential mayoral candidate, is running on generic progressive policy. Reynoso should be strongly favored, but Edwards’s performance will serve as a barometer of conservative sentiment in New York City’s most populous borough.

Bronx Borough President

Vanessa Gibson (i) vs. Rafael Salamanca

Vanessa Gibson is not exactly a hardcore progressive, but she’s more than willing to align with them, which makes her an easy choice over term-limited Council Member Rafael Salamanca. Gibson has cross-endorsed with Jumaane Williams and won the endorsement of the WFP, while Salamanca has cozied up to conservative monsters like Rubén Díaz Sr. Vote Gibson if you’re in the Bronx; stop Salamanca.