A candidate backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has conceded a high-profile city council race for a seat representing parts of Manhattan’s West Side.
Carl Wilson’s victory on Tuesday was seen by some as a test of the strength of an endorsement from Mamdani, who has governed with a star power unusual in politics since emerging from relative obscurity to win the mayoral election last year.
Mamdani had endorsed Lindsay Boylan, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and the first woman to publicly accuse former Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment – accusations he has denied.
But Wilson was favored to win the race in a district covering parts of Manhattan’s West Side, and his victory means he will be the fifth openly gay member to represent a Manhattan district that is at the center of the city’s LGBTQ community.
The race was also viewed as a proxy conflict between Mamdani and Council Speaker Julie Menin, who endorsed Wilson, as the pair have clashed over issues including the city’s budget.
The race cannot be officially be called until after a tally of ranked-choice preferences is counted since no candidate secured more than 50 percent of the vote, the New York City Board of Elections said on Tuesday night.
But preliminary results show Wilson with a strong lead over his nearest rival, with about 43 percent of first-choice votes and Boylan with about 26 percent. They were trailed by Layla Law-Gisiko with about roughly 20 percent of the vote and Leslie Boghosian Murphy with about 11 percent. The candidate in last place will be eliminated and their votes reallocated to the candidate that voters ranked second, and the process will continue until a candidate exceeds 50 percent of the vote.
Wilson declared victory on Tuesday night. “I stand here tonight deeply honored to be your next Council member for District 3,” he told supporters at his election night watch party in Hell’s Kitchen.
At around 10 p.m., Boylan told supporters she called Wilson “to congratulate him on winning this race,” The City reported.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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