2021 New York City Comptroller election

2021 New York City Comptroller election

← 2017 November 2, 2021 2025 →

Nominee Brad Lander Daby Carreras Paul Rodriguez Party Democratic Republican Conservative Popular vote 752,710 249,460 59,251 Percentage 69.6% 23.0% 5.5%

Borough results Lander:      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Carreras:      50–60%

Comptroller before election Scott Stringer Democratic Elected Comptroller Brad Lander Democratic

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v t

The 2021 New York City Comptroller election consisted of Democratic and Republican primaries for New York City Comptroller on June 22, 2021, followed by a general election on November 2, 2021. The primaries were the first NYC Comptroller election primaries to use ranked-choice voting.^[1] The primary and general election were held alongside concurrent primaries and elections for mayor, Public Advocate, Borough Presidents, and City Council.

Incumbent New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer was barred from running for a third term by term limits, and ran for mayor.^[2] The Democratic candidate, City Council Member Brad Lander won the general election over the Republican candidate Daby Carreras. Lander took office as the 45th NYC Comptroller on January 1, 2022.

Democratic primary[]

Background[]

The first candidate to enter the race was New York City Council Member Helen Rosenthal, who filed to run for the position on June 16, 2018, three years before the election was due to take place.^[3] Rosenthal stated that the early campaign filing was to allow for people who wanted to support her run to donate, and that she would only begin campaigning "in a few years".^[3] Brad Lander, another City Council Member, announced his campaign in January of 2019.^[4] Lander was considered to be a staunchly left-wing Democrat.^[5] Rosenthal withdrew from the race on July 10, 2020, citing poor fundraising numbers.^[6]

By October of 2020 four people had emerged as likely major candidates; State senators Brian Benjamin and Kevin Parker, Lander, and state assemblyman David Weprin.^[7] Of the four, Benjamin and Lander had achieved larger fundraising hauls and more support from elected officials.^[7] Benjamin officially launched his campaign on October 16, emphasizing his experience in the State Senate and work on police reform, and also drawing attention to his experience in the finance industry.^[7] Benjamin's base of support was primarily concentrated in Upper Manhattan, and he posted strong fundraising numbers following his announcement.^[7] By this stage of the campaign Lander was considered the frontrunner by the Gotham Gazette, as his base of support among left-wing Democrats was not limited to a single borough.^[7] Parker announced his campaign on November 12, emphasizing his work on police reform in the State Senate.^[8] Parker was noted by the Gazette as having posted weak fundraising numbers in comparison to the other candidates, and he had a history of personal controversies that were considered potential hindrances to his campaign.^[8] Weprin announced his campaign on December 6, emphasizing his experience with New York City's finances as a result of his previous experience on the City Council.^[9] Weprin's base of support was localised mostly in Queens, and he campaigned as a moderate.^[9][10]

During January of 2021, two additional candidates entered the race; Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former journalist who had unsuccessfully attempted to run for congress in 2020, and Zach Iscol, a non-profit executive who had previously been running for Mayor of New York.^[11] Both Caruso-Cabrera and Iscol portrayed themselves as moderates, with Caruso-Cabrera emphasising her experience reporting on finance as a journalist, while Iscol was noted as a close associate of the Clinton family.^[11][12] Upon his entry into the race, Iscol was criticised by Benjamin, who described him as a "privileged and failed mayoral candidate".^[11] In February of 2021, Speaker of the New York City Council Corey Johnson, who had waged an abortive campaign for mayor the previous year, began to privately signal that he was interested in running for Comptroller.^[13] Johnson was held to be a formidable candidate, as the high public profile of his position as Council speaker meant that he had far higher name recognition than the other candidates, and he had also amassed a considerable financial war chest due to his brief mayoral campaign.^[13] However, Johnson had also undergone a politically damaging fight the previous year over the budget of the New York Police Department, where his attempts to bridge the gap between factions who wanted to maintain the Department's budget and those who wanted to reduce it considerably had left him unpopular with both.^[13]

On March 9, 2021, Johnson entered the race, promising to run a positive campaign in his launch announcement.^[14] Johnson's entry into the race dealt a considerable blow to Lander, as both men were felt to be on the left of the Democratic Party, but Johnson had far higher name recognition and more support from labor unions.^[15] Johnson's entry into the race also caused several elected officials who had previously been expected to endorse Lander, such as popular Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres, to instead throw their support behind Johnson.^[15] Lander's campaign would receive a boost in early March, however, when well-known Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was popular among progressives, endorsed him, which was viewed as helping Lander appeal to more left-wing voters.^[16]

Candidates who raised at least $125,000 from at least 500 donors qualified for matching city funds from the New York City Campaign Finance Board, on an 8-to-1 match basis.^[17] As of February 16, 2021, three candidates had qualified for matching funds: Benjamin, Iscol, and Lander.^[17] Prior to the primary, Corey Johnson was considered the frontrunner, with Lander and Caruso-Cabrera vying for second place.^[18][5]

Candidates[]

Major declared candidates[]

The following candidates (listed alphabetically) held office, were included in polls, or were the subject of significant media coverage.

Candidate	Experience	Announced	Ref
Brian Benjamin	NY State Senator	October 15, 2020 (Website)	[7]
Michelle Caruso-Cabrera	Former CNBC reporter Candidate for NY-14 in 2020	January 28, 2021 (Website)	[19]
Zach Iscol	Entrepreneur U.S. Marines veteran	January 26, 2021 (Website)	[20]
Corey Johnson	Speaker of the NYC Council	March 9, 2021 (Website)	[21]
Brad Lander	NYC Councilmember	January 25, 2019 (Website)	[22][23]
Kevin Parker	NY State Senator	November 11, 2020 (Website)	[8]
Reshma Patel	Member of Manhattan Community Board 6	February 17, 2021 (Website)	[24]
David Weprin	State Assemblymember	November 6, 2020 (Website)	[25]

Other declared candidates[]

• Terri Liftin, investment officer^[26]
• Alex K. S. Pan, college student at Denison University and former groundskeeper^[27]

Withdrawn[]

• Helen Rosenthal, NYC Councilmember^[28]

Debates[]

2021 New York City Comptroller democratic primary debates
No.	Date & Time	Host	Moderator	Link	Participants
Key:  P  Participant    A  Absent    N  Non-invitee    W  Withdrawn
					Brian Benjamin	Michelle Caruso-Cabrera	Zach Iscol	Corey Johnson	Brad Lander	Kevin Parker	Reshma Patel	David Weprin
1[29]	June 10, 2021	NY1	Brigid Bergin Errol Louis Rachel Holliday Smith	Video	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P
2[30]	June 19, 2021	WNBC	Sally Goldenberg Melissa Russo Allan Villafanna	Video	P	P	P	P	P	P	P	P

Endorsements[]

Polling[]

Graphical summary (first-past-the-post polls)[]

Among those supporting a candidate (first-past-the-post polls)

Ranked-choice polls[]

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	RCV count	Brian Benjamin	Michelle Caruso-Cabrera	Zach Iscol	Corey Johnson	Brad Lander	Kevin Parker	David Weprin	Others	Undecided
Data for Progress (D)	Jun 18–20, 2021	1,354 (LV)	± 3.0%	BA[b]	6%	7%	3%	18%	26%	5%	6%	3% Patel: 3% Liftin: 0%	26%
				1	6%	10%	4%	26%	33%	8%	9%	3% Patel: 3% Liftin: 0%	–
				2	6%	10%	4%	27%	33%	8%	9%	3% Patel: 3%
				3	7%	11%	4%	27%	33%	9%	9%	–
				4	7%	12%	–	28%	34%	10%	10%	–
				5	–	12%	–	29%	38%	10%	10%	–
				6	–	14%	–	33%	41%	–	12%	–
				7	–	17%	–	38%	44%	–	–	–
				8	–	–	–	47%	53%	–	–	–
Schoen Cooperman Research (D)[A]	June 10–13, 2021	1,000 (LV)	± 3.1%	BA[b]	6%	11%	3%	21%	13%	7%	6%	7% Patel: 7%	23%
				1	8%	15%	4%	29%	18%	9%	8%	9% Patel: 9%	–
				2	9%	15%	–	29%	19%	10%	8%	10% Patel: 10%
				3	10%	16%	–	32%	20%	12%	–	10% Patel: 10%
				4	11%	19%	–	36%	21%	13%	–	–
				5	–	21%	–	40%	24%	15%	–	–
				6	–	26%	–	46%	28%	–	–	–
				7	–	–	–	61%	39%	–	–	–
Change Research (D)	May 6–12, 2021	1,422 (LV)	± 2.6%	BA[b]	4%	6%	1%	15%	7%	3%	4%	9% "Would not vote": 7% Patel: 2% Liftin: 0% Pan: 0%	51%
				2	9%	13%	3%	35%	16%	7%	11%	5% Patel: 4% Pan: 1%	–
				3	9%	14%	3%	36%	16%	7%	11%	4% Patel: 4%
				4	9%	14%	–	37%	17%	8%	11%	4% Patel: 4%
				5	9%	15%	–	38%	18%	8%	12%	–
				6	10%	17%	–	43%	18%	–	12%	–
				7	–	18%	–	49%	19%	–	13%	–
				8	–	21%	–	57%	22%	–	–	–
				9	–	–	–	72%	28%	–	–	–
Schoen Cooperman Research (D)[B]	May 4–9, 2021	1,003 (LV)	± 3.1%	BA[b]	8%	13%	–	21%	13%	–	7%	1%	35%
				1	12%	21%	–	34%	21%	–	12%	–
				2	15%	24%	–	39%	22%	–	–
				3	–	28%	–	46%	26%	–	–
				4	–	36%	–	64%	–	–	–
Benenson Strategy Group (D)[C]	Apr 16–21, 2021	1,558 (LV)	± 2.5%	BA[b]	5%	9%	3%	22%	6%	5%	6%	2%	42%
				1	10%	16%	5%	39%	10%	9%	11%	–
				2	11%	17%	–	40%	12%	9%	12%
				3	12%	19%	–	43%	13%	–	13%
				4	–	23%	–	47%	14%	–	15%
				5	–	26%	–	56%	–	–	18%
Data for Progress (D)	Mar 21 – Apr 5, 2021	1,007 (LV)	± 3.0%	BA[b]	2%	7%	1%	20%	8%	5%	4%	4% Patel: 3% Liftin: 1%	48%
				8[c]	23%	–	–	77%	–	–	–	–
				8	–	28%	–	72%	–	–	–
				8[d]	–	–	–	71%	29%	–	–
				8[e]	–	–	–	74%	–	26%	–

First-past-the-post polls[]

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Brian Benjamin	Michelle Caruso-Cabrera	Zach Iscol	Corey Johnson	Brad Lander	Kevin Parker	David Weprin	Others	Undecided
Data for Progress (D)	Jun 18–20, 2021	1,354 (LV)	± 3.0%	6%	7%	3%	18%	26%	5%	6%	3% Patel: 3% Liftin: 0%	26%
Ipsos	June 10–17, 2021	702 (LV)	± 5.7%	7%	11%	2%	26%	15%	6%	5%	1%	26%
Schoen Cooperman Research (D)[A]	June 10–13, 2021	1,000 (LV)	± 3.1%	6%	11%	3%	21%	13%	7%	6%	7% Patel: 7%	23%
Data for Progress (D)	June 7–13, 2021	998 (LV)	± 3.0%	4%	10%	1%	23%	23%	3%	4%	2% Patel: 2% Liftin: 0%	29%
Ipsos	May 17–31, 2021	906 (LV)	± 4.5%	5%	9%	1%	18%	9%	6%	7%	<1%	44%
Schoen Cooperman Research (D)[D]	May 24–27, 2021	407 (LV)	± 4.9%	–	16%	–	20%	14%	–	–	–	20%
Change Research (D)	May 6–12, 2021	1,422 (LV)	± 2.6%	4%	6%	1%	15%	7%	3%	4%	9% "Would not vote": 7% Patel: 2% Liftin: 0% Pan: 0%	51%
Schoen Cooperman Research (D)[B]	May 4–9, 2021	1,003 (LV)	± 3.1%	8%	13%	–	21%	13%	–	7%	1%	35%
Honan Strategy Group (D)[E]	Apr 24 – May 2, 2021	1,100 (LV)	± 3.0%	6%	11%	0%	22%	7%	1%	1%	–	52%
GQR Research (D)[F]	Apr 27–29, 2021	500 (LV)	± 4.4%	3%	15%	1%	40%	9%	4%	5%	1%	21%
Benenson Strategy Group (D)[C]	Apr 16–21, 2021	1,558 (LV)	± 2.5%	5%	9%	3%	22%	6%	5%	6%	2%	42%
Honan Strategy Group (D)	Apr 16–21, 2021	520 (LV)	± 4.3%	8%	9%	0%	19%	10%	4%	2%	1%	47%
Ipsos	Apr 1–15, 2021	1,000 (LV)	± 4.7%	6%	9%	2%	14%	4%	7%	7%	<1%	50%
Data for Progress (D)	Mar 21 – Apr 5, 2021	1,007 (LV)	± 3.0%	2%	7%	1%	20%	8%	5%	4%	4% Patel: 3% Liftin: 1%	48%
Conscious Voter Contact (D)[G]	Mar 15–17, 2021	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	3%	6%	1%	20%	6%	5%	12%	–	47%
Schoen Cooperman Research (D)	Nov 2020	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	6%	13%	–	–	3%	6%	4%	2%	66%

Results[]

2021 New York City Comptroller Democratic primary election^[89]

Party		Candidate	Maximum round	Maximum votes	Share in maximum round	Maximum votes First round votesTransfer votes
	Democratic	Brad Lander	10	340,944	51.9%	​​
	Democratic	Corey Johnson	10	315,649	48.1%	​​
	Democratic	Michelle Caruso-Cabrera	9	165,543	22.2%	​​
	Democratic	Brian Benjamin	8	90,459	11.6%	​​
	Democratic	David Weprin	7	75,133	8.9%	​​
	Democratic	Kevin Parker	6	55,765	6.9%	​​
	Democratic	Reshma Patel	5	51,608	6.0%	​​
	Democratic	Zach Iscol	4	29,291	3.3%	​​
	Democratic	Alex Pan	3	24,865	2.6%	​​
	Democratic	Terri Liftin	2	9,993	1.1%	​​
	Write-in		1	1,791	0.2%	​​

Republican Party[]

Candidate[]

Declared[]

• Daby Carreras, self-described "wealth manager" at Spartan Capital Securities where he is principally a stock broker.^[90][91]

New York State Conservative Party[]

Candidate[]

Declared[]

• Paul Rodriguez, former stock analyst and broker;^[92] currently running fund-raising for a major NYC area metropolitan charity.^[93]

Working Families Party[]

Candidate[]

Declared[]

• Brad Lander Petitions to be on the Working Families Party line were disqualified by the Board Of Elections.^[94]

Libertarian Party[]

Candidate[]

Declared[]

• John Tabacco, TV host^[92]

General election[]

Results[]

General election results^[95][96]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brad Lander	752,710	69.56
	Republican	Daby Carreras	245,052	22.64
	Save Our City	Daby Carreras	4,408	0.41
	Total	Daby Carreras	249,460	23.05
	Conservative	Paul Rodriguez	59,251	5.48
	Libertarian	John Tabacco	18,802	1.74
	Write-in		1,935	0.18
Total votes			1,082,158	100%
	Democratic hold

See also[]

• Government of New York City
• 2021 New York City mayoral election

Notes[]

Partisan clients

References[]