Jumaane Williams, a staunch progressive and leading ally of Zohran Mamdani, was re-elected as New York City public advocate on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press.
Mr. Williams, 49, won handily after besting two Democratic primary challengers in June. His critics argued that he was too beholden to the party’s left flank to be effective in office. But Mr. Williams pushed back, saying the city needed a public advocate who could defend New Yorkers against threats from President Trump and stand up to Mayor Eric Adams, whom Mr. Williams has frequently antagonized in the past few years.
A self-proclaimed “activist elected official,” Mr. Williams has championed the rights of tenants, immigrants and victims of police violence while in office. He has been arrested more than a dozen times, including for trying to stop a deportation proceeding and protesting police violence. In 2022, he challenged Gov. Kathy Hochul, but his campaign was hampered by low fund-raising and little name recognition.
On Tuesday, Mr. Williams defeated Gonzalo Duran, a Republican, and Martin Dolan, a third-party candidate, in the general election.
The public advocate is second in line to lead City Hall, and over the past year, as Mr. Adams has contended with a federal corruption case and faced questions about his viability for office, Mr. Williams made preparations to assume the mayoralty. But Mr. Adams did not step down and pointed to Mr. Williams’s possible leadership as one reason for remaining in office.
During the mayoral primary and general election campaigns, Mr. Williams aligned himself with Mr. Mamdani, the mayor-elect. He often worked behind the scenes to help Mr. Mamdani bolster relationships with older Black New Yorkers and union members. In an interview ahead of the Democratic primary, Mr. Williams said he would support Mr. Mamdani, but pledged to hold him accountable when necessary.
“The job of public advocate is sometimes having some publicly tough conversations,” he said. “But I am very clear who I’m more aligned with and who I’m not and so I’m going to use my voice to push a mayor who I think is going to try to help New York City and people who have been left out for a long time.”
Maya King is a Times reporter covering New York politics.
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