An endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Courage to Change PAC helped only about half of the New York City Council candidates who received it.
The PAC backed 60 candidates in 31 races, saying they scored perfectly on a questionnaire about the Democratic Socialist’s policy concerns, including cutting the NYPD’s budget.
Results from the June 22 primary election show the blessing may have helped just 16 cross the finish line first, but did not do much in certain areas of the city.
In Manhattan, only Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa, who is vying to represent Washington Heights, appears to be the winner.
The one candidate who got the PAC’s nod in Staten Island, Selina Gray, received just 9 percent of the votes, preliminary results show.
The candidates had better luck in more left-leaning Brooklyn, where those receiving the PAC’s seal of approval appear to be the victors in eight out of 10 races.
In addition to the PAC’s nod, AOC personally endorsed eight candidates, including City Council candidates Tiffany Caban and Jaslin Kaur in Queens. Only Caban seems destined for victory.
The PAC did no vetting of the candidates other than having them answer the lengthy questionnaire. That led to some strange choices including John Choe in Queens, who has been labeled a North Korean sympathizer, and lawyer Arthur Schwartz in Manhattan, who led the opposition to the 14th Street busway. Neither candidate came out on top in their contests.
The Board of Elections has not counted absentee ballots, which could change some of the outcomes.
Maya Wiley, whom AOC endorsed for mayor, is trailing behind Eric Adams and Kathryn Garcia. The Bronx firebrand’s pick for comptroller, Councilman Brad Lander, has a narrow lead over Council Speaker Corey Johnson.
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