Who might run for Manhattan borough president in 2025?

If it seems a little early to be talking about the Manhattan borough president primary next June, blame it on the evolving mayoral field. “It’s because of the Brad Lander shuffle,” said Democratic consultant Ryan Adams. The current comptroller’s entrance into the 2025 Democratic mayoral primary has opened his current seat up to what’s likely to be a competitive primary. And now that Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine has filed to fundraise as a candidate for comptroller, his own current seat could be up for grabs.

That is, if Lander and Levine each continue running for mayor and comptroller, respectively, and don’t backpedal to run for reelection to their current posts and send the shuffle into disarray. The Daily News reported later on Thursday that Levine could still change his mind and run for reelection – as could Lander – though that could cause friction with candidates making plans to run for their seats.

For now, however, Levine’s entrance into the comptroller race, which has been rumored some time, opens up his current seat to an array of Manhattan state legislators and City Council members who are exploring a path to borough president. While many of those who have confirmed interest so far wouldn’t be giving up a seat to run – several could keep state legislative seats while running and at least one is a term-limited City Council member – there may be reason enough for other candidates to put their current seats on the line. It may be easier for even a non-term-limited City Council member to put up a fight for Manhattan borough president in an open primary in 2025 than it would be against an incumbent in a few years.

Though several potential candidates for Manhattan borough president may see mostly upside in mounting a run without ditching their current jobs, there’s always a risk of making yourself vulnerable as a candidate. “There’s never zero risk,” said Democratic strategist Trip Yang. “If you end up running and you perform poorly in your own legislative district, that is not a good look for you at all.”





https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2024/08/who-might-run-manhattan-borough-president-2025/398690/