Twenty-eight Democratic primaries for New York City Council are contested this year—we’re following 13 as battlegrounds

By

Briana Ryan

Welcome to the Wednesday, June 11, Brew. 

By: Briana Ryan

Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:

  1. Twenty-eight Democratic primaries for New York City Council are contested this year—we’re following 13 as battlegrounds
  2. A comprehensive look at 144 years of ballot measures in Michigan
  3. On the Ballot takes an early look at congressional retirements and departures

Twenty-eight Democratic primaries for New York City Council are contested this year—we’re following 13 as battlegrounds

As part of our ongoing coverage of local elections across the United States, we’re spotlighting 13 battleground Democratic primaries in New York City Council elections. 

Due to a city charter amendment, voters will decide all primary and special elections for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and city council using ranked-choice voting (RCV). Voters approved that chart amendment in 2019, 74% to 26%.

City & State New York’s Sahalie Donaldson, Annie McDonough, and Holly Pretsky wrote, “All 51 seats in the New York City Council are on the ballot this year. […] In deep blue New York City, there aren’t many swing districts, so most—but not all—of the action will happen in the Democratic primaries.”

Democrats currently have a 45-6 majority on the Council. New York City Mayor Eric Adams was elected in 2021 as a Democrat and is running for re-election as an independent.

Overall, 95 candidates are running in 28 Democratic primaries for the city council on June 24. That’s up from 49 candidates in 17 Democratic primaries in 2023, the special two-year post-redistricting term mandated in the city charter. That year, just one seat was open. This year, there are eight open seats.

Here’s a look at Democratic primary competitiveness in the two cycles before and after redistricting. —

Now, let’s take a closer look at our 13 battleground Democratic primaries:

  • A Republican currently represents one of those districts, while Democrats represent the remaining 12.
  • Five Democratic incumbents are running for re-election in their respective battleground primaries.
  • The winner of one Democratic primary for District 13 will run against the Republican incumbent in the general election.
  • Seven districts are open because an incumbent is not running for re-election.

The map below highlights each battleground district colored based on the incumbent’s party affiliation.

Several satellite groups are also getting involved:

  • A super PAC associated with housing development non-profit Open New York plans to spend at least $500,000 on the 2025 city council races. 
  • According to The City’s Jonathan Custodio, Airbnb-affiliated super PAC Affordable New York spent almost $700,000 on council races in the Bronx as of June 3. 
  • According to The City’s Claudia Irizarry Aponte, Uber NY PAC had spent $1.3 million on New York city council races as of May 29, and DoorDash-affiliated Local Economies Forward NY plans to spend up to $2 million. Irizarry Aponte wrote, “The tech platforms’ spending blitz follows a first-in-the-nation minimum pay rate for food delivery workers, based on the Council’s similar scheme for ride-hail drivers. Those laws have withstood legal challenges from both companies, emboldening Council members to try for more.”
  • Solidarity PAC, which says it “focuses on candidates and efforts who support the best interests of New York’s Jewish community,” is supporting seven Democratic city council candidates.

Click here to read more about the battleground Democratic primaries for the New York City Council. Also, if you’re a New York City resident, check out our Sample Ballot Lookup here to prepare for Election Day.

A comprehensive look at 144 years of ballot measures in Michigan

Ballotpedia’s Historical Ballot Measure Factbook will document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research effort will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and the public on how ballot measures have evolved, the issues they have covered, and their role in our civic life.

Today, let’s look at historical ballot measures in Michigan. Our comprehensive inventory of Michigan ballot measures spans from 1880 to 2024. In that time, Michigan voters decided on 319 measures, approving 165 and defeating 154—a 51.7% approval rate.

Michigan ballot measures have addressed 132 unique topics. The most common topics are related to local government organization (19 measures), highways and bridges (19 measures), and property taxes (19 measures).

Here is a selection of important and interesting measures from the Michigan Factbook:

  • Voters decided on women’s suffrage four times. The all-male electorate defeated measures to grant women suffrage in 1874, 1912, and 1913. In 1918, two years before the U.S. Constitution‘s Nineteenth Amendment, voters approved a measure, 54.1% to 45.9%
  • In 1908, voters approved a new state constitution, 65% to 35%. This revision created an initiative and referendum process in Michigan. Before the revision, voters decided on measures that the Michigan Legislature referred to the ballot and automatic constitutional convention questions. Currently, 26 states have a statewide initiative or referendum process.
  • In 1972, voters approved Proposal C, 57% to 43%. The measure prohibited the use of public funds for non-public schools, including voucher programs. Voters rejected measures to allow for voucher programs in 1978 and 2000.
  • In 1972—one year before Roe v. Wade—voters defeated Proposal B, 61% to 39%. The measure would have allowed physicians to perform abortions when a woman’s period of gestation had not exceeded 20 weeks. In 1988, voters approved Proposal A, 57% to 43%. The measure prohibits public funds from being spent on abortions for public assistance recipients. In 2022, voters approved Proposal 3, 57% to 43%. This vote made Michigan the first state to provide for a constitutional right to reproductive freedom via citizen initiative.
  • In 2018, voters approved Proposal 1, 56% to 44%. As a result, Michigan became the first state in the Midwest to legalize marijuana for recreational or personal use for adults.

Click here to view our full Historical Ballot Measure Factbook for Michigan.

On the Ballot takes an early look at congressional retirements and departures

In this episode of On the Ballot, we’re headed to Capitol Hill to see which members of the U.S. Congress have announced they will not seek re-election in 2026. Our host, Norm Leahy, sits down with the author of the National Bear-Garden Substack, Geoffrey Skelley, to discuss which members have already revealed their retirement plans and who you might hear from next.

As of June 10, 19 members of Congress—six senators and 13 representatives—announced they will not seek re-election in 2026. That’s the highest number of retirement announcements at this point in an election cycle since we started following this data in 2018.

According to Skelley, more retirement announcements will likely happen as we inch towards 2026: “A lot of it is ‘Oh, let’s see where the environment is in a few months,’ and that will weigh heavily on the decisions of most members because only a few states have super early deadlines.”
To listen to this episode and more, click here. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to On the Ballot on YouTube or your preferred podcast app. Finally, click here to see a full list of congressional incumbents who have announced they will not seek re-election in 2026.