Progressive city Comptroller Brad Lander on Thursday declared that he is now in a three-way battle for the Democratic mayoral nomination with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani after a panel convened by the New York Times Editorial Board dubbed him the “best overall pick” to be the next mayor.
Lander, during a Thursday morning Manhattan news conference, said he believes the nod of approval from the 15-member group assembled by the Paper of Record’s opinion section “shakes up” a race that has seen Cuomo leading and Mamdani in second place for several weeks.
Seven of the 15 panelists selected Lander as their preferred number one pick, a decision based on a Times project titled “The Choice.”
“The New York Times has long been the gold standard for civic life, providing scrutiny on candidates, looking at the issues, looking at people’s leadership and management experience, and whether they can deliver on the promises they’re making,” Lander said. “I could not be prouder to have the support and confidence of the panel of experts that The New York Times Opinion brought together this year.”
The Times Opinion editors wrote the recommendation based on the panelists’ assessments of the nine leading candidates in the June 24 Democratic primary. Instead of making a traditional firsthand endorsement as an editorial board, as it has done in past city elections, the Times Opinion editors pursued that process.
The panel of local experts asked to weigh-in on the candidates included business leaders like restaurateur Danny Meyer and Warby Parker founder Neil Blumenthal; academics such as Fordham University political scientist Christina Greer and NYU urban policy professor Mitchell Moss; and political operators like Howard Wolfson, who served as an aide to ex-Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former Democratic Brooklyn state Sen. Iwen Chu.
According to the Times piece, the panelists selected Lander as somewhat of a compromise between Cuomo and Mamdani, whom the group ranked as their second and third choices, respectively. Many saw Cuomo as too burdened by the scandals that brought down his governorship and Mamdani as too far to the left and not experienced enough to be mayor.
They praised Lander as someone who has competently managed the comptroller’s office, can build consensus among disparate groups to address pressing challenges, and has “smart instincts”—pointing to his commitment to keeping current NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on if he wins. Furthermore, they said Lander is the strongest candidate on education and the economy.
“I’m especially excited that the Times highlighted essentially what I have been saying…I’ve got the public integrity that New Yorkers deserve, the progressive values that New Yorkers share, and the management chops to deliver on them,” Lander said.
While the Times-convened panel’s support is not the same as an endorsement by the paper’s Editorial Board, it could still give Lander’s campaign a much-needed boost in the final days of the race.
He has for weeks been polling in third or fourth place behind Cuomo and Mamdani, who are in the first and second spots, sometimes trading places with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
Times endorsements have caused seismic shifts in past mayoral races. In 2021, Kathryn Garcia, the candidate who finished second to Mayor Eric Adams, surged after nabbing the Times’ stamp of approval.
The Times panel’s decision comes as seven of the major candidates are set to face off in the second and final Democratic primary debate on Thursday night. It also follows the first poll in the race to show a candidate, Mamdani, overcoming Cuomo’s lead.
