Applyrs wins landslide victory in Albany mayoral primary

Albany City Auditor Dorcey Applyrs is looking at a new job title next year after winning the Albany Democratic mayoral primary Tuesday with 52% of the vote and a commanding 24-point lead over the second-place candidate, businessman Dan Cerutti. 

Applyrs, the clear-cut progressive candidate in the race, was the first to announce back in 2023 and has spent her time since then rallying support from far and wide, even getting Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to endorse her despite his Bronx district being nowhere near Albany. Cerutti’s late entry to the race came with his considerable financial might and the support of business interests in the city, which found the possibility of his leadership more advantageous. Ultimately, the result in the capital city speaks to a shifting electorate in Albany that’s growing increasingly progressive. 

The New York Working Families Party was an early supporter of Applyrs campaign on the road to her victory. Just last year, they lent their support to Assembly Member Gabby Romero, who similarly bested a field of candidates as the progressive favorite. Enthusiasm and turnout were even greater than during last year’s presidential cycle, which some observers put down to increased interest in Common Council races and an early voting bump seen across the state in response to the biblical heatwave that descended upon the region (thermometers hit 96 degrees, tying the old record from 1888).

Once she takes office, Applyrs will be able to unlock the $400 million the state allocated for downtown Albany’s redevelopment and enjoy all the benefits of being the mayor of the state’s seat of power. 

“She has a strong relationship with (Assembly Members) Gabriella Romero and John McDonald and (state Sen.) Pat Fahy, and certainly with the governor's office,” political strategist Joe Bonilla told City & State. “She starts off at a pretty strong position to be able to make a good case and could continue the case that Albany still needs some support.”

Applyrs is also set to make history as Albany’s first Black mayor, a distinction she’ll likely share with Syracuse Democratic mayoral primary winner Sharon Owens.

“This win is symbolic and when the history books are written, they will tell the story, our story, of how a generation of Albanians from every corner of our city met this moment and declared we will not go back,” Applyrs told her supporters Tuesday night. “We declared today we instead are moving forward, moving our city forward on a new path, a path that every child in this city can look towards and a vision that every child in this city can look towards and see themselves in it.”