Antonio Reynoso Wins Brooklyn Borough President Primary Race

BROOKLYN, NY — City Council Member Antonio Reynoso has declared victory in the race to become Brooklyn's next borough president after ranked-choice voting results and an absentee ballot count maintained his lead over opponents Tuesday.

Reynoso, who held a strong lead on election night, was left with a nearly 19,000-vote lead over second-place candidate Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon in the updated final round of ranked-choice voting, which eliminated the rest of the Democratic primary candidates after 11 rounds. The North Brooklyn council member held nearly 55 percent of the vote while Simon had earned 45 percent, the numbers show.

NY1 called the race for Reynoso shortly after the latest results, which include absentee ballots, were released Tuesday night.

“Our campaign was always about building a Brooklyn for all of us — no matter your race, your background, or what zip code you live in — and I’m so honored by the support that brought us to this victory today," Reynoso said in a statement.

Simon congratulated the council member shortly after the updated count.

Absentee ballots have been counted and it is clear that @ReynosoBrooklyn will be the next Brooklyn BP. Congratulations to you Antonio on your victory and a great campaign. I look forward to working with you to recover and build a post-COVID Brooklyn for everyone.
— Jo Anne Simon 文雅麗 (@JoAnneSimonBK52) July 6, 2021

The updated absentee results, which increased Reynoso's lead by a few hundred votes, come after a release of in-person ranked-choice voting tallies on Friday.

Reynoso represents North Brooklyn's 34th District in City Council. He is perhaps most known for a bill that overhauled the city's waste industry.

A total of 12 candidates had put their hat in the ring to replace Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who is vying to become New York City's next mayor in the 2021 elections. Four out of the city's five borough presidents will leave office this year because of term limits.

Borough presidents are responsible for advocating for their borough in the city's budget, appointing community board members, deciding on local initiatives and projects to fund and offering a vote on land-use items during the review process.

This story has been updated to include absentee ballot results, which were released late Tuesday.