What to know about the Democratic primaries for New York City Council

By

Nathan Maxwell

One hundred candidates ran in 28 Democratic primaries for New York City Council on June 24, 2025, including 13 that Ballotpedia identified as battlegrounds. All 51 council seats are up for election this year. The Council is the city’s primary legislative body. It is responsible for adopting the city budget, passing legislation, monitoring city agencies, and overseeing land development.

The City’s Rachel Kahn, Lizzie Walsh, and Marina Samuel wrote, “In the closest competitions, the biggest issues included changing neighborhood demographics, candidates’ views on key issues like housing and Israel’s war in Gaza and an influx of corporate spending.”

Other races were expected to be competitive because of redistricting. District 38, for example, was redrawn after incumbent Alexa Aviles (D) first won the seat in 2021 to include two Brooklyn neighborhoods that voted for President Donald Trump (R) in 2024. According to City & State New York’s Holly Pretsky, Aviles faced “a serious primary challenge” in Ling Ye (D): “Ye is running toward the center, saying Avilés’ left-wing ideology has gotten in the way of her ability to advocate for her constituents.”

Several satellite groups also got involved. A super PAC associated with housing development nonprofit Open New York said they planned 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 said it planned 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 said it “focuses on candidates and efforts who support the best interests of New York’s Jewish community,” supported seven Democratic city council candidates.

Battleground results

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

If no candidate wins a majority of the first choice votes, the winner will be decided by ranked choice voting. As of June 25, 2025:

  • District 1: Incumbent Christopher Marte (D) led with 49% of the vote over challengers Elizabeth Lewinsohn (24%), Jess Coleman (16%), and Eric Yu (10%)—all of whom are members of Community Board 1.
  • District 2: Harvey Epstein led with 39% of the vote over Sarah Batchu (21%), Andrea Gordillo (21%), Anthony Weiner (10%), and Allie Ryan (8%). The seat was left open by term-limited Carlina Rivera (D).
  • District 4: Virginia Maloney led with 27% of the vote over Vanessa Aronson (25%), Rachel Storch (23%), Benjamin Wetzler (15%), Faith Bondy (8%), and Lukas Florczak (2%). The seat was left open by term-limited Keith Powers (D).
  • District 8: Elsie Encarnacion led with 29% of the vote over Wilfredo Lopez (18%), Clarisa Alayeto (15%), Raymond Santana (12%), Rosa Diaz (10%), Federico Colon (8%), and Nicholas Reyes (7%). The seat was left open by term-limited Diana Ayala (D).
  • District 11: Incumbent Eric Dinowitz (D) defeated Danielle Herbert-Guggenheim 72%-28%.
  • District 13: Shirley Aldebol led with 30% of the vote over Jacqueline Torres (21%), David Diaz (19%), John Perez (13%), Joel Rivera (10%), and Theona Reets-DuPont (6%). Incumbent Kristy Marmorato (R) unseated Marjorie Velazquez (D) to flip the seat in 2023.
  • District 14: Incumbent Pierina Sanchez (D) earned 67% of the vote, defeating Fernando Cabrera (22%) and Bryan Hodge Vasquez (11%).
  • District 17: Justin Sanchez led with 40% of the vote over Antirson Ortiz (25%), Freddy Perez Jr. (18%), and Elvis Santana (16%). The seat was left open by term-limited Rafael Salamanca (D).
  • District 21: Shanel Thomas-Henry led with 31% of the vote over Erycka Montoya (25%), Yanna Henriquez (23%), and David Aiken (20%). The seat was seat left open by term-limited Francisco Moya (D).
  • District 28: Tyrell Hankerson led with 35% of the vote over Japneet Singh (25%), Latoya LeGrand (17%), Ruben Wills (14%), and Romeo Hitlall (9%). The seat was left open by term-limited New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D).
  • District 30: Phil Wong led with 36% of the vote over Paul Pogozelski (32%) and Dermot Smyth (31%). The seat was left open by term-limited Robert Holden (D).
  • District 38: Incumbent Alexa Aviles (D) defeated Ling Ye 72%-28% in her first primary challenge since redistricting in 2023.
  • District 39: Incumbent Shahana Hanif earned 70% of the vote, defeating Maya Kornberg (26%) and Nickie Kane (4%).

Heading into the elections, Democrats had a 45-6 majority on the Council. New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) was elected in 2021 as a Democrat and ran for re-election as an independent.