Carl Wilson declares victory in race to succeed Erik Bottcher in Council District 3

Out gay City Council candidate Carl Wilson declared victory in the hours after polls closed on April 28 in his bid to succeed his former boss, Erik Bottcher, in the special election for Manhattan's Third District. According to unofficial election results, Wilson received 43.08% of the vote in the first round of the ranked-choice competition, followed by Lindsey Boylan, who had 25.66%, and Layla Law-Gisiko, who had 20.05%. Another candidate, Leslie Boghosian Murphy, received 10.72%, reflecting the crowded field of candidates in District 3. Wilson technically needs more than 50% of the vote to win the race under the ranked-choice format, but the Boylan campaign publicly conceded less than two hours after polls closed. “This is just the beginning," Wilson said at his election night party at VERS bar in Hell's Kitchen, according to AM New York. "Winning an election is not the finish line, it is the starting point. Now the real work begins — the work of showing up every single day, the work of listening, especially when it’s difficult, the work of building coalitions and delivering real results for our communities.” Wilson's victory means the LGBTQIA+ Caucus will expand to seven members and, yet again, gives Manhattan some LGBTQ representation in the City Council. The caucus also features co-chairs Justin Sanchez and Chi Ossé of the Bronx and Brooklyn, respectively, along with Councilmembers Tiffany Cabán and Lynn Schulman of Queens, Crystal Hudson of Brooklyn, and David Carr of Staten Island. Down the stretch, LGBTQ representation became a key theme in the race for a seat that has been represented by an out councilmember since Tom Duane was first elected in 1991 at a time when the district was shaped to give the community a voice in the City Council. Duane and Antonio Pagán of the neighboring District 2 were the first out councilmembers. The City Council seat in District 3 became available earlier this year after Bottcher successfully ran for Brad Hoylman-Sigal's old seat in the State Senate following Hoylman-Sigal's victory in the race for Manhattan borough president. Prior to the election, Wilson told Gay City News that he, indeed, was "the LGBTQ+ candidate in this race," but he also described himself as "the candidate with the longest track record of on-the-ground service in this district and the experience to deliver from day one." Boylan welcomed support from a sizable base of LGBTQ leaders, including Cabán, State Senator Jababri Brisport of Brooklyn, Rabbi Abby Stein, and community activist and drag artist Marti Cummings, among others. Wilson's support in the LGBTQ community, meanwhile, included endorsements from Hoylman-Sigal, Assemblymember Tony Simone of Manhattan, Councilmembers Lynn Schulman of Queens and Justin Sanchez of the Bronx, and former Speakers Corey Johnson and Christine Quinn. Wilson was also endorsed by the city's top two citywide LGBTQ political clubs: the Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City and the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. Duane, for his part, had endorsed Law-Gisiko in the race. Duane told Gay City News in an April 20 interview that he no longer believed the district needed to be represented by an out LGBTQ community member, especially given the success of queer candidates citywide — with out city lawmakers now in every borough. Wilson was backed by Council Speaker Julie Menin, while Boylan won the endorsement of Mayor Zohran Mamdani. According to AM New York, Wilson voiced his support for an effort to override the mayor's veto of a Council bill requiring the NYPD to enforce protest buffer zones at educational facilities, while Boylan did not support such an override. However, the New York Times reported that Wilson "had said he would vote to override the mayor, but on Tuesday a spokesman for his campaign said he had changed his position and instead wanted to see the bill amended to address the concerns of free speech advocates." Then, on April 29, the Times updated its story to note that Wilson said he would vote to override the veto. As the race neared the finish line, New York Focus reported that a super PAC tied to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo spent six figures on ads, texts, and phone calls supporting Wilson's campaign. "Proud to congratulate Carl Wilson on his victory in the District 3 special election," Hoylman-Sigal wrote on X shortly after 10 p.m. on April 28. "Carl knows this district inside and out and is ready to hit the ground running. Looking forward to working together to deliver for Manhattan." Quinn, who also previously represented the same district, also congratulated Wilson on X, writing: "Great victory for the neighborhood!" Bottcher welcomed his former chief of staff's victory, as well, framing it in the context of housing. "Carl’s victory is a strong sign we’re in a new era of housing politics in NYC," Bottcher wrote on X. "@CarlMichaelW had every opportunity to take the easy NIMBY path and never did. He stayed clear and consistent on housing and won decisively in a district that includes the W. Village, Chelsea, and HK."