Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown Declares Victory In Write-In Race
Buffalo, New York, Mayor Byron Brown confidently declared victory over Democratic nominee India Walton on Tuesday night after in-person results showed write-in ballots swamping votes for Walton.
The Erie County Board of Elections is waiting until Nov. 15 to open the write-in ballots, because that is the last day for military and overseas votes to arrive.
AdvertisementBut with write-in ballots outnumbering Waltonâs ballots 59% to 41% among in-person voters, Brownâs victory over Walton, a self-described democratic socialist, is all but assured.
âAt the very beginning, they said we couldnât win, it was impossible to win as a write-in,â Brown told supporters. âBut you canât ever count a Buffalonian out.â
The outcome is a remarkable reversal of fortune for both Walton and an activist left that had invested hopes in her after her upset win in the June primary. Walton was the only name on the ballot in Tuesdayâs election and victories in write-in campaigns are highly unusual.
But Brown, a four-term mayor with sky-high name recognition and a major fundraising advantage over Walton, is no ordinary write-in candidate.
AdvertisementAfter mistakenly ignoring Walton in the primary, Brown ran an energetic general-election campaign, uniting the Democratic cityâs numerous centrist and conservative voters, and successfully characterizing Walton as both unqualified and extreme. A public poll in late October that tried to simulate the effects of a write-in campaign found Brown leading Walton by 18 percentage points.
âThe people of the city of Buffalo battled heart and soul for the remarkable progress weâve achieved over the past 16 years and against those calling for ill-conceived policies that would reverse our progress,â Brown said.
Brown hailed his win as a vindication of those who oppose demonizing big business and law enforcement. He extended a âspecial wordâ of thanks to Buffaloâs police officers and firefighters, and declared that business executives and entrepreneurs are ânot the enemy.â
If Brown ran on continuing the real-estate development and downtown revival during his tenure, Walton pitched voters on ensuring that ordinary Buffalonians shared in the cityâs economic gains. She proposed building more affordable housing, taking steps to protect working-class Buffalonians from the disruptive effects of gentrification, raising property taxes to replace more regressive revenue streams, and cutting the police budget with an eye toward rebalancing law-enforcement priorities.
Advertisement Buffalo, New York, Mayor Byron Brown celebrates with supporters on Tuesday night. He characterized Democratic nominee India Walton as unqualified and extreme.Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated PressWalton delivered brief remarks to reporters on Tuesday night.
âThis is definitely not a concession speech,â Walton said. âEvery vote needs to be counted. Right now, itâs Walton against âwrite-in,â whoever that is.â
Walton also skewered Brown for âactively cooperating and colluding with Republicans and dark money to defeat a person who is going to be a champion for the little guy.â
Brown indeed benefited from the largesse of major Republican donors, including LLCs tied to Carl Paladino, a real-estate mogul and former gubernatorial candidate with a history of making racist remarks.
But Walton, aware of the odds against her victory, alluded in her remarks to a career in city politics that will outlast her campaign.
âIâm not ashamed of any of the work that weâve done,â she said. âI look forward to continue to work with the citizens of Buffalo, the working-class people, those who have gone unseen and unheard for far too long.â
Waltonâs influence also was apparent in some of Brownâs comments, which implicitly addressed criticism that the cityâs gains have been distributed inequitably.
âTogether we will ensure that every Buffalo resident shares in the continuing revival of our great city,â Walton said.
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