Latest news with #JustinBrannan
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Justin Brannan just proved he can't be trusted to serve as city comptroller
It really tells you all you need to know about City Councilman and comptroller-candidate Justin Brannan that a dozen or so clergy just called him out for falsely claiming their endorsements. 'I felt violated,' Bishop E.M. Davis told The Post. 'Let me make my own decision,' fumed Pastor Louis Bligen. After multiple faith leaders stood up to complain, some saying they'd never even heard of him, Brannan's campaign deleted the social-media post. It blamed an external vendor for the screwup — though getting bishops, pastors and so on to endorse you seems a truly bizarre thing to outsource. That is: Even Brannan's excuse has to make you ask why he should be given huge power over city pension funds, among the other responsibilities of the comptroller's office. As the chosen candidate of the far-left Working Families Party, Brannan can at least console himself with the backing of a slew of pro-Hamas Israel-haters, such as anti-cop Councilwoman Tiffany Caban (D-Queens) and the infamous Linda Sarsour. Of course, Brannan has earned Caban's love on many fronts: He endorsed the council Progressive Caucus' 2020 plan to defund the NYPD by $5 billion over 10 years and was one of 11 members who pledged to vote no on a city budget that 'does not significantly #DefundNYPD.' And when the City Council nonetheless passed a budget that didn't cut the NYPD deeply, he vowed that 'the work doesn't stop tonight.' Not that he didn't try going after Mark Levine, his opponent in the primary, as a cop-defunder, until the debate moderator called out Brannan for throwing stones in a glass house: As the clergy fiasco shows, Justin isn't one to let facts get in his way. The good news is, if Brannan can't con the voters into making him comptroller, term limits will soon force him off the council — and perhaps out of city politics entirely.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC comptroller candidate boasts 70 endorsements from faith leaders — but some have never heard of him
A Brooklyn Democrat bragged that he was endorsed by more than 70 faith leaders last week — but a bunch of his supposed supporters said they never even heard of him. City comptroller candidate Justin Brannan's campaign boasted about the 'major show of grassroots support' from bishops, pastors and reverends in a since-deleted social media post last Wednesday, but some religious leaders immediately wondered how they even ended up on the list. 'This man is unknown to me and I did not grant permission for my name to be listed. I'm not endorsing ANYONE!' Bishop E.M. Davis – who was listed as Pastor Joon Davis – posted on Facebook. 3 Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn) is term-limited and running to be the NYC Comptroller. Paul Martinka 'This endorsement was made without my permission,' Rev. Diamond Clinton-White – who was listed as Rev. Diamond Clinton – posted in an Instagram story. Roughly a dozen religious leaders said they had been listed as supporting Brannan — who is now a member of the City Council — to be the next fiscal watchdog without being contacted by the campaign. The Post spoke to four of the faith leaders upset that their names were used to endorse a candidate without their permission. 'It's just awkward and I felt violated,' Bishop Davis said. 3 The social post has since been taken down. 3 The campaign stumble comes as Brannan tries to make up ground with a large swatch of undecided voters. Tyshaun Brown/Facebook Pastor Louis Bligen, who only learned he was on the list when contacted for comment, felt like the comptroller was being forced onto him. 'I don't appreciate that. Let me make my own decision,' Pastor Bligen said. A spokesperson for Brannan's campaign blamed the gaffe on an external vendor who was tasked with drumming up support for religious leaders. The endorsement announcement has since been taken down and the campaign is trying to verify who had and hadn't voiced support for Brannan, the spokesperson said. 'This happens. We have big support among faith leaders, but the tweet is down for now while we update the list,' the spokesperson said. The news comes with just over a week left in the Democratic primary as Brannan, who is term-limited, tries to win over the nearly one-third of undecided voters. The frontrunner, current Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, polled at 44% compared to Brannan's 14% in a Honan Strategy Group poll from June 11. Brannan also dropped an internal poll last week that had him trailing Levine by 11 percentage points with 44% of voters still undecided.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mamdani ahead of Cuomo for 1st time in new NYC mayoral primary poll
The Brief A new poll is out on the state of the Democratic New York City mayoral primary. For the first time since former Gov. Cuomo entered the race, one poll has him trailing. Early voting begins on Saturday and continues through Sunday, June 22. NEW YORK CITY - A new poll is showing a shake-up at the top among Democratic candidates for New York City mayor. By the numbers For the first time since former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo entered the race back on March 1, one poll has him trailing. It comes as other recent polls show Cuomo roughly 10 percentage points ahead. RELATED: Meet the candidates running for NYC mayor RELATED: NYC mayoral candidates answer questions on taxes, affordability, spending RELATED: NYC primary 2025 voting guide: Everything you should know RELATED: Voters could be given the option to vote on removing NYC mayors from office The survey, which was conducted by Public Policy Polling for Justin Brannan's city comptroller campaign, shows Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani leading Cuomo among likely Democratic primary voters 35% to 31%, a split that is within the 4.1% margin of error. Here were the rest of the results: Not sure: 11%. Brad Lander: 9%. Scott Stringer: 5%. Adrienne Adams: 4%. Zellnor Myrie: 3%. Michael Blake: 2%. Jessica Ramos: 0%. The poll did not include a ranked choice voting simulation. Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey: According to a May survey, Cuomo was at 35%, followed by Mamdani at 22% and Lander at 10%. The survey was conducted May 23-26. Marist College: According to a poll conducted in May, Cuomo was at 44%, followed by Mamdani at 22% and Adams at 11%. The survey of 3,383 likely Democratic primary voters was conducted from May 1-8. Siena College: An April poll had Cuomo at 34%, followed by Mamdani at 16%. The poll surveyed 811 registered voters, with a specific focus on 556 Democratic voters. What they're saying The former governor argues that Mamdani is simply not ready to be mayor. "So just imagine the job interview for mayor of the city of New York. 'Hello, I'm applying for the job of the mayor of city of New York. OK. Do you have management experience? No. Have you managed 100 people before? No. Have you managed 50 people before? No. You have experience dealing with Washington because we have this fellow named Trump who's a problem. No,'" Cuomo said. Mamdani, who is 33, admits that Cuomo, who is 67, boasts more experience, but he argues that's not necessarily a good thing. "New Yorkers need to ask themselves in this moment what kind of experience do they want?" Mamdani said. "Do they want the experience of a man who has been funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump back in the White House?" The backstory On Wednesday, Cuomo received the endorsement of former New York Gov. David Patterson, as well as Keith Wright, the chairman of the Manhattan Democratic Party, just a day after former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg endorsed him. What's next Thursday's debate at 7 p.m. will include Cuomo, Mamdani, Adrienne Adams, Lander, Stringer, Myrie and Tilson. Early voting begins on Saturday and continues through Sunday, June 22. The primary is Tuesday, June 24.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Watch the Democratic comptroller debate in Spanish, Mandarin
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — Democratic candidates vying to be the city's next comptroller will face off in a debate on PIX11 News Thursday night. Starting at 7 p.m., Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and City Council Member Justin Brannan will answer key questions about the future of the city. More Local News The debate, moderated by PIX11's Dan Mannarino and Henry Rosoff, will air live on PIX11, and PIX11+. Here's how to watch the debate in other languages: Starting at 7 p.m., you can watch the debate live in Spanish in a video player below. A Mandarin translation of the debate will be livestreamed to the Chinese-American Planning Council's Facebook page. You can also watch the Mandarin livestream in a video player below starting at 7 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How to watch the comptroller debate: Levine vs. Brannan
NEW YORK (PIX11) – Democratic candidates for the New York City comptroller primary will face off in a 60-minute debate on PIX11 News Thursday night. The debate between Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Councilmember Justin Brannan will be hosted by PIX11's Dan Mannarino and Henry Rosoff. The two candidates will fight for the Democratic nomination for November's general election. Here's everything you need to know about how to watch the debate: More Local News The debate starts at 7 p.m. EST on Thursday, May 29. The debate will air live on PIX11, and PIX11+ starting at 7 p.m. The debate will stream live on and the PIX11+ app on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, and Samsung Smart TVs. For more information on the PIX11+ app, click here. Yes, the debate will be livestreamed in Mandarin and Spanish. To watch the debate in Mandarin or Spanish, click here. A Mandarin translation of the debate will also be livestreamed to the Chinese-American Planning Council's Facebook page. Make your voice heard! Submit questions for the candidates by commenting on PIX11's social media accounts, including X, Facebook and Instagram. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
