By Gus Saltonstall and Lily Seltz
Upper West Side Assemblymember Micah Lasher has won the Democratic primary for the New York-12 Congressional District, according to the New York Times and NY1.
The race was called for Lasher around 10:10 p.m. with 85 percent of the vote counted, according to NY1.
Here are the results as of 11:50 p.m. on Tuesday, data from NY1 shows.
- Micah Lasher: 39 percent (40,106 votes)
- Alex Bores: 35 percent (35,822 votes)
- Jack Schlossberg: 10 percent (11,036 votes)
- Nina Schwalbe: 7 percent (7,266 votes)
- George Conway: 6 percent (6,212 votes)
West Side Rag reporter Lily Seltz attended Lasher’s election night party on Tuesday. She reported a large cheer in the room when the initial voting numbers came on the screen and the room remained festive for the rest of the evening.
There were large chants of “Micah,” “Micah” when the race was called for the Upper West Side Assemblymember, and the largest cheers of the night, outside of Micah’s arrival, happened for Lasher’s mother, Stephanie, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who Lasher will be succeeding, and former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger.
Lasher arrived at the party around 10:20 p.m., and was joined on stage by his family and other elected officials, including Nadler, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Comptroller Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, Councilmember Gale Brewer, and State Senator Erik Bottcher.
During his victory address after he won the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District, Micah Lasher acknowledged his opponents in the crowded race.
“I believe in my heart that this district deserves the world, and the competition of the primary met the… pic.twitter.com/Du4OFQPf0s
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) June 24, 2026
“The values of this community, the activist values of this community, the willingness to fight for our democracy,” Lasher told the Rag after his speech, about what Upper West Side qualities he would bring to Congress. “We are rooted in the sense that we are all stronger when we look out for one another.”
Upper West Sider Richard Robbins, who attended the Jacob’s Pickles election night party, told the Rag that he supported Lasher in part because of future planning.
“He’s widely respected by people across the spectrum of Democratic and probably Republican politics,” Robbins said. “Nadler’s been in office for 36 years, which is, I counted, it’s 13 blue moons and in the time that Micah could be in office we need someone who’s going to be an effective representative for a long time.”
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal had a message for President Donald Trump after Lasher’s victory.
“You know who the big winner is tonight? Micah Lasher,” Hoylman-Sigal told the Rag. “You know who the big loser is tonight? Donald Trump. Donald Trump, you’d better look out, because we’re sending our nerd” to Washington.
The other race in the neighborhood is Assembly District 69, which covers the northern portion of the Upper West Side and the entirety of Morningside Heights. Eli Northrup was declared the winner in the race around 10:30 p.m. over his opponent Stephanie Ruskay, according to New York 1.
- Eli Northrup: 60 percent (15,144 votes)
- Stephanie Ruskay: 39 percent (9,893 votes)
“It’s the product of so much amazing work by a campaign that operated with positivity and joy in building community,” Northrup told West Side Rag at his own election night party at Amity Hall on Tuesday night. “I’m so grateful that our neighborhood saw that. I just can’t wait to get to work for the Upper West Side.”
Elsewhere, Thomas DiNapoli has won re-election in the Democratic primary for New York’s Comptroller, defeating Drew Warshaw, according to the New York Times.
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Great for Eli! I voted enthusiastically for him!
I’m lukewarm on Lasher, but will give him a chance. It’s unfortunate that primary voters do not understand or care about the very real existential risk AI will become in the near future and did not give Alex Bores a more thorough examination. Especially given the anti-Bores smear campaign organized by Big Tech.
All in all, extremely happy with Mamdani’s 3 for 3 sweep of endorsed candidates. Next up, Jeffries, Schumer, and Gillibrand!
UWSYIMBY,
Wondering which current senator you think should be minority leader instead of Schumer?
What actions would you expect from a Senate minority leader?
Similarly with respect to House?
What do you think are key concerns nationally?
For example, Trump subverting voting/elections?
Or destruction of DOJ and rule of law?
Etc
Good questions, Eve! For Senate, Jeff Merkley. He co-leads the arms resolutions with Sanders, won’t touch AIPAC money, and will actually say genocide out loud. That’s my litmus test now. 40 out of 47 Senate Democrats just voted to block weapons sales to Israel. The caucus has moved. Leadership hasn’t.
For House, Ro Khanna. He’s been consistent on Gaza, on war powers, on taking the fight into red districts. He said something I think is just true: this party allowed Trump to win twice. That’s the definition of failure.
On the bigger picture, the DOJ and election interference are real and serious. But honestly it’s all the same rot. The system that keeps arming a genocide while people can’t afford insulin is the same system that lets Trump weaponize the DOJ without consequences. You can’t fix one without confronting the other. That’s why the donor class problem isn’t a side issue. It’s the whole issue.
Bores wasn’t the only candidate pro regulation of AI.
Lasher will be no different.
It was not a point of disagreement.
I think Lasher will be good in Congress. But if they are equal on AI regulation, how do you explain the AI companies spending millions against Bores?
Bores sponsored major legislation to regulate AI
I agree. Not my district, and on policy I slightly prefer Bores. Still, Lasher is an honest and well-meaning guy two. Either would be good.
Same way I explain the ones spending for him.
Too Much money and too little sense. The bottom line is a first term congress member isn’t going to swing this one way or another and Lasher has said he favors regulation of AI.
I take him at his word because he has a track record of integrity and intelligence.
Yes on Jeffries and Schumer but a big “no” on Gillibrand. She has been very effective in Congress and her positions are liberal/moderate – do you want to win that election or not – don’t confuse what happened in NYC with how upstate NYS voters will vote.
She was largely responsible for the smear campaign to get rid of Al Franken. I would love to see her bounced out.
There was no smear campaign. Al Franken was credibly accused by at least 8 women of sexual misconduct. He had a pattern of this behavior. Anyone calling it a smear campaign is misinformed at best.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/07/al-franken-news-list-of-sexual-misconduct-allegations.html
That’s why I always write in Al Franken when her name comes up for reelection.
Have never forgotten her smear campaign against Al Franken. will always despise her for this. Unconscionable!
She was not just largely responsible; she was the primary instigator of the attack on Franken – because she saw him as her main competition for a presidential or VP run.
And it was her “using” the #MeToo movement for political purposes that led to its near-disintegration; it lost much of its power due to her.
I can’t believe people are still voting for her.
Don’t confuse what happened in gentrifying or gentrified areas of NYC with how my part of NYC votes.
The similarities between Mamdani and Trump are never-ending.
Both extremists, racists, insufficient experience to run for office, creating divisiveness, and have each hijacked their parties and hand picks the winners of all primaries.
God Help America.
Couldn’t agree more – two populists who, in the eyes of their supporters, can do no wrong.
Ridiculous.
Thanks for the laugh
Huh?
Their policies, demeanor and rhetoric are entirely different. And we all can see that.
Both sides are populist and complain about the same thing – the ‘forgotten man’ left behind by the elite.
The irony is the phony, trump, get that vote.
But look at the breakdown of precincts in the 13th CD. Espallat got the votes of the working class. Mamdani’s candidate won by sweeping the college educated and higher income.
The democrats’ problem with blue collar voters isn’t going away.
Yes, the only “similarity” is they both ran generally on the affordability crisis. Except Trump has made that worse, while Mamdani has actually made a direct impact in NY.
It’s less affordable for most people who don’t live in rent stabilized apartments or housing projects. Market rate rent will continue to rise. Outer borough home owners will see higher prop taxes and insurance costs.
Both Lasher and Bores got the Open New York endorsement and you’re still not thrilled with him?
We were lucky to have the choice between two serious candidates!
3 out of 4 of Mamdani’s endorsements were successful; 6 out of 7 DSA candidates won their elections (including the stunning victory of Darializa Chevalier over Adriano Espaillat); and the State DSA Caucus has now basically doubled in size in a single election. (And there were significant victories by DSA candidates in both L.A. and D.C. as well.)
For those who understand DSA’s policies and intents (as opposed to those who conflate them with “socialism” or even “communism” (whether wittingly or not)), I am wondering how people are viewing all this.
There is definitely a movement within the Democratic Party that is shaking the foundations of the “Party machine.” In my opinion, that’s a good thing, as the Democratic Party had needed “shaking up” for some time. It also seems to indicate a “hunger” on the part of voters for a “new politics,” one that really does put people first, one that is unafraid to speak truth to power, one that is willing to try new ideas and jettison (most) of the politics of the past.
How do you view these developments?
It’s all wonderful news, especially the part you highlighted – the need for politics that puts our people first. It’s time the powers-that-be stop lying to us that they are paying us our fair share; we promise to stop lying to them that we’re working. All humans are born equal, so we need more equality, and especially making some equal people more equal. It’s high time we reverse the exploitation of man by man – and turn that the other way around.
All issues are moot until the nation’s $39 trillion in debt is addressed. Eisenhower recognized this problem 75 years ago when he campaigned for POTUS on the platform of getting the US out of Korea. The debt that the US would have incurred to continue the fight was more evil, in his opinion, than the enemy itself. Ike saw the downward spiral that uncontrolled debt can cause which, again in his opinion, would have led to the type of government that Trump espouses.
The debt was meaningless until Trump started to ruin our position on the world stage. Now every country is going to want to come back and collect. When we were sane and could be trusted, our allies were okay with the debt, but now, it’s in every country best interest to get their money back. We are no longer the world’s reliable bank. The USD primacy will end soon, and you are not going to be ready for the impact
The government that Trump espouses has many different causes, social media being among them.
I wouldn’t go quite that far to say all our problems are *moot* but the deficit is indeed becoming a problem, decades of Republicans simultaneously cutting taxes while launching wars in the Middle East is catching up to us…
You forgot democrats sending billions to Ukraine and housing millions of migrants in hotels with cash cards and free healthcare.
There were no billions sent to Ukraine. The billions you are likely referencing is the total of the financial value of the old weapons that were sitting in storage. The paltry sum sent to Ukraine is a pittance and has nothing to do with the national debt. But I think you knew that.
There is no equivalent to the trillions wasted by the Republicans in their endless tax cuts, or the hundreds of billions wasted on the Iran war.
A great win for Eli and Darializa! A shame that Lasher beat out Bores. Lasher having the endorsement of Bloomberg makes me suspicious of his integrity, I hope he does not betray working Upper West Siders. As we’ve seen with the large AI PAC organizing, big money is intent on getting their way and steamrolling over the good of the public for the value of a dollar. Let last night otherwise be a victory for the working man and social democrat over the wishes of the big money, hedge fund managing, real estate cronies.
Bloomberg and Mamdani supposedly have a decent relationship.
Lasher had not only Bloomberg’s endorsement but his campaign was propped up by Bloomberg’s billions, and that should make everyone suspicious.
This. Bloomberg did tremendous damage to New York City and we are still digging out from it.
The whole “livable streets movement” gets money from Bloomberg philanthropies and Bloomberg is the one that appointed Janette Sadik Khan who started this bike lane fetish!
Working man? What about the women?
This is why we will never win the presidential election again.
Thanks for your excellent coverage of this election, Gus! (Including in-depth conversations with the candidates in the run-up) Highly informative, lively, a real public service.
The wins by these DSA-backed candidates is very bad news for us NY Jews.
NY Jews are not inherently supporters of Israel and the genocide of Palestinian people. Don’t equate criticism of Zionism as antisemitism. Jewish people are not a monolith, they are a diaspora with a wide variety of views.
Agree 100%. We have been on the fence about leaving NYC since Mamdani was elected but this has become the tipping point. The writing is on the wall at this point for those who will open their eyes to see.
For sure. I believe you. You are about to leave. So many people left when Mamdani was elected, and I totally believe you’re going to leave right now. And again in November when the general election is held. For sure. Go.
Plenty of New Yorkers…aren’t jews? And plenty of NYC jews…support DSA? Get a grip?
The person who’s bad for NY Jews is Netanyahu. Don’t conflate anti-Bibi-ism with anti-Semitism.
Brad Lander is a DSA endorsed Jewish candidate. And he won handily.
I am a NY Jew. An UWS Jew, in fact, in this Lasher/Northrup district. To me, to my family and friends, this is all very good news. Can you explain why you believe they are “very bad news” for us?
All the people who want to stop aid to Israel and say Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state, what security guarantees are you proposing to make sure that Israel doesn’t get attacked? Nothing? Much anti Israel hate is coded antisemitism.
Very little, if any “anti Israel hate” is actaully genuine anti-semitism. Its a nonsense trope based on paranoia. I speak with friends and family in Israel often and most of them hate Netanyahu and wish they could turn back the clock to a previous era when Israel was less militaristic and inhumane.
Bad news for Israel’s war in the Middle East as opposed to bad news for Jews. Being supportive of the end to the war can co-exist with the good will towards Jewish people.
It really isn’t. I wish I heard more condemnation of Netanyahu and how he destabilizes the world and Israel itself instead of all this manipulation of the American Jewish community’s vulnerabilities by billionaires who don’t want to pay taxes. You’re being used.
Even though Lasher won Nadler will control him.
How? What power will Nadler have once he’s out of office? He’s had a long career, worked very hard. He’s not a young man,, I’m sure he’s looking forward to retirement.
Bloomberg, who spent one billion dollars to run for president for 97 days, will control him.
Huh? You got any facts to back that up?
Disgraceful. From a CNN article, link included.
“Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist congressional candidate endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, deleted a previous Twitter account that included thousands of posts and reposts expressing support for abolishing police, prisons and borders, as well as seizing private property and nationalizing major industries and calling into question Israel’s right to exist.”
“In August 2020, Avila Chevalier reposted a tweet responding to a social media prompt that asked, “Israel suddenly disappears, your third emoji is your reaction.” The reposted tweet replied, “Trick question – Israel doesn’t exist!”
CNN https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/01/politics/kfile-ny-13-darializa-avila-chevalier-deleted-tweets-defund-abolish-police-prisons-deportations
I care more about what someone has said more recently than what they said (and recanted/apologized for) half a decade ago.
2021 isn’t really that long ago…
Would you make the same excuses for Trump? I’m with Maya Angelou, “When someone shows you who they are the first time. Believe them.” What kind of person has to delete 2,500 tweets? God help us.
Dunn got humiliated. Shouldn’t have even been on the ballot.
What do you have against Dunn? So many people want her to run again!
The final tally says otherwise.
That’s because she was cash-poor and did almost ZERO advertising. I did not get a single circular or ANTHING from her; yet I consider her the second best candidate in that field.
There were candidates that did worse than Dunn. So many people stuck with Lasher and Bores as they were the most likely to win.
Lasher has spent his career speaking out against money in politics but bought himself an election between Bloomberg’s fortunes and refusing to distance himself from the nasty outside money opposing Bores (note that Bores had to spend big to defend himself so no whataboutisms here). Not cool. He is a political opportunist who has constantly pivoted based on polls to achieve his childhood obsession of elected office.
That being said, I would take him any day of the week over the others who won elsewhere in NYC. It is really scary who these people are, and the rest of the country sees this as a rallying cry to vote MAGA – we have extremists on both sides now. This is the best thing that has happened to Fox News in a while.
Back to the UWS, I would love to know whether the Schlossberg and other voters would have selected Lasher or Bores. The numbers were pretty big – enough to bridge the gap – though I am not sure which way they would have gone so don’t want to speculate – there is a decent chance Lasher would have still won. But yet another reason why elections like this should be ranked choice.
Bloomberg did pour $10 million into Super PACs to help pay for campaign expenses. But the allegedly anti-AI Bores received over $5 million from Super PACS created by AI companies, and another $3.5 million from a Super PAC created by crypto companies.
As well, Lasher had the highest grassroots individual donations (~$500,000), which Bores got the lion’s chare of his campaign contributions from California, which donated over 50% of his total campaign funds. (And that does NOT include the Super PACs.) Only 12% came from his electoral district, and only 16% from Manhattan in toto.
100% of Lasher’s donations came from his election district, Manhattan in general, and NYS.
Finally, Bores paid Nuestro PAC $2 million to launch his outrageous anti-Lasher campaign in the last two weeks of the campaign.
“That being said, I would take him any day of the week over the others who won elsewhere in NYC. It is really scary who these people are, and the rest of the country sees this as a rallying cry to vote MAGA – we have extremists on both sides now. This is the best thing that has happened to Fox News in a while.”
Yes–this is, indeed, REALLY scary.
Terrific for Eli, Lasher choosing to celebrate at Jacob’s Pickles speaks volumes about him – a machine candidate with zero taste or class.
Gillibrand out. Hochul out. Schumer out. Jeffries out.
What’s wrong with JP?? It’s a fun spot and probably most important to the celebration event, can fit a huge crowd
It’s where the “quality of life” Giuliani-lite crowd likes to hang out.
What a refreshing win against a backdrop of winners whose resumes are as thin as a slice of prosciutto. It proves that voters in this district applaud a solid track record of accomplishments and real gravitas.
Mmm prosciutto
I am furious about the huge number of flyers and mail from the candidates, including and especially Lasher, Bores, Schlossberg, Northrup and Ruskay. They claim that their funds come from individual donors, not corporations. True that may be, but those hundreds of thousands of dollars could certainly have been spent to improve the lot of our neighbors instead of on paper that has increased the city recycling load when each repetitive mailer just gets dumped into the garbage!
The incessant and invasive phone calls were especially awful. In the last 2 weeks I was bombarded with 6 to 10 calls per day. Going forward I am voting AGAINST any candidate who calls me more than once per election cycle and I am voting against any candidate who presses my apartment door buzzer. Regardless of their platform. CANDIDATES ARE YOU LISTENING???
Use the flyers to scoop poop from the sidewalks.
As noted above, Lasher opened the flood gates by taking Bloomberg’s money plus being OK with the outside spending against Bores. A few months ago he was on TV 24/7 and I think he actually got the memo that it was annoying and slowed down for a while, but the last few weeks have been awful.
The others had no choice but to spend to match him. he is the guy who prides himself on introducing legislation to fight Citizens United. Seems kind of hypocritical? I’m sure he can come up with some political mumbo jumbo that sounds like it was written by AI to justify it so he can sleep at night.
North Korea has greater diversity of thought and political opinion than UWS
At least Lasher is semi-normal. As for the rest of NYC’s candidates, the City has officially become a clown show.
From media reports: The winners include former City Comptroller Brad Lander, who favors the complete abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; democratic socialist and New York State Assemblymember Claire Valdez, who also supports abolishing ICE and has plastered the words “Free Palestine” on her campaign signs; and community organizer and democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who has refused to condemn Hamas, was part of a student group at Columbia that has since called for “Death to America,” and said that a world without borders, prisons, and police is “the only moral way forward.”
Dear people of NY-12 (in UWS):
I’ve been reading your comments today.
I hear the ambivalence. I hear the anger about the money. I hear the Bores voters who believed — correctly — that AI and technology will reshape every working person’s life and felt that issue deserved a fairer hearing than $9 million in outside spending allowed.
So let me say something plainly.
Last night was a Democratic primary. 40,000 people voted in a district with 500,000+ registered voters. 100,000+ independents were locked out entirely.
That is not a mandate. That is not a settled question.
Nobody gets to be declared the congressperson for NY-12 without a real competition in the general election. That election belongs to everyone — every independent, every worker, every person who had no real say last night.
Organized money does not get to decide who represents half a million people.
I am running in November as an independent candidate. Not because last night didn’t happen — it did. But because the 500,000 voters who had no real say deserve a genuine choice.
Respectfully,
Dr. Wilneida Negrón
Independent Candidate, NY-12
The level of apathy is pathetic. 7% turnout? And now we’ve got candidates which will make us a laughingstock, and will harm us in the General Election in both 2026 and 2028. For shame:
https://nypost.com/2026/06/24/us-news/mamdanis-red-wedding-sweep-in-nyc-congressional-races-came-from-small-sliver-of-dem-voters/
Trying again as previous comment not posted.
Would appreciate genuine opinion.
In summary, Darializa Avila Chevalier deleted posts (made within last few years) including vitriolic and deplorable accusations and curses of Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, others. Some statements also seemed unhinged.
She has apologized.
Seems to me Chevalier’s attacks were on the level of FC Josh Hokit’s deplorable slur of Michelle Obama.
Do not understand how this is acceptable background or represents basic judgement for an elected official?
Again – appreciate genuine nuanced thoughts on this.
It was hard to watch so many local races here in NYC focus so heavily on Israel. Criticism of Israel and its government is not inherently antisemitic. In fact, I bet many engaged in that criticism here in NYC would be surprised to learn Israelis go in the streets by the thousands to protest their government. But media following into the yes/no Israel argument with binary articles such as in the NYT with headlines like “pro-Israel Jews upset at the rise of the DSA” totally misstate the point. It’s not about whether you support or don’t support or have any of a spectrum of feelings about Israel. It’s the anxiety that comes from noticing Israel is the ONLY country that seems to matter in a lot of these elections, that AIPAC is treated like the only super pac, when it is one of mean, and discussed as uniquely malevolent, when it’s doing exactly what every other special interest super pac does, that our officials use words like “monsters” and can’t seem to call out behavior clearly over line when its happening in their own party. I love NYC so I hope these new DSA politicians will succeed in making it a more affordable place for everyone to live. And I hope they understand everyone means everyone.
This! Literally, it’s all about Israel for the Democratic Party nowadays. Everything else is secondary.
https://www.thefp.com/p/israel-litmus-test-american-politics?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Having read the commit seems no one is interested as any local issues. No mentions of improvements to the subway or public safety or parks or homelessness. Just an obsession with Israel. The city has serious infrastructure and financial issues.