Mark Levine, the Manhattan borough president, appeared poised to win the Democratic primary for New York City comptroller after his main opponent, Justin Brannan, a Brooklyn city councilman, conceded the race late Tuesday.
Mr. Brannan said in a statement that he had called Mr. Levine to congratulate him and to “wish him the best as he takes on this extremely important role at this critical time.”
With 92 percent of ballots counted, Mr. Levine was ahead by 14 points — near but not above the 50 percent threshold. The Associated Press had not yet called the race, which appears set to be officially decided after ranked-choice votes are tabulated next Tuesday.
Mr. Levine told his supporters he would serve as a bulwark against the actions of President Trump’s administration.
“To every single one of you who hit the phones, hit the streets, and hit the tweets, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU,” Mr. Levine wrote in a social media post.
Six candidates ran in Tuesday’s primary, but Mr. Levine and Mr. Brannan were the only two to qualify for public financing. Mr. Levine, 56, raised more money in recent months, led in the little public polling available and consolidated much of the institutional support among unions and elected officials.
Regardless, Mr. Brannan, 46, mounted a forceful run, picking up endorsements from progressive stalwarts like the public advocate, Jumaane Williams, the Working Families Party and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. He argued that his experience as the chairman of the Council’s Finance Committee, which involved fighting back against proposed budget cuts by Mayor Eric Adams in several areas including libraries, made him uniquely qualified for the job.
Mr. Brannan also benefited from the spectacular rise of Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who raised money for him and pulled voters into the process who were likely to support him.
Not much separated the candidates ideologically in a race that drew little attention amid a high-profile mayoral contest. Both candidates placed President Trump, and his attacks on New York City, at the center of their campaigns for a job focused on overseeing the city’s pension funds and auditing its agencies. The $280 billion in pension funds offers the comptroller a prominent perch to champion an anti-Trump agenda to a wide audience.
The race featured two debates, during which the candidates sparred over several issues including who had called for Mr. Adams to resign after his federal corruption indictment (Mr. Brannan had and Mr. Levine had not) and how they would protect the city’s finances and pension funds. Mr. Levine called for a billion-dollar increase to the city’s reserves, while Mr. Brannan said he would push to aggressively challenge federal funding cuts in court, if necessary.
During the contest, the two candidates refrained from attacking each other. Mr. Brannan has spoken extensively, and quite colorfully, about his many years touring in punk bands, and has the tattoos to show for it. That background became part of his pitch as he strove to convince voters that he would be a forceful defender of their values and that he had a keen understanding of working-class and middle-class voters’ needs.
But his unconventional path to public office led to the resurrection of old statements. He has apologized for anti-gay rhetoric and comments he posted on message boards related to the Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colo., on April 20, 1999 — which resulted in the deaths of 13 students and a teacher.
In the general election, Mr. Levine will face Peter Kefalas, a lawyer who bested Danniel Maio in the Republican primary. Both candidates raised almost no money and will probably offer only a nominal challenge to Mr. Levine.
Aside from managing the pension funds, the comptroller also conducts oversight of city personnel and agencies. The post has traditionally served as a launching point from which to run for mayor, as Brad Lander, who was elected comptroller in 2021, has done this cycle.
During one of the debates, Mr. Levine and Mr. Brannan both said they were not interested in following Mr. Lander’s lead.
Benjamin Oreskes is a reporter covering New York State politics and government for The Times.
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