It is once again election season in NYC. Manhattan residents, as well as the rest of the Big Apple, will head to the polls starting on June 13 for early voting, as well as on June 23, the day of the Democratic June 2026 primary.
Registered Democrats in Manhattan will have the opportunity to vote in a number of elections for candidates to represent their island borough in city, state, and federal offices.
One of the most closely watched races this year has been the Congressional NY-10 race in Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, where former city Comptroller Brad Lander is challenging incumbent Dan Goldman for the U.S. Representative seat. The latest polls have shown Lander with a sizable lead.
Both candidates are considered progressives. They have taken strong stances against overreaching ICE enforcement at 26 Federal Plaza last year and into 2026. Lander was even arrested during an encounter with federal agents in June last year; he was subsequently released without charges.
Goldman also emerged during the race as an immigrant rights advocate, observing immigration court hearings and, as a Congress Member, proposing legislation to regulate and prevent the detention of immigrants in courthouses.
Rep. Dan Goldman and former city Comptroller Brad Lander appeared separately at a NY-10 candidate forum hosted by New York Law School and sponsored by Abundance New York and NYC New Liberals.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Another high-profile race includes the NY-12 contest to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, whose office represents the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and Midtown. Nadler has been in office since 1992.
A crowded field of candidates has positioned to replace him: Assembly Members Micah Lasher and Alex Bores; Kennedy kin Jack Schlossberg; and lawyer and activist George Conway. Other candidates on the ballot are Nina Schwalbe, Patrick Timmins, Chris Diep and Laura Dunn.
Polls last month showed Lasher and Bores on top so far.
The primary for NY-13, which includes Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx, features Rep. Adriano Espaillat seeking reelection against challengers Darializa Avila Chevalier, a socialist activist recently endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as well as Theo Chino-Tavarez and Oscar Romero.
Espaillat and Avila Chevalier butted heads on a recent episode of WNYC radio’s “The Brian Lehrer Show,” where the challenger maintained that Espaillat was soft on ICE. The incumbent did not shy away from bringing up Avila Chevalier’s past controversial social media posts.
Harlem community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier (left) launched a primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.Photos courtesy of Justice Democrats and by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
City Council special election, Comptroller’s race
There is only one New York City Council primary election in Manhattan. It is for the 3rd Council District in Chelsea, the West Village, Greenwich Village, Hell’s Kitchen, and nearby areas. Candidates on the ballot include incumbent Carl Wilson, who won a special election this year after his predecessor, Erik Bottcher, was elected to the State Senate.
Challengers include Layla Law-Gisiko, Leslie Boghosian Murphy and Lindsey Boylan, the latter of whom was endorsed by Mamdani during District 3’s special election this year.
All registered Democrats in New York will have a chance to vote for state Comptroller during the primary. Candidates include incumbent Thomas DiNapoli and challengers Drew Warshaw and Raj Goyle. Like the city comptroller, the state Comptroller serves as the financial watchdog for New York state government.
Here is a rundown on other key elections in Manhattan this month:
State Senate elections
27th Senatorial District in Lower Manhattan: The candidates are Grace Lee, currently the co-chair of the Asian Pacific American Task Force in the State Assembly, and Yuh-Line Niou, a former Assembly member whose campaign focuses on anti-ICE efforts, taxing the rich and affordability concerns.
29th Senatorial District in East Harlem, Upper Manhattan: Nicholas Reyes, whose campaign website states he focuses on affordable housing and economic opportunity, will challenge incumbent Jose Serrano, whose father is a former U.S. Congress Member of the same name. The younger Serrano was also a member of the NYC Council from 2002 to 2005.
31st Senatorial District in Washington Heights and Inwood: Nayma Silver-Matos will challenge the incumbent since 2019, Robert Jackson.
State Assembly elections
65th Assembly District in Chinatown and the Lower East Side: Candidates include Jasmin Sanchez, Illapa Sairitupac, Mariama James, Wei-Li Tjong, Lilah Mejia and Jay Jacky Wong.
66th Assembly District in Lower Manhattan: A crowded field of candidates are up for election to replace retiring incumbent Deborah Glick, who has held the post for 35 years. Candidates include David Siffert, Benjamin Yee, Furhan Ahmad, Ryder Kessler, Jeannine Kiely and Corinne Arnold.
68th Assembly District in northeastern Manhattan, Randalls and Wards Islands: A list of candidates are on the ballot here, including Diana Ayala, Tamika Mapp and William Smith to challenge incumbent Edward Gibbs, who won a special election in 2022.
69th Assembly District in Morningside Heights, Manhattan Valley and nearby Upper Manhattan neighborhoods: Public defender Eli Northrup and Stephanie Ruskay, a rabbi and community organizer, are running to replace Lasher, who is now in the Congressional election to replace retiring representative Nadler.
70th Assembly District in West Harlem, Central Harlem, Hamilton Heights and Morningside Heights: Public defender, labor leader and Democratic socialist Conrad Blackburn will challenge incumbent Jordan Wright, son of former Assembly Member Keith Wright.
71st Assembly District in Harlem and Washington Heights: Rolando Gomez and Democratic socialist Julien Sequra against incumbent Al Taylor.
72nd Assembly District in Inwood, Washington Heights, Hudson Heights, Fort George and Marble Hill: Candidate Francesca Castellanos will challenge incumbent Manny De Los Santos.
75th Assembly District in Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown and parts of the Upper West Side: Emily YueXin Miller challenging incumbent Tony Simone.
Voting information
Early voting takes place June 13 to June 21 for the June 23 Democratic primary election. Only New Yorkers who are registered as Democrats can cast their ballots in the Democratic primary.
Poll sites throughout Manhattan and the rest of the city will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 23, primary day.
New Yorkers can find more information about voting in the primary, poll sites, hours of operation and early voting at nycvotes.org.