Here are two things I know about American politics: Our choices in elections matter more than ever, and our trust and interest in the process is shakier than ever. Voting can have enormous consequences, yet many people don’t believe their vote makes a difference and, perhaps because of that, don’t look closely at which candidates best match their priorities, concerns or values. Coming out of the 2024 election, I’ve been thinking a lot about ways that Times Opinion can help readers assess politicians, understand issues and make informed decisions.
Today we are publishing The Choice, a new form of civic journalism from Times Opinion, which we intend as a public service for voters during election seasons. Our inaugural project focuses on the Democratic primary race for mayor of New York, one of the most important U.S. elections this year.
The Choice brings together 15 New Yorkers who are deeply involved in the life of the city and draws on their expertise, experience and range of viewpoints to assess the nine main Democratic candidates for mayor. Some members of our group are experts on key issues in the race or on communities and neighborhoods, politics and leadership and the corporate world — all things that matter greatly to the future of New York.
Our editors spoke to scores of New Yorkers this winter and spring about taking part in the project and chose these 15 in hopes that their commitment to the city and their insights will prove helpful to voters.
Over the past two months, our panel conducted their own research on the candidates and six key issues that will be important for the next mayor. Affordability in particular is a cornerstone of the project, given the cost of living in New York today.
Times Opinion asked the members of our panel to rate the candidates on the six issues as well as choose the candidate that they thought would make the best mayor. Many members of our panel began their work still uncertain about their top pick; some even donated to candidates whom they ended up not picking. (We disclose all donations from panel members in the project.)
Some potential panelists declined to participate because they were concerned about being publicly critical of Andrew Cuomo, the front-runner — which itself should be a warning about his specific leadership style — or about putting their nonprofit organizations’ tax-exempt status at risk. Others threw their support behind Cuomo, including some who preferred his platform to his closest rival Zohran Mamdani’s progressive agenda.
Traditionally, the Times Opinion editorial board makes endorsements in major political races, as we did with our endorsement of Kamala Harris in the election for president last fall. In the past, we made endorsements in the New York mayoral race, and we may well do so in the future. But in conversations with readers over the years, I’ve found that some of them don’t want simply a one-size-fits-all endorsement and seek deeper, more varied perspectives, reporting and ideas to help them ultimately make their own decisions.
So with The Choice, we wanted to try a different approach — turning to a diverse array of independent-minded New Yorkers who share a sense of urgency about the city’s future and whose experiences and opinions may dovetail with those of many voters. In the case of this race, Democratic primary voters will need to decide which candidates are right for them; our hope is that The Choice provides insight and food for thought to make that decision clearer.
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Kathleen Kingsbury is the Opinion editor of The New York Times, overseeing the editorial board and the Opinion section. Previously she was the deputy editorial page editor. She joined The Times in 2017 from The Boston Globe, where she served as managing editor for digital. She received the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished editorial writing. @katiekings
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