(The Center Square) — Democratic socialist candidate Lindsey Boylan has failed to win a key special New York City council election in an early rebuke of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s far-left administration.
Front-runner Carl Wilson, who was running with backing from Council Speaker Julie Menin and other Democratic moderates, picked up 43% of the vote as of Tuesday night in the special election for District 3 council seat representing Greenwich Village. Mamdani-backed Boylan had only 25% of the vote, according to preliminary results. A third candidate, Layla Law-Gisiko, had about 20% of the vote, according to the tally.
Boylan conceded the race, but the results won’t be final until election officials conduct a ranked-choice runoff next week to determine the winner, because none of the three candidates got more than 50% of the vote.
The trio are competing to fill the council seat vacated by Erik Bottcher, who was elected as a state senator for Manhattan’s 47th District.
Boylan is a former staffer for then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and one of several women accusing him of sexual harassment. She joined the Democratic Socialists of America after Mandani’s victory in last year’s election, and has been running with support from the Working Families Party.
Mamdani campaigned heavily for the political newcomer, hosting a pre-election rally with her and other lefty New York City politicians.
“She was the first to speak out against Andrew Cuomo,” Mamdani said in a statement ahead of Tuesday’s election. “That tells you everything about who the progressive choice is: Lindsey Boylan.”
Menin Took to social media Tuesday night to congratulate Wilson on his win, saying she was proud to endorse his candidacy for the vacant council seat.
“Carl has been a friend and colleague for many years, and I couldn’t have been more proud to endorse him in this election,” she said in a statement. “He built an unbelievable coalition that inspired voters across his district, and I can’t wait to welcome him as our next Council Member!”
On the campaign trail, Wilson focused on improving access to affordable housing, public safety, and LGBTQ+ and immigrant protections. He was also the only openly gay candidate to run for the open seat, which has one of the city’s largest LGBTQ voting blocs.
Mamdani’s support for Boylan was also seen as a dig at Cuomo, whom he defeated twice — once in the Democratic primary last year and again in the general election. Political action committees aligned with Cuomo spent heavily on the race in support of Wilson’s campaign.
Wilson is also expected to be an key ally of Menin in looming confrontations with Mamdani over the city’s budget deficit, the mayor’s proposals to increase taxes, and his veto of a council-approved buffer zone around colleges and universities.
