After raising more than $100,000 in the past few months for a potential city comptroller campaign, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine is officially jumping into the 2025 race for the fiscal watchdog post, teeing up a competitive Democratic primary that’ll include at least two other high-profile candidates.
Levine opened a comptroller campaign account in August to start raising cash, but cautioned at the time he hadn’t made a final decision yet whether to actually run.
On Wednesday, Levine told the Daily News he has decided to pull the trigger on an official 2025 campaign for the post currently held by Comptroller Brad Lander, who’s vacating it to run against Mayor Adams in this coming June’s Democratic primary elections.
“I have the relevant technical background. But what I am most proud of is that I have, over my career, seen big problems in this city and mobilized to address them successfully,” Levine said, referencing how as a City Council member he was the main sponsor of the bill that established the city’s “Right to Counsel” program, which ensures low-income New Yorkers can get free legal representation in Housing Court.
The move from Levine, who is set to formally kick off his campaign at a press conference Thursday, comes after he raked in $106,000 in donations for his comptroller bid between his Aug. 9 launch and Oct. 9, the close of the latest reporting period, records show. That haul came on top of money Levine already had in the bank from his Manhattan BP account, leaving him with a comptroller campaign cash balance of $319,544, the highest of all declared candidates.
Still, Levine is expected to face serious competition in the comptroller primary.
Queens Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, an ally of Mayor Adams, has also declared a 2025 run for comptroller and drew in $240,432 in the most recent reporting window.
Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan, who chairs the Council’s powerful Finance Committee, announced a comptroller campaign, too, just a few days after Levine in August and pulled in $224,006 in the latest stretch. Brooklyn state Sen. Kevin Parker, who recently opened a comptroller account, is another local politician considering a run.
“I’m not going to talk negatively about the other candidates at this point,” Levine said when asked why he’s better suited for the comptroller job than his opponents. “I feel very confident in my record.”
The comptroller serves as the city government’s internal fiscal watchdog and is tasked with auditing agencies, reviewing contracts and overseeing the municipal pension funds, among other responsibilities.
John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit
City Councilman Justin Brannan, right. (John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit)
In a statement, Levine’s campaign suggested he will run on issues besides the comptroller’s traditional duties, listing “driving affordability and solving the housing crisis” as key priorities for him should he be elected.
“There are some direct levers that can be pulled in using pension funds to invest in affordable housing development in New York City that can produce good returns for our retirees and be a win-win for affordable housing,” Levine said of how he envisions using the comptroller’s office to address the housing crisis.
In tandem with his campaign launch, Levine announced endorsements from a handful of local elected officials, including Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
“Our city needs someone like Mark at the helm — leaders who are guided by their values, who will go through the books line by line and make sure New York is on a strong fiscal path, and who will always put our neighbors first,” Reynoso, who served with Levine in the Council, said in a statement. “After a decade of working side by side in city government, I know Mark Levine to be that leader.”
