New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate, Scott Stringer, confirmed he has dropped out of the mayoral race. The news was confirmed in a statement issued by his campaign on Tuesday evening, June 29, and comes on the back of underwhelming Round 1 results for the candidate post Primary Election Night, on June 22, and a campaign that was, in the latter stages at least, marred by controversy amid allegations of sexual misconduct which the comptroller has denied.

 

According to data posted on the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) website as of June 23, at 1.48 a.m., Stringer had won just 5.03 percent of the vote share after Round 1 on Primary Election Night, placing him in fifth position behind Brooklyn Borough President and fellow candidate, Eric Adams, who won 31.66 percent, lawyer and civil rights activist, Maya Wiley, with 22.22 percent, former food czar and NYC Department of Sanitation commissioner, Kathryn Garcia, with 19.48 percent, and former U.S. presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, with 11.66 percent.

 

Yang had already been quick to concede after the unofficial election night results were published on June 22, and was quoted as saying, “I’m a numbers guy” indicating that, by his calculations, there was no feasible path forward for his campaign, despite four more rounds of ranked choice votes which still remain to be counted.

 

The above-referenced numbers are slightly different from those reported on Election Night by the BOE. The NY Daily News reported on Tuesday night that the “Board of Elections hurled the city’s first-ever ranked-choice mayoral race into disarray Tuesday by releasing updated results showing Eric Adams’ lead in the contest shrinking drastically — only to withdraw those tabulations due to an unspecified voting “discrepancy” before calling it a night.”

 

As planned, the BOE tabulated preliminary RCV elimination rounds on Tuesday and released an unofficial report based on the tabulation, excluding absentee ballots, but later reversed the publication of the report amid the identification of a technical error. In the meantime, City & State reported on Tuesday that Adams now has 51.1 percent of the vote share and Garcia now has 48.9 percent, having overtaken Wiley.

 

In any case, it seems Stringer made his decision and in his statement, said, “Nine months ago, standing with supporters in Washington Heights, the neighborhood where I was raised, we launched a campaign to lead our city in a new direction. The pandemic had revealed what was long understood by the families I grew up with: that their government had left them behind to fend for themselves.”

 

He said that on behalf of the neighborhoods that had been knocked down, the people who had been priced out, and the children who were the city’s future, he had pledged to be a mayor who would bring leadership back to City Hall and build a city for everyone.

 

“Over the course of the campaign, consistent with that vision, we outlined a truly transformational agenda,” he said, adding that on issue after issue, from climate change to affordable housing, to educational opportunity, his campaign thought boldly about what it would take not just to recover from the turmoil of the previous year but to build back stronger and fairer than ever.

 

“Those ideas united an intergenerational, multi-ethnic coalition of friends, supporters, union activists, and community leaders who inspired me every day,” the comptroller added. “I am overwhelmed with gratitude for your generosity, your trust, your ideas, and your hard work. So many gave so much of themselves to this campaign, and to carry the banner on your behalf has been the honor of a lifetime.”

 

Stringer went on to say that while he was disappointed that the campaign came up short on Election Night, he was proud of what it accomplished and was excited by what will come next. “I believe that we fundamentally expanded New Yorkers’ sense of what’s possible and strengthened their resolve to demand a city government more responsive to the needs of those who don’t have all the advantages.”

 

The comptroller said that this had been what he had fought for throughout his career in public service, as a member of the Assembly, demanding that the wealthy pay their fair share and standing up for survivors of domestic violence; as Manhattan borough president, working with communities to build truly affordable housing; and as city comptroller, taking on the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies on behalf of future generations.

 

“I am so grateful to everyone who played a part in what we achieved over the years,” he said. “This campaign may be over, but I haven’t given up on our shared vision for a stronger, fairer city. I know you haven’t, either. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you’ve done, and look forward to being in the trenches with you in the important fights to come.”

 

As reported, State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi formally rescinded her support for Stringer in late April, following earlier public statements released on social media where, initially, she had stopped short of formally withdrawing her support for Stringer, following the first reports of alleged sexual misconduct by a former Stringer staffer, and despite having been one of the comptroller’s most ardent supporters in the early days of his campaign.

 

As reported, the senator had campaigned together with Stringer last September in the Riverdale section of The Bronx. The sexual misconduct allegations against the latter were detailed in a report on April 29 by The New York Times, and were first reported on April 28, by the Gothamist.

 

Stringer also lost the support of other progressive Bronx elected officials around the same time, including U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) and others from across the City, including Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, who represents parts of Manhattan and Governors Island, Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, who represents parts of Queens, and State Sen. Julia Salazar who also represents parts of Brooklyn.

 

Biaggi, who represents parts of The Bronx and Westchester counties in the 34th senatorial district, had issued a brief joint statement with other colleagues, confirming her rescinding of support for Stringer on April 29, saying simply, “We are rescinding our endorsement of Scott Stringer’s mayoral campaign.”

 

As reported, Biaggi had released an earlier joint statement on Twitter on April 28, together with Salazar and Niou, saying, “As survivors of childhood sexual assault, we believe survivors.” The statement continued, “Our commitment to a harassment-free government, workplace, and society is steadfast, and our zero tolerance standard regarding sexual assault applies to [alleged] abusers like Andrew Cuomo, if not more so, to our friends.”

 

Most recently, as reported, Biaggi has fought to amend a law to close the so-called “voluntary intoxication loophole,” to ensure equal protection under the law in the future, in terms of defense, for all sexual assault survivors, including those who may become intoxicated voluntarily, in addition to those who become intoxicated involuntarily, a scenario sometimes referred to as date-rape. Only the latter category of survivors are currently protected under State law. The bill to amend the law has passed the Senate but not yet the Assembly, where it is sponsored by Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) and was still being discussed at committee level, prior to the summer recess.

 

Biaggi’s announcement confirming her rescinding of her support for Stringer coincided with a preplanned sexual assault awareness town hall on April 29, to mark Sexual Assault Awareness month. She was joined by panelists, Niou, NYS Sen. Brad Holyman, and Dawn Row from the advocacy group, Girl Vow.

 

Meanwhile, Rivera had also released a statement on April 28, which read, “When a survivor speaks out about their experience with sexual harassment, we need to listen and seek the accountability that the situation demands.”

 

Also, on Tuesday, the New York City Commission on Human Rights announced a landmark $1,000,000 sexual harassment settlement against Fox News Corporation, after the commission initiated its own investigation into a series of high-profile reports alleging a culture of pervasive sexual harassment and retaliation at the network. The fine is the highest ever ordered for violations under New York City Human Rights Law, and the settlement represents the first of its kind against a major news network by a civil rights enforcement agency in the country.

 

Norwood News contacted the Stringer campaign, once again, for comment following reports of an additional allegation of sexual misconduct by a second woman, Teresa Logan, in early June, which the comptroller also denied. A representative for his campaign provided the following quote from the comptroller, which read, “While I do not remember Ms. Logan, if I ever did anything to make her uncomfortable, I am sorry.”

 

Editor’s Note: The New York Times and others reported in December 2022 that Stringer filed a defamation lawsuit against Jean Kim, who had accused him of alleged sexual assault when she worked for him as an intern. Stringer claimed the allegations were fake and cost him the 2021 mayoral bid. 

 

In March 2023, The NY Post reported that Kim has filed a lawsuit against Stringer under the New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which opened a one-year window for adult victims of sexual abuse to sue even if their claims fell outside the statute of limitations. Stringers denies any wrongdoing. 

 

In August 2023, a Manhattan Supreme Court Judge rejected an attempt by Scott Stringer to sue the woman who accused him of sexual misconduct for defamation. Judge Richard Latin granted a motion to dismiss filed by defendant Jean Kim, finding Stringer’s claims were time-barred.