This archive report was first published on 23 June 2021.
On June 22, 2021, New York's mayoral primary election results revealed a mixed bag for the city's left-leaning voters. While Mayor-elect Eric Adams's lead was dispiriting to some, other key down-ballot races offered a glimmer of hope.
One such race was the Manhattan district attorney's contest, where Alvin Bragg, a progressive candidate, held a narrow lead over Tali Farhadian Weinstein. Ms. Weinstein, a more moderate Democrat, had injected over $8 million of her own money into the campaign in its final weeks, sparking ire from progressives due to her ties to Wall Street.
Another closely watched contest was the city comptroller race, where Brad Lander, a progressive from Brooklyn, led Corey Johnson, the City Council speaker, by a similar margin as Mayor-elect Adams led Maya Wiley in the mayor's race. Mr. Lander had been endorsed by prominent progressive figures, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Progressives also fared well in other down-ballot races, including the New York City public advocate contest, where Jumaane Williams, the current public advocate, cruised to victory with roughly 70 percent of the vote.
Additionally, Tiffany Cabán, a Democratic Socialist, was leading in a marquee City Council race, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Other progressive favorites were also leading in council seats, including Sandy Nurse and Jennifer Gutierrez.
Even in Buffalo, New York's second-largest city, India Walton, a Democratic Socialist, was poised to upset the four-term incumbent Democrat, Byron Brown. Mr. Brown is a former New York Democratic Party state chairman and a close ally of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
