In a fairly tight race for lieutenant governor, incumbent Kathy Hochul survived a challenge from New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams in the statewide Democratic primary on Thursday, securing a pro-Cuomo ticket for the Nov. 6 General Election.
With 13,778 of 13,836 of districts reporting, Hochul had a lead of 48.39 percent over Williams with 42.37 percent of the vote. Opinion polls in the days and weeks leading up to the race race gave Hochul a large lead, but Williams had a strong showing, especially in Manhattan, his native Brooklyn, and the ever-progressive Tompkins County.
Hochul, a Buffalo native, had the backing of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. She first assumed the position of lieutenant governor in 2015, yet she has had a long history in politics dating back to her college days when she led a boycott of the Syracuse University bookstore because of their unfair prices in the 1970s.
Hochul later went on to become a congresswoman for the New York’s 26th Congressional District after her victory to fill the seat left vacant by Republican, Chris Lee.
Williams’ political career began in 2010 when he was elected to the New York City Council after defeating Democratic incumbent, Kendall Stewart in 2009. Since then, Williams has been an outspoken critic of the New York City Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy. Williams, a self-described Democratic Socialist, is the deputy leader of the New York City Council and chair of the Task Force on City Workforce Equity
Hochul will run against Republican Julie Killian in November.
