Metropolis Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander touts assist from a panel convened by the New York Instances Opinion part. Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Photograph by Ethan Stark-Miller
Progressive metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander on Thursday declared that he’s now in a three-way battle for the Democratic mayoral nomination with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Meeting Member Zohran Mamdani after a panel convened by the New York Instances Editorial Board dubbed him the “best overall pick” to be the subsequent mayor.
Seven of the 15 panelists chosen Lander as their most well-liked primary decide, a choice based mostly on a Instances mission titled “The Choice.”
“The New York Times has long been the gold standard for civic life, providing scrutiny on candidates, looking at the issues, looking at people’s leadership and management experience, and whether they can deliver on the promises they’re making,” Lander stated. “I could not be prouder to have the support and confidence of the panel of experts that The New York Times Opinion brought together this year.”
The Instances Opinion editors wrote the advice based mostly on the panelists’ assessments of the 9 main candidates within the June 24 Democratic major. As an alternative of creating a standard firsthand endorsement as an editorial board, because it has carried out in previous metropolis elections, the Instances Opinion editors pursued that course of.
The panel of native consultants requested to weigh-in on the candidates included enterprise leaders like restaurateur Danny Meyer and Warby Parker founder Neil Blumenthal; lecturers equivalent to Fordham College political scientist Christina Greer and NYU city coverage professor Mitchell Moss; and political operators like Howard Wolfson, who served as an aide to ex-Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former Democratic Brooklyn state Sen. Iwen Chu.
In keeping with the Instances piece, the panelists chosen Lander as considerably of a compromise between Cuomo and Mamdani, whom the group ranked as their second and third decisions, respectively. Many noticed Cuomo as too burdened by the scandals that introduced down his governorship and Mamdani as too far to the left and never skilled sufficient to be mayor.
They praised Lander as somebody who has competently managed the comptroller’s workplace, can construct consensus amongst disparate teams to handle urgent challenges, and has “smart instincts”—pointing to his dedication to protecting present NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on if he wins. Moreover, they stated Lander is the strongest candidate on training and the financial system.
“I’m especially excited that the Times highlighted essentially what I have been saying…I’ve got the public integrity that New Yorkers deserve, the progressive values that New Yorkers share, and the management chops to deliver on them,” Lander stated.
Whereas the Instances-convened panel’s assist will not be the identical as an endorsement by the paper’s Editorial Board, it might nonetheless give Lander’s marketing campaign a much-needed increase within the closing days of the race.
He has for weeks been polling in third or fourth place behind Cuomo and Mamdani, who’re within the first and second spots, typically buying and selling locations with Metropolis Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
Instances endorsements have induced seismic shifts in previous mayoral races. In 2021, Kathryn Garcia, the candidate who completed second to Mayor Eric Adams, surged after nabbing the Instances’ stamp of approval.
The Instances panel’s resolution comes as seven of the main candidates are set to face off within the second and closing Democratic major debate on Thursday night time. It additionally follows the primary ballot within the race to point out a candidate, Mamdani, overcoming Cuomo’s lead.
