DiNapoli easily wins his first primary challenge in nearly two decades

In a largely expected outcome, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli fended off two opponents challenging him from the left in his first primary since taking office in a landslide victory. But his opponents Drew Warshaw and Raj Goyle still managed to eat into DiNapoli’s margin of victory fairly significantly. 

With over about 65% of precincts reporting statewide, DiNapoli led with just under 60% of the vote, per the state Board of Elections unofficial results. Warshaw held at a little under 20% of the vote, while Goyle stood at about 13.5%. The total results included blank votes, where voters did not cast votes in the contest, which accounted for 6.5% of the total ballots cast. 

“Tonight’s victory is a victory for every single working family in New York State, every public sector worker and first responder who relies on a secure pension, every student and senior who worries about the affordability crisis we’re facing,” DiNapoli said in a statement declaring victory. “Now the campaign is over and we need to get back to the hard work that we do protecting taxpayers and retirees, investing in New York’s future, pushing back against Trump’s extremism, and helping working families get by in Trump’s terrible economy.”

Goyle acknowledged the loss in a statement. “Tonight was not our night, but the fight is far from finished,” he said. “We shook an office that had been turning a blind eye to New York's public investments, and we made them pay attention. I'm proud of the progressive movement we built, and we will keep fighting the affordability crisis every single day.” 

Warshaw congratulated DiNapoli and thanked his volunteers in a statement. “While disappointed, I could not be prouder of the campaign we ran, the team behind me who helped run it, and the two hundred thousand New Yorkers who chose change, who chose to do it different,” he said.

In what could have been a sign of DiNapoli’s level of comfort about winning, he spent primary day on the phone thanking supporters, per his campaign, and telling them to remind others to vote. The incumbent had a small election watch party in midtown Manhattan. Warshaw and Goyle, meanwhile, spent the day on the ground in New York City. Warshaw made stops in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, with an election night party in lower Manhattan. Goyle campaigned in Manhattan and Brooklyn, ending the night in Park Slope for his party. 

The race wound up being largely overshadowed by high-profile congressional races that tested the influence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America. Neither the mayor nor the or the organization endorsed in the statewide race, and Mamdani offered no indication about who he supported when he cast his own early vote. Although both insurgents attempted to paint their campaigns as the best progressive alternative to DiNapoli, neither emerged as the clear favorite among the left. It got to the point that the candidates found themselves arguing over the endorsement of an organizer unknown to the general public due to her proximity to a key group in the New York Working Families Party.

In the end, the WFP opted to stay out of the race entirely anyway. It was a blow for DiNapoli, who has enjoyed the progressive third-party’s support in the past. But it was an even bigger one to Goyle and Warshaw, who both sought the endorsement. That could have served as a crucial validator for progressives and helped coalesce left-wing support around a single candidate. 

Despite the fact the race received less attention overall compared to others, it didn’t make the contest any less contentious. A third candidate, Adem Bunkedekko, had attempted to petition his way onto the Democratic primary ballot. But petition signature challenges from Warshaw’s campaign got him booted off. Warshaw’s campaign also challenged many of Goyle’s petition signatures, though the attempt to kick him off the ballot was not successful. 

The contest also served as the first test of New York’s new public campaign finance system for a statewide election. All three candidates utilized matching funds to help bolster their campaigns, receiving millions of public dollars combined.