New York City’s 2021 primaries may be the most consequential we’ve ever had. Mayor, Comptroller, Manhattan Borough President, Manhattan District Attorney are all open seats, with many qualified candidates running in all these races, and the post-pandemic fate of our city on the line.
Add to that the unpredictability of ranked-choice voting being offered to voters for the first time ever, and the burden on voters to educate themselves on the candidates and issues becomes even heavier. You can’t just decide who your favorite candidate is, you should be thinking of four other candidates you find acceptable as well.
That’s even more true for members of local political clubs like Grand Street Dems, who are often asked by their neighbors for advice about complicated local races.
GSD will be voting on endorsements in all these races on Monday, February 8. Below is a compendium of information we have for each of the campaigns and candidates.
- New York City Mayor
- New York City Public Advocate
- New York City Comptroller
- Manhattan Borough President
- Manhattan District Attorney
- City Council District 2
New York City Mayor
Mayor Bill de Blasio is term-limited. There are too many candidates to review in full; many of them have done so little fundraising and campaigning that it’s fair to say they have no chance of getting elected. We are focusing on a still-large number of viable candidates.
Watch our candidate forum from February:
| Candidate | Current Occupation | VID Questionnaire | |
| Eric Adams | Brooklyn Borough President | Link | |
| Shaun Donovan | Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | Link | |
| Kathryn Garcia | Former Commissioner, NYC Department of Sanitation | Link | |
| Ray McGuire | Former vice chair, Citigroup | n/a | |
| Carlos Menchaca | Councilmember (CD-38) | n/a | |
| Dianne Morales | Executive Director/CEO, Phipps Neighborhoods | Link | |
| Scott Stringer | NYC Comptroller | Link | |
| Loree Sutton | Former Commissioner, NYC Department of Veterans’ Services; Retired Brigadier General | Link | |
| Maya Wiley | Professor, New School; Former Chair, CCRB; Former counsel, NYC Mayor’s office | Link | |
| Andrew Yang | Founder, Venture for America | Link |
New York City Public Advocate
Jumaane Williams won a special election for Public Advocate in 2019, and is now running for re-election against three challengers.
Our virtual forum with these candidates will be on Saturday, February 6 at 12:00 pm.
Register for Zoom: https://tinyurl.com/downtownPAforum
| Candidate | Current Occupation | VID Questionnaire | |
| Theo Chino | 2019 Public Advocate candidate | Link | |
| Gwen Goodwin | 2019 Public Advocate candidate; City Council candidate in 2013 and 2017 | n/a | |
| Tony Herbert | 2019 Public Advocate candidate; 2014 NY Assembly candidate (AD-55) | n/a | |
| Jumaane Williams | NYC Public Advocate (incumbent) | n/a |
New York City Comptroller
Current Comptroller Scott Stringer is term-limited (and running now for Mayor). At least five candidates are now running for this open city-wide position, though the final list of candidates is still in flux (Zach Iscol, for example, just recently announced he would not run for Mayor and is running for Comptroller instead).
Watch our candidate forum from January:
| Candidate | Current Occupation | VID Questionnaire | |
| Brian Benjamin | State Senator (SD-30) | Link | |
| Zach Iscol | CEO/Founder, Grid North Group | n/a | |
| Brad Lander | Councilmember (CD-39) | Link | |
| Kevin Parker | State Senator (SD-21) | Link | |
| David Weprin | Assemblymember (AD-24) | Link |
Manhattan Borough President
Current B.P. Gale Brewer is term-limited (and now running for City Council). We have six candidates running for this open seat.
Watch our candidate forum from January:
| Candidate | Current Occupation | VID Questionnaire | |
| Lindsey Boylan | Former Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Housing for the State of New York | Link | |
| Elizabeth Caputo | U.S. Government Engagement, World Economic Forum; former Chair of Community Board 7 | Link | |
| Brad Hoylman | State Senator (SD-27) | Link | |
| Ben Kallos | Councilmember (CD-05) | Link | |
| Mark Levine | Councilmember (CD-07) | n/a | |
| Kim Watkins | President, Community Education Council District 3 | Link |
Manhattan District Attorney
Current D.A. Cyrus Vance does not appear to be running for re-election (though has not yet officially made his intentions clear). There are eight candidates running to replace him.
Note that since this is technically a state position, there will not be ranked choice voting for this position in June; you will only be able to vote for one candidate, and whoever wins a plurality will be the Democratic nominee.
Watch our candidate forum from December:
| Candidate | Current Occupation | VID Questionnaire | |
| Tahanie Aboushi | Civil rights attorney; Partner, Aboushi Law Firm | n/a | |
| Alvin Bragg | Former Chief Deputy Attorney General, NYS Attorney General | Link | |
| Liz Crotty | Partner, Crotty Saland PC; Former prosecutor, Manhattan DA | Link | |
| Tali Farhardian Weinstein | Former general counsel, Brooklyn DA; Former counsel, US Attorney General | Link | |
| Diana Florence | Former Attorney-in-Charge, Construction Fraud Task Force, Manhattan DA | Link | |
| Lucy Lang | Former Executive Director, Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College; Former special counsel, Manhattan DA | Link | |
| Eliza Orlins | Public defender; Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society | Link | |
| Dan Quart | Assemblymember (AD-73) | Link |
City Council District 2
Current Councilmember Carlina Rivera is finishing her first term and running for re-election. She is running unopposed for the Democratic primary.
Watch our candidate interview with Rivera:
| Candidate | Current Occupation | VID Questionnaire | |
| Carlina Rivera | Councilmember (CD-02) | n/a |
