The mayor's race is dominating local headlines, but voters heading to the polls—starting with early voting this weekend—will also have to elect a new comptroller, charged with managing City finances and pension funds and auditing City agencies. The major candidates in the Democratic primary are Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and City Council Finance Committee Chairman Justin Brannan. Levine is leading in fundraising and polls, but a huge proportion of voters are undecided.
And that’s understandable: At first glance, even politically aware voters may not see a huge difference between the two middle-aged white guys with solid political resumes running for the job. Both are progressive-adjacent but not hard left—Brannan was a member of the Progressive Caucus but left after declining to support a platform that included reducing the size of the NYPD; Levine was also a caucus member but has been critical of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Both have centered their campaigns on a vow to protect the city's finances from President Donald Trump, while saying less about how they'd stand up to Andrew Cuomo if the Democratic front runner is elected mayor.
Endorsements are split: Lefty politicians and groups have largely gone with Brannan, but it's not unanimous, and some observers have questioned how closely aligned they really are.
(State Senator Kevin Parker, best known for getting in physical altercations with political foes and traffic cops alike, and Ismael Malave Perez are also on the ballot, but did not qualify for debates or for matching funds.)
So what's a voter to do? Hell Gate reviewed the candidates' records, along with the two official debates, the most recent of which was held on Tuesday night, and identified several areas where there are substantive differences between the contenders:
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