Topline
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is backing Maya Wiley in this month’s Democratic primary for New York City mayor, the lawmaker announced Saturday, a significant endorsement in a crowded contest to replace outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio (D).
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) addresses supporters during a campaign rally for Democratic ... [+]
Key Facts
In a Saturday afternoon speech covered by local outlets, Ocasio-Cortez argued Wiley would prevent New York from becoming a “playground for the wealthy.”
A civil rights attorney and former head of New York City’s police oversight board, Wiley has called herself the “one progressive in this race who can win this race.”
Tangent
This year’s mayoral primary will use a ranked-choice system. Voters will rank up to five candidates on their ballot in order of preference, and in a series of automatic runoffs, supporters of less popular candidates will have their votes reallocated to their second-place choices.
Key Background
Polling has been fairly limited in this year’s primary, which will conclude June 22, but the top spot has typically oscillated between Yang, Adams and Garcia. Several other candidates have sought to cast themselves as more progressive options than the three frontrunners, including Wiley, Scott Stringer and Dianne Morales. Stringer is facing a pair of sexual harassment allegations, and Morales has faced criticism about treatment of campaign staff, causing some support from local left-wing groups and prominent figures like Ocasio-Cortez to flow toward Wiley.
