Close Calls and Sure Things on Brooklyn's Ballot

Photo by: William Alatriste/NYC Council

Councilman Vincent Gentile will have the Democratic and Working Families lines on Election Day. Challenger John F. Quaglione will be on the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines. And Patrick Dwyer will be on the ballot for the Green party.

On November 5, voters in Brooklyn’s 35th Council district will choose among six candidates for city comptroller, eight for public advocate and 15 for mayor. They will have no choice when it comes to City Council. Laurie Cumbo, who bested a larger field in the September primary, has no opponent in the general election—except herself: Voters can choose whether to vote for Cumbo on the Democratic or Working Families lines.

Cumbo is one of six Council candidates citywide running against no one in November. Several others, including nine in Brooklyn, are Democrats running with no Republican opponent, facing only third-party rivals. Brooklyn’s borough president race, and the contest to replace Vito Lopez in the Assembly, also feature no one from the GOP.

Of course, the mere presence of a major-party candidate in the race doesn’t guarantee a competitive election, given the vast registration advantage Democrats enjoy in Brooklyn. Nor does the absence of major-party support doom a candidate to failure: Letitia James, likely the city’s next public advocate, was first elected to the Council with the backing of the Working Families Party against a Democratic candidate.

Here’s the full lineup of candidates for Brooklyn offices who’ll be on the ballot. To see the full list of candidates for citywide and judicial offices, and to read the slew of ballot questions, go here. To find out who’s on the ballot you’ll see at the polls, click here.