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    New York City Council Primary Election Results 2025

    Christopher MarteC. MarteMarte 49% Elizabeth LewinsohnE. LewinsohnLewinsohn 24% 91% Helen QiuH. QiuQiu Uncontested Harvey EpsteinH. EpsteinEpstein 39% Sarah BatchuS. BatchuBatchu 21% 83% Jason MurilloJ. MurilloMurillo Uncontested Erik BottcherE. BottcherBottcher 74% Jacqueline LaraJ. LaraLara 25% 81% Virginia MaloneyV. MaloneyMaloney 26.8% Vanessa AronsonV. AronsonAronson 25.4% 79% Debra SchwartzbenD. SchwartzbenSchwartzben Uncontested Julie MeninJ. MeninMenin 73% Collin ThompsonC. ThompsonThompson 26% 81% Alina BonsellA. BonsellBonsell Uncontested Gale BrewerG. BrewerBrewer Uncontested More

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    Jumaane Williams Wins Democratic Primary for Public Advocate

    Mr. Williams, a progressive who has served as public advocate since 2019, has been a forceful critic of Mayor Eric Adams. He faced two more moderate challengers.Jumaane Williams, the progressive organizer who as New York City’s public advocate emerged as one of the most prominent critics of Mayor Eric Adams, handily won the Democratic primary for the office on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.Mr. Williams, 48, faced a challenge from Jenifer Rajkumar, 42, a state assemblywoman from Queens and an ally of the mayor, and Marty Dolan, 67, a former insurance executive. Both argued that Mr. Williams was too left-leaning to effectively hold the office. And as the Democratic mayoral primary narrowed to a two-man race between the moderate former governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the progressive state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, Mr. Williams’s opponents sought to portray him as a would-be adversary of Mr. Cuomo’s who could impede the city’s progress.The public advocate race grew contentious in its final weeks, with Ms. Rajkumar distributing political cartoons and campaign mailers painting the incumbent as lazy and hostile to women. Mr. Williams rejected her claims.But Mr. Williams, who trailed Ms. Rajkumar in fund-raising by about $100,000, easily bested his opponents through heavy advertising and name recognition. In one of his advertisements on Instagram, he underlined his ability to stand up to both Mr. Adams and President Trump, saying the city needed a “strong, independent public advocate to stand up — not just stand by.”Mr. Williams has emerged as one of the highest-ranking progressive Democrats in city leadership since taking office after a special election in 2019. He previously served on the City Council, and in 2022, he challenged Kathy Hochul in the governor’s race. A self-proclaimed “activist elected official,” Mr. Williams has been arrested more than a dozen times at protests, including while demonstrating in favor of tenants’ rights and against deportations.He is one of Mr. Adams’s loudest critics. As the mayor stared down a federal corruption indictment last fall, Mr. Williams said the city was rudderless under his leadership. And as Governor Hochul weighed removing the mayor over his perceived quid pro quo with the Trump administration to drop the charges, Mr. Williams, who as public advocate is first in the line of succession to the mayor, made plans to take the helm in City Hall.The public advocate serves as a city watchdog, helping New Yorkers navigate issues with government and services. The position offers a bully pulpit and has often been considered a springboard to higher office; former Mayor Bill de Blasio and the state attorney general, Letitia James, have both held the post.Mr. Williams also weighed in on the mayoral primary as he campaigned for re-election. In late May, he endorsed a slate of progressive candidates that included Mr. Mamdani; Brad Lander, the city comptroller; and Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker. He expressed concerns about Mr. Cuomo’s candidacy and said that he would not be ranking the former governor on his ballot.Mr. Williams will face a slate of independent candidates in the general election. Mr. Dolan is expected to also run as an independent. More

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    A Heat Wave Hits New York Earlier Than Usual for a Second Year in a Row

    Climate change is increasingly making weather extremes more common.Scorching, record-breaking temperatures on Tuesday kept many people indoors throughout the metropolitan region, strained the electrical grid and stoked concerns among those who are the most vulnerable to the heat, including older New Yorkers and the very young.It was 99 degrees in Central Park this afternoon, the hottest June 24 temperature since records started there in 1869. Kennedy Airport recorded the hottest June day since the site was built in 1948, at 102 degrees.It is the second year in a row that a heat wave has hit the New York City region earlier than usual, as global warming is projected to worsen heat waves and make them more frequent, climate experts say.“Our warming climate underlies everything,” said David Robinson, the New Jersey state climatologist and a geography professor at Rutgers University. “It’s not about the highest temperature; it’s about how long it stays hot and the area of coverage of that heat. It’s 100 up in New England today and down here as well.”Of the 69 weather stations in New Jersey, Mr. Robinson said, over 30 hit 100 degrees. He added that the 10 hottest summers on record for the state had all occurred since 2005.As climate change wreaks havoc with the traditional calendar, the familiar rhythms of the seasons have begun to shift. New York City pools, for example, are not scheduled to open for the summer until Friday.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    With Hours Left in the Primary, the Stars Come Out for Mamdani

    Celebrities like Lorde, Emily Ratajkowski, Cynthia Nixon and Bowen Yang have expressed support for Zohran Mamdani in the New York City mayor’s race.State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, whose insurgent candidacy in New York’s Democratic mayoral primary was defined in part by an adept use of social media, has received a veritable buffet of endorsements in the race’s final days from celebrities with large online followings.The latest nod came from Emily Ratajkowski, a model and actress with more than 29 million followers on Instagram, who posted a video Tuesday with Mr. Mamdani. Wearing a “Hot Girls For Zohran” shirt, Ms. Ratajkowski, a longtime supporter of Bernie Sanders, reminded New Yorkers of the tight margins that decided the last Democratic primary, in 2021. She added that younger voters would be pivotal in Tuesday’s outcome and encouraged her New York City followers to go to the polls“We know it’s hot, but the time is now,” she said.Like Mr. Sanders, who recently endorsed him, Mr. Mamdani has benefited from being perceived as the candidate of New York’s cool kids, who have embraced his message that government must urgently address the city’s affordability crisis. The backing of stars like the pop star Lorde and the “Saturday Night Live” cast members Sarah Sherman and Bowen Yang has excited Mr. Mamdani’s supporters as the candidate has surged to a close second place in the polls behind former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a moderate.On Tuesday, Ms. Sherman participated in a phone bank for Mr. Mamdani along with Cynthia Nixon, the actress and former candidate for New York governor. Ms. Nixon has held fund-raisers for Mr. Mamdani and has regularly slammed Mr. Cuomo, whom she ran against in 2018.Other high-profile figures who have backed Mr. Mamdani include the singer Maggie Rogers, the actress and activist Laverne Cox, the comedian John Early and the leftist podcaster Stavros Halkias, who lives in Astoria, Queens, which is part of Mr. Mamdani’s Assembly district.Whether these endorsements will translate to votes is unclear. At the very least, they serve as a stark reminder of the generational divide that has played out in the race, as Mr. Mamdani, 33, has fired up young progressives while Mr. Cuomo, 67, seeks to hold onto the support of older voters. Several notable older New Yorkers have backed Mr. Cuomo, including the former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, the singer Billy Joel and the fashion designers Michael Kors and Tory Burch. More

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    Anthony Weiner Hopes Voters Have Forgiven or Forgotten

    Mr. Weiner returned from a prison term to launch an unlikely campaign for the City Council. Outside a polling place on Tuesday, it was hot, mostly friendly and a little awkward.Anthony Weiner, posted on a sunbaked corner of the East Village on Tuesday, had stooped to hear an older woman tell him that she had just voted for him when a much younger woman stopped, took a quick selfie in front of the candidate and muttered “pedophile.”“What did she say?” the older woman asked.“Supports another candidate,” Mr. Weiner deadpanned.That he is himself a candidate is a plot twist in a story that many believed had ended badly. Mr. Weiner resigned from Congress in 2011 following a sexting scandal. A second sexting scandal cost him a run for mayor in 2013. Four years later, he was convicted of a felony and served 18 months in prison for sharing sexually explicit photos and texts with a 15-year-old girl.He is now seeking an improbable comeback, running for a City Council seat in Lower Manhattan, asking voters to return him to an office he first won in 1991, in his mid-20s, in a Brooklyn district.During his campaign, he has owned those dark episodes without, as he put it, “wallowing” in them — “contrition, but not scraping.” He hopes his practical, street-level ideas to fix what ails the city — hire more police officers, find proper care for the mentally ill and homeless living in parks — attract voters ready to set aside his past.“I can’t think of another political campaign that’s quite like this,” he said.One thing that is undeniable, watching him greet person after person under a punishing midday sun that reduced his pole-thin shadow to a sliver, is that Mr. Weiner loves this part of the game. He is a tireless retail politician.“You guys vote yet?” he asked a passing couple.“We’re not from here.”“Maybe someday!” he replied.He recalls running for the Council in 1991 and has pictures of himself that year, looking gaunt and strung out.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Why Ranked-Choice Voting Could Have a Pivotal Effect on the Mayor’s Race

    The candidates have struck alliances and made cross-endorsements to take advantage of the ranked-choice voting system.This year’s Democratic primary will be only the second time New York City has used ranked-choice voting — which allows voters to list up to five candidates on their ballots in order of preference — to select a nominee for mayor.The campaigns have worked hard to educate voters about how to make the most of their rankings, and some candidates have struck alliances to improve their chances of winning.A critical partnership emerged the day before early voting began this month when two progressive candidates — Zohran Mamdani, a state lawmaker, and Brad Lander, the city comptroller — cross-endorsed each other in an effort to beat the front-runner, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.The two candidates’ hope is that if most of their supporters rank them in the top two spots on their ballots — and leave Mr. Cuomo off — they can combine their share of the vote and overtake Mr. Cuomo.Trip Yang, a Democratic strategist who is not working on any of the mayoral campaigns, said that it was a smart move by Mr. Mamdani, who has been second in the polls and catching up to Mr. Cuomo.“Given how close the polls are, and the likelihood that Lander will be the last candidate eliminated before the Cuomo-Zohran climax, the X-factor is how overwhelmingly Lander’s votes go to Zohran,” he said.If 65 to 70 percent of Mr. Lander’s votes go to Mr. Mamdani, “then we might have our first Muslim, socialist mayor,” Mr. Yang said.Under the ranked-choice system, if a voter’s top choice is eliminated, their vote is transferred to the next candidate on their ballot, and so on.Before the city began using ranked-choice voting in citywide elections in the 2021 primary, New Yorkers would cast their votes for only one candidate. If no candidate received more than 40 percent of the vote, the top two finishers would go to a runoff. The ranked-choice system amounts to an instant runoff.Mr. Cuomo led in the polls for months, but Mr. Mamdani has generated momentum and the race narrowed considerably. Mr. Cuomo has struck his own alliances, but has not made a cross-endorsement with another candidate.Mr. Cuomo was endorsed by Jessica Ramos, a state senator from Queens who is running for mayor and who had reservations about Mr. Mamdani. Another candidate, Whitney Tilson, a hedge fund executive, also opposes Mr. Mamdani and said he would rank Mr. Cuomo second on his ballot.The left-leaning Working Families Party endorsed a slate of four candidates, including Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Lander, and held a rally on Sunday to show unity against Mr. Cuomo.Adrienne Adams, the City Council speaker who is part of the slate, said she supported the group, but chose not to make a cross-endorsement with Mr. Mamdani.Mr. Mamdani and Michael Blake, a former state lawmaker from the Bronx, also cross-endorsed each other. Mr. Blake has trailed the others in polls, but had a strong debate performance. More

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    2025 NYC Mayoral Race: Photos From the Campaign Trail

    New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary field is crowded, diverse and tenacious, like the city itself. It includes candidates who would be the first woman, the first Muslim and the oldest person elected to lead City Hall. As the race has heated up, the contenders have traversed the five boroughs in an effort to gain support from millions of voters who hold competing interests and visions of New York.Running for citywide office, like much of American politics, is a contact sport. Candidates seeking to raise money and boost their name recognition have had to take their message directly to voters — meeting them everywhere from the seats of the G train to the steps outside an N.B.A. playoff game at Madison Square Garden. And that was just before the first debate.Candidates often campaigned in places where they had personal connections, or sought out New York City icons like the Cyclone roller coaster and the Staten Island Ferry.Yet the dark political mood has cast a shadow over the contest. All the Democrats running have made big promises to bring the city they love back. Rising costs of living, threats from President Trump and enduring concerns over public safety have captured New Yorkers’ attention and are driving their votes. This atmosphere has prompted some of the candidates who currently hold public office to leverage their positions to make waves and force tough policy conversations.The race coincides with continuing tensions within the Democratic Party, which is still forging a path forward after bruising losses in last year’s presidential election. And as the candidates seek to galvanize voters and make a name for themselves, they have also sought to paint themselves as fighters for their city, and against Mr. Trump. Here are some moments captured by New York Times photojournalists of the leading candidates on the campaign trail.Adrienne AdamsAdrienne Adams marching in the Haitian Day Parade; marking the anniversary of her father’s death from Covid-19; and campaigning with Attorney General Letitia James and union leaders.Victor J. Blue for The New York Times, Janice Chung for The New York Times, Dave Sanders for The New York Times and Todd Heisler/The New York TimesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    An Iran Cease-Fire, and Why N.Y.C.’s Mayoral Race Matters for Democrats Everywhere

    Listen to and follow ‘The Daily’Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube | iHeartRadioOvernight, Iran and Israel said they had agreed to a cease-fire — after an Iranian attack on a U.S. air base in Qatar that appeared to be a largely symbolic act of revenge.But the main topic on “The Daily” is the mayor’s race in New York City, where Tuesday is Democratic Primary Day. The race has quickly become an excruciatingly close contest between two candidates who are offering themselves as the solution to what’s wrong with their party in the age of President Trump.Nicholas Fandos, who covers New York politics for The Times, discusses the competing visions competing for the mayoralty and who is most likely to win.Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.On today’s episodeNicholas Fandos, a reporter covering New York politics and government for The New York Times.The primary has taken on national implications, with the top two candidates tapping into Democratic voters’ hunger for a fight.Angelina Katsanis and Anna Watts for The New York TimesBackground readingIn the N.Y.C. mayor’s race, top democrats take on President Trump and their own party.Here’s the latest on Israel and Iran.There are a lot of ways to listen to ‘The Daily.’ Here’s how.We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Michael Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, Nina Feldman, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon M. Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez, Brendan Klinkenberg, Chris Haxel, Maria Byrne, Anna Foley and Caitlin O’Keefe.Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam, Nick Pitman and Kathleen O’Brien. More