City Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr. (C.D. 17) announced on Wednesday, April 2, that he has submitted over 11,000 petition signatures to NYC Board of Elections to officially qualify for the ballot in the upcoming Democratic primary race for Bronx borough president which takes place in June 2025.

 

Salamanca’s campaign team said he surpassed the required threshold by more than quadruple and added that his petition filing “reflects deep, borough-wide support and a disciplined field operation built on years of public service and strong community ties.”

 

“Every signature represents a conversation, a shared story, and a belief in what the Bronx can be,” said Salamanca. “I’m proud to submit these petitions not just as a requirement, but as a symbol of the trust people across this borough have placed in me. I’m running to bring that trust to Borough Hall, and to make sure every neighborhood in the Bronx gets the leadership it deserves.”

 

Salamanca currently represents the 17th City Council District, which covers the neighborhoods of Mott Haven-Port Morris, Melrose, Hunts Point, Longwood, North & South Brother Islands, Morrisania, Crotona Park East, Concourse-Concourse Village, West Farms, and Soundview-Bruckner-Bronx River.

 

He serves as chair of the City Council’s powerful land use committee, and according to his campaign team, “has built a reputation as a results-driven leader, bringing over $400 million in investments to The Bronx.” They said he has also expanded affordable housing, and championed public safety and job creation.

 

His campaign team said his “robust showing in the petitioning phase signals growing momentum as the race moves forward.”

 

“We ran a people-powered petitioning operation that reached every corner of the Bronx, from Soundview to Riverdale, from Castle Hill to Kingsbridge,” the councilman said. “This campaign is rooted in the real needs of Bronx families, and that’s exactly who I’ll fight for as borough president.”

 

As reported, Democrat and incumbent Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson announced Monday, March 31, that her campaign had collected and submitted more than 20,000 signatures to NYC Board of Elections (BOE), also securing her place on the Democratic primary ballot in June.

 

Meanwhile, on March 17, the NYC Campaign Finance Board (CFB) voted to approve public matching funds payments totaling $2,817,686 to 30 participating candidates in its public matching funds program for the 2025 New York City elections. CFB officials said the payment is the fourth payment of the 2025 election cycle, and added that payment determinations were based on corrected filings by participating candidates from their respective disclosure statements (#7).

 

They said payments to candidates based on disclosure statement #8, which were due on March 17, will be made at the CFB’s April meeting. According to the CFB, the public matching funds program eliminates barriers to participation [for candidates from all walks of life who may wish to run for office] by providing access to resources (money) New Yorkers in every community can use to run for office.

 

They said the candidates receiving payment on March 17 had met all the requirements of the Campaign Finance Act and Board Rules, had at least one opponent in their respective race, and had achieved a [minimum] threshold level of public support for their respective campaigns by already raising small-dollar contributions from the city residents they are seeking to represent.

Candidate	Office	Payment March 17	Total Payments to date	Total Amount Raised	Percent in-district	Percent small donors

Gibson, Vanessa	Bronx Borough President	$0	$410,309	$286,098	54.3%	63.7%
Salamanca, Rafael	Bronx Borough President	$222,984	$222,984	$160,770	49.1%	64.4%

                                    Source: NYC Campaign Finance Board

New Yorkers are invited to visit the CFB website to find information on the two-part threshold candidates must meet to qualify for public funds [taxpayer dollars], as well as additional information on the legal requirements to qualify for such funds.

CFB officials said the board had also voted on non-payment determinations for participating candidates who have not yet demonstrated eligibility to receive a public funds payment, as of the date of the meeting. They said that candidates not receiving funds as part of the March 17 overall bulk payment could still demonstrate their eligibility for a future payment.

 

They said after March 17, there are four additional payment dates before the primary election in June 2025, and five payment dates before the general election in November 2025.

The table above lists the status of the payments for March 17 for both Gibson and Salamanca.