Day: June 24, 2025

Cuomo, who was trying to make a comeback from a sexual harassment scandal, conceded the contest less than two hours after the polls closed.

The post Zohran Mamdani leads NYC’s Democratic mayoral primary as Cuomo concedes appeared first on Brooklyn Eagle.

Council Member Inna Vernikov has declared victory in the hotly-contested Republican primary for City Council District 48, as unofficial election night results showed her holding a strong lead over challenger and former Council Member Ari Kagan.

“Look, this is not for me. This is the victory for the people of District 48, for New York City,” Vernikov told Brooklyn Paper at an election night watch party at Florencia Pizza & Cafe in Midwood.

As of 11:30 p.m., with 95% of scanners reported, unofficial results from the New York City Board of Elections showed Vernikov leading with 2,427 votes — nearly 66% of the total. Kagan trailed with 1,232 votes, or about 33%. 

Kagan was not immediately available for comment. 

Vernikov’s victory comes after months of speculation and a contentious intra-party battle between two Republican incumbents. Kagan, who switched parties in 2022 after initially being elected as a Democrat in the neighboring 47th Council District, sought a return to the Council after losing his seat to Council Member Justin Brannan in 2023, post-redistricting. The District 48 seat — which includes Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach, Homecrest, and parts of Midwood and Gravesend — was up for grabs amid shifting district lines and political loyalties.

Kagan launched his campaign earlier this year after initially assuming Vernikov would vacate the seat to run for state Senate. When she chose instead to seek re-election, Kagan moved forward anyway, touting his experience in city government and focus on public safety, education, and sanitation.

Vernikov, a former attorney and the Council’s Minority Whip, leaned on her record representing the district and her reputation as a vocal conservative voice at City Hall. On Tuesday, she told Brooklyn Paper she was proud of her accomplishments on the Council, citing money won for parks, schools and roads.

She said her landslide victory over Kagan sent a “strong message.”

“We in the Republican Party, we should only accept people with a proven record of being conservative Republicans,” she said. “My opponent was just not that — he was a lifelong Democrat, and this sends a strong message to Democrats who think they can run as Republican and win over the people, you cannot fool the people. And people see right through it. They see the truth.”

As Vernikov declared victory, former governor Andrew Cuomo conceded the Democratic mayoral primary to Queens Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani. Vernikov and her supporters said Mamdani’s victory was alarming, and that her constituents feel he is antisemitic and anti-Israel, allegations Mamdani has rebuked. 

“My district is very nervous about him winning and becoming the mayor. A lot of the people in my district are from the former Soviet Union,” she said. “We ran away from communism and socialism, and Mamdani is about to bring socialism to New York City … there’s a lot of things to be really worried about.”

Tuesday’s results are not yet official, as absentee and affidavit ballots have yet to be counted and the Board of Elections has not certified the outcome. Still, with a strong lead, Vernikov’s supporters say her path to the general election looks all but assured.

“Four more years,” crowds could be heard chanting outside of her watch party. 

Check back for more election night coverage and results.

Kayla Santosuosso handily won the Democratic primary for City Council District 47 Tuesday night, solidifying her spot on the November ballot in the race to succeed outgoing Council Member Justin Brannan. Meanwhile, the Republican primary remained too close to call.

Santosuosso, an attorney, community organizer, and Brannan’s former chief counsel, declared victory shortly after polls closed, thanking supporters for turning out across South Brooklyn and doubling down on her promise to be a voice for working families.

According to unofficial results from the city’s Board of Elections, Santosuosso earned a decisive margin over her lone Democratic challenger, Fedir Usmanov, a first-time candidate and Baruch College student.

As of 10:30 p.m., unofficial results showed Santosuosso with nearly 80% of the vote, totaling 9,850 ballots. Usmanov received just 2,463 votes, or about 20%. The results — which included just a handful of write-ins — reflected 95% of scanners reported and cemented Santosuosso’s place on the November general election ballot.

Longtime Kings County GOP chair Richie Barsamian and businessman George Sarantopoulos remained locked in a tight race as of Tuesday night. Both candidates tout strong conservative credentials — Barsamian as a retired police officer with party backing, and Sarantopoulos as a small business owner with a robust platform focused on public safety and affordability.

Unofficial results showed the two separated by just a few percentage points as of 10 p.m., with absentee and affidavit ballots still to be counted. Neither campaign had declared victory or conceded as of press time.

Addressing supporters at the Greenhouse Cafe in Bay Ridge, Barsamian said there were just 32 votes between the two candidates.

“There is no definitive answer,” he told the crowd. “The vote is not fully counted. It is extremely, extremely close with more votes to be counted, more sticks to be examined and more paper to be accounted for. At this time, there are approximately 32 votes separating myself and my opponent. That is not a definitive margin in any way.”

“We are neck and neck,” he added, “but there is one thing I am certain of: however this goes in the next few hours or the next few days, I, Richie Barsamian, am the proudest man before you tonight because my campaign is based on the people, the need for change, the need for law and order, and the driving force behind every one of us — Democrat, Republican, Conservative, Independent. We deserve and must have a better quality of life.”

Sarantopoulos could not immediately be reached for comment.

The eventual Republican nominee will face Santosuosso in what’s expected to be a high-stakes general election in a district that has grown increasingly competitive in recent years. District 47 includes Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Gravesend, Coney Island and Sea Gate — neighborhoods where shifting demographics and political priorities have made outcomes unpredictable.

At her election night watch party at the Brooklyn Firefly in Bay Ridge, Santosuosso reminded supporters that the real race is against her Republican opponent in November.

“This campaign, starting now, is about protecting a Bay Ridge that all of us feel safe in and comfortable in and enjoy,” Santosuosso said. “And that Bay Ridge is actually for everybody, and that we can fight together to make a Bay Ridge that is not only affordable for everybody, but enjoyable for everybody, where everybody feels like they can be themselves here, and for everybody to know, no matter how long you’ve been here, no matter who you are, no matter what language you speak, you belong here.”

Santosuosso’s watch party doubled as one for her boss, Brannan, who formally conceded the Democratic primary for New York City Comptroller just after 11 p.m. Brannan, who is term-limited, had been trailing Levine, who held a strong lead following a heated campaign focused on opposing former President Trump’s agenda.

Addressing supporters, Brannan acknowledged he was always the underdog but expressed pride in the campaign he ran.

“We were always going to be the underdogs — the working class, out-of-borough candidate up against the Manhattan elite,” Brannan said. “Tomorrow, I will go back to work and continue being the Finance Chair because we have to pass a budget in a week, and I’m happy to do it, but I’m really excited tonight about Kayla.”

Election officials said final primary results would be certified in the coming days once all ballots are counted.

Check back for more election night coverage and results.

Council Member Shahana Hanif declared victory Tuesday night at a jubilant watch party in Park Slope, thanking supporters at a popular watering hole as results rolled in showing her with a decisive lead in the Democratic primary for District 39.

In a statement to press shortly after polls closed, Hanif said her win was about “people power beating corporate power.”

“It’s about our ascendant progressive movement continuing to grow. It’s about communities coming together across race, class, faith, age, and language‚ refusing to be divided. It’s about building the Brooklyn we believe in,” she said. “I am grateful to every voter who cast their ballot, every volunteer who knocked on a door, and the incredible District 39 community for electing me to represent them in the City Council. It’s truly the honor of my life to get to fight for the neighborhoods that raised me.”

The race — one of the most closely watched in Brooklyn — pitted Hanif, a first-term incumbent and staunch progressive, against Maya Kornberg, a political scientist and Park Slope resident backed by moderate Democrats, and Nickie Kane, a grassroots organizer.

District 39 spans some of Brooklyn’s most civically active neighborhoods, including Kensington, Borough Park, Windsor Terrace, Park Slope, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and the Columbia Waterfront.

Hanif, who made history in 2021 as the first Muslim woman elected to the City Council, celebrated her win with campaign volunteers and constituents at The Commissioner on Fifth Avenue.

She ran on her legislative track record and commitment to affordable housing, workers’ rights, and immigrant protections. During her first term, she helped secure $20 million for local schools, parks, and infrastructure, and passed 14 bills addressing reproductive healthcare, environmental justice and labor rights.

Her campaign drew support from major progressive forces, including U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Yvette Clarke, Comptroller Brad Lander (her predecessor), and powerful unions such as the New York State Nurses Association and the NYC Central Labor Council.

Kornberg, a senior research fellow at NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice, ran on a platform of affordability, climate resiliency and public safety. Her campaign picked up steam in the final weeks, fueled by endorsements from former Borough President Marty Markowitz, former U.S. Rep. Max Rose, and the Independent Neighborhood Democrats.

Unofficial election night results from the city’s Board of Elections showed Hanif with a commanding lead just before 10 p.m., securing nearly 70% of the vote with more than 28,000 ballots cast in her favor and 88% of scanners counted. Kornberg followed with 26% (10,683 votes), while Kane garnered just over 3% (1,380 votes).

Just over 200 write-in votes were recorded as of that time, with absentee and affidavit ballots still to be counted.

“Congratulations to Maya Kornberg on running a spirited campaign. I look forward to working collaboratively with her and her supporters as I continue to serve District 39,” Hanif said.

And while she has no Republican opponent in the November general election, Hanif said her work is far from over.

“Families are being priced out of Brooklyn. We need to bring rents down, win universal public childcare, and keep our neighborhoods livable for all of us. I’m laser-focused on winning these fights together in my next four years in the City Council.”

Addressing supporters at The Commissioner, Hanif vowed to fight every day for better city services, expanded childcare, stronger tenant protections and a more livable Brooklyn.

“Now there’s only one mandate,” she said. “We gotta keep going.”

Check back for more election night coverage and results.