Gale Brewer Wins Upper West Side City Council Democratic Primary

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer has won the Democratic primary for City Council in the Upper West Side's District 6, according to NY1 and the Associated Press.

Brewer received 53.8 percent of the first-choice votes in Tuesday night's primary, according to NY1. The number put her above the magic 50 percent first-choice vote marker needed to be declared as the winner in the ranked-choice voting system.

Here is the complete distribution of first-choice votes in the Upper West Side primary race to replace term-limited Helen Rosenthal, according to NY1.

1. Gale Brewer: 53.8 percent
2. Maria Danzilo: 15 percent
3. Sara Lind: 13.7 percent
4. Jeffrey Omura: 10.4 percent
5. David Gold: 4.6 percent
6. Zack Weiner: 2.5 percent

Brewer had nearly 13,000 more first-place votes than Danzilo, according to NY1.

“I am honored to receive the support of so many Democrats in this election. Tuesday’s results showed that the Upper West Side believes in continuing to build an inclusive neighborhood, where everyone is welcome, with thriving small businesses, and where government works for the people," Brewer said in an emailed statement. “The West Side is in my bones. I have lived and worked, raised kids, and been devoted to building a diverse and caring community on these UWS blocks, through crime waves, recessions, Mayors both Democrat and Republican, and this pandemic. I am so honored by the trust placed in me by the voters of District 6.”

Tuesday night's results included only the first-choice, in-person votes cast in District 6. Final certified results will not be known until mid-July, when absentee ballots have been counted and voters' second through fifth choices have been factored into the ranked-choice tabulation.

However, as mentioned above, a race can still be called if one of the candidates gets over 50 percent of the first-place votes.

There were no Republican candidates in the election for District 6 — occasionally a candidate will run as an independent after the primary date in the November election — but Brewer's win in the Democratic primary almost certainly means she will replace Rosenthal.

Brewer held the District 6 Upper West Side council seat for 12 years before becoming the Manhattan Borough President in 2012.

Before the election, Brewer pointed to her "unique set of experience and skills" to help the Upper West Side emerge from the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to vote for her.

• Here's Brewer's full interview with Patch about the UWS City Council position.

Here is more information about all the Democratic candidates who competed in the City Council District 6 primary:

• Sara Lind
• Zack Weiner
• Jeffrey Omura
• David Gold
• Maria Danzilo