The first of two Democratic primaries this summer will take place on Tuesday, June 28, and Manhattan voters will not only help elect the party’s gubernatorial ticket, but also 10 candidates for Assembly seats.
Early voting in the primary begins this Saturday, June 18, at 31 sites across the borough. The early voting period runs through Sunday, June 26; to find your local early voting polling site, visit findmypollsite.vote.nyc.
At the top of the ballot, Democratic voters will select their candidates for governor and lieutenant governor. Incumbent Kathy Hochul is seeking her first, full term in office against two challengers: Queens/Long Island Congressman Tom Suozzi and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
In the lieutenant governor’s race, the incumbent, Antonio Delgado — who only took office this month after being appointed to succeed the scandal-scarred former Lieutenant Governor Brian Benjamin — will face former Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Diana Reyna and progressive activist Ana Maria Archila.
Neither state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli nor Attorney General Letitia James are on the primary ballots, as they’ve both been automatically renominated for their positions without challengers.
Ten of the 13 Assembly districts covering Manhattan will have primary contests. Just three incumbent Assembly Members representing parts of Manhattan are not facing opposition: Linda Rosenthal of the 67th District, Daniel O’Donnell of the 69th District, and Harvey Epstein of the 74th District.
All of the districts have been altered due to redistricting plans approved earlier this year. But the new district lines are only valid for this year’s elections, as a court ruling last week mandated that the state legislature redraw the Assembly districts for the 2024 elections.
Note: For more information on each candidate, check out the nonpartisan New York City Campaign Finance Bureau’s voter guide at nycvotes.org/meet-the-candidates/2022-primary-election/june-2022-races.
Starting at the tip of Lower Manhattan, voters in Battery Park City and the Financial District will select a candidate for the 61st Assembly District, which had been exclusively on Staten Island but now crosses the harbor into Manhattan. Incumbent Assembly Member Charles Fall of Staten Island is facing a challenge from Battery Park City resident and activist Justine Cuccia.
The 65th District seat covering Chinatown, the Lower East Side and the East Village is a wide-open affair after the incumbent, Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, jumped into the 10th Congressional District race. Four Democrats are seeking the party’s nomination for the 65th District seat: social worker Illapa Sairitupac; community activist Denny Salas; public defender Alana Sivin; and community organizer Grace Lee.
Assembly Member Deborah J. Glick is looking to retain her spot as representative of the 66th District, which includes the West Village, SoHo and Chelsea. She’s getting a challenge from progressive organizer Ryder Kessler.
Turning north to Harlem, new Assembly Member Eddie Gibbs, who won a special election for the seat in February, is on the ballot again as he seeks the party’s nomination for a full term in the 68th District. Gibbs has three challengers this time around: attorney Wilfredo Lopez, State Committeewoman Tamika Mapp and District Leader John Ruiz-Miranda.
Long-time Harlem Assembly Member Inez Dickens is seeking another term repping the 70th District. Two rivals stand in her way: community leader Delsenia Glover and nonprofit founder Shawanna Vaughn.
Another incumbent, Assembly Member Alfred E. Taylor of the 71st District in Harlem and Washington Heights, is facing a challenge from progressive candidate Luis M. Tejada.
Assembly Member Manny De Los Santos, who won the 72nd District seat in a special election earlier this year, is facing two primary challengers for a full-term in office: educator Nayma Silver-Matos and candidate Silvia Smith.
Further south in Midtown and the Upper East Side, five candidates are battling for the 73rd Assembly District seat being vacated by the retiring Dan Quart: Adam Roberts, director of policy at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York; May Malik, former deputy commissioner at the NYC Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Affairs; Kellie Leeson, a refugee support consultant and adjunct professor; Alex Bores, engineer and NGO founder; and attorney Russell Squire.
Across town, another five candidates will vie to fill the 75th Assembly District seat representing Midtown and Hell’s Kitchen, and being vacated after 50 years by the retiring Richard Gottfried: Harrison Douglas Marks, a business advisor; Christopher LeBron, housing organizer; documentary filmmaker Layla Law-Gisiko; Tony Simone, former director of external affairs at Hudson River Park Friends; and Community Board 4 Chairperson Lowell Kern.
Finally, Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright is facing marketing director Patrick Bobilin for the right to represent the 76th Assembly District covering the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island.
If you choose to vote on Primary Day, June 28, keep in mind that all polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. that day.
To find your designate poll site, visit findmypollsite.vote.nyc.
And don’t forget to make plans to vote on Aug. 23, which is the primary for Congressional and state Senate seats.
