Amid signs the NYC mayoral race is tightening ahead of a pivotal debate, City Comptroller Brad Lander seized Thursday on an unusual endorsement he netted from a panel convened by the New York Times’ editorial board, arguing the nod is a “game-changing” development for his campaign.
Lander, who has generally ranked as the No. 3 or 4 candidate in most polls of the June 24 Democratic mayoral primary, said he believes the unconventional endorsement “shakes up” the field in such a way that it’s now “a three-way race” between him and front-runners Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani.
While polls generally show Lander well behind Cuomo and Mamdani, there are indications of a tightening contest between the two top contenders as early primary voting is set to start Saturday.
A new poll, first reported by Politico late Wednesday, showed Mamdani clutching 35% support, putting him in the lead for the first time, surpassing Cuomo, who scored 31% in that survey. Lander received 9% in that poll, which was conducted over the past week and was commissioned by city comptroller candidate Justin Brannan’s campaign.
A poll conducted by a firm close to Cuomo’s campaign over a similar time span found the ex-gov coming out ahead in the seventh round of ranked-choice voting, beating Mamdani by 12%. Lander received 6% in that poll.
Lander, though, is hoping the support from The Times’ opinion panel can inject a fresh dose of momentum into his campaign.
“Those who favored him cited his experience in city government and his ability to work with others — but, truth be told, he also benefited from lacking the heavy baggage of Mr. Cuomo and the democratic socialist image of Mr. Mamdani,” The Times editorial board wrote of the panel’s decision to rank Lander as its top pick for mayor.
The Times’ editorial board, which has historically been hugely influential in New York City mayoral races, announced last year it would stop endorsing in local elections.
But in a quasi-endorsement of sorts, the board on Thursday morning published a collection of essays about this year’s Democratic mayoral candidates, based on the opinions of a panel of 15 civically-involved New Yorkers recruited to analyze the race.
The panelists ranked which candidate they liked the best, both overall and in respect to various issues. Lander emerged as the group’s top choice, earning seven of 15 votes. Cuomo and Mamdani got two votes each, as did ex-hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson. Scott Stringer and Adrienne Adams each got support from one panelist.
The panel’s members included political experts like Fordham University professor Christina Greer and ex-City Hall adviser Esther Fuchs, as well as business leaders like restaurateur Danny Meyer and even a conservative voice in Manhattan Institute President Reihan Salam.
When asked whether he’s concerned voters may be confused by the unusual format of the endorsement, Lander said he’s proud to be the panel’s “clear favorite” and affirmed he plans to tout the announcement in campaign ads during the final stretch of the race.
“We are absolutely adding the New York Times opinion panel’s support to the ads we’ve cut, and we will be on air very shortly,” said Lander, who has already spent more than any other candidate in the race on campaigning efforts.
The Times piece came hours ahead of Thursday night’s second and final mayoral debate and just two days before early primary voting starts this weekend. At the first debate last week, candidates leveled blows mostly at Cuomo, who has consistently polled as the frontrunner in the race since announcing his run in March.
Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid accusations that he sexually harassed nearly a dozen women and mismanaged the COVID-19 pandemic, got a mixed response from The Times’ panel of experts.
“Our panelists split sharply on Andrew Cuomo, the front-runner in the race, with some endorsing him as the toughest and most tested candidate and others denouncing him as a bully who disqualified himself with disgraceful actions as governor,” The Times wrote in the piece.
Speaking to the power of The Times’ traditional editorial board endorsement, Kathryn Garcia surged to a very close second place behind Mayor Adams after she secured its support during the 2021 race.
Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic strategist who has been critical of Lander, suggested this year’s unusual nod is a way for the paper to “get around” its own non-endorsement policy, but also speculated the comptroller won’t see a major boost from it.
“This gives him a bump, a bump among people that [Lander] normally would have the bump among anyway,” Sheinkopf said.
