You May Not Have Heard Of These Democratic Mayoral Candidates, But They'll Be On Your Primary Ballot

More than 50 people filed paperwork with the city to run for New York City Mayor this election cycle, and that number has been winnowed down to 12 Democratic and two Republican candidates who will appear on the ballot come the June 22nd primary. (Note: Early voting starts on June 12th.)

So far we’ve focused our coverage around front-runners who have raised enough money to qualify for matching public funds, which could catapult their campaigns to the next level. That list is long to begin with, and includes: Eric Adams, Shaun Donovan, Kathryn Garcia, Ray McGuire, Diane Morales, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley and Andrew Yang on the Democratic side. You can read more about those candidates here.

Below, you'll find the Democratic mayoral contenders we haven’t introduced you to yet. Ranked-choice voting allows you to select up to five top candidates, so why not know every name on the ballot?

Art Chang

Chang is the son of Korean immigrants who grew up in Georgia and Ohio. He moved to New York City in the 1980s, and founded Tipping Point Partners, a firm that designs software for entrepreneurs. He’s also worked in the public sector both on city and state levels. In the '90s he worked for New York’s Empire State Development agency, where he oversaw the redesign of Queens West waterfront area. He was a trustee on Brooklyn Public Library's board, and was appointed by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the city’s Campaign Finance Board, where he helped roll out the NYC Votes campaign. Chang says he’s identified $10 billion dollars in potential savings in the current city budget to redirect towards social services, like providing universal childcare to all city residents, one of his campaign’s main platforms.

This is Chang's first run for elected office. You can sign up for his office hours if you want to learn more.

Aaron Foldenauer

Thanks to a lottery drawing, Foldenauer has secured the coveted first spot on the ballot. He’s been an attorney at several New York City law firms, most recently Dai & Associates. Foldenauer’s first foray into politics was an unsuccessful bid for City Councilmember Margaret Chin’s seat in 2017, losing first in the Democratic primary and then again in the general election on the Liberal Party line. One of his top priorities is the environment, and if elected he’d push for the creation of a cycling superhighway along Third Avenue through Manhattan and the Bronx. He'd also propose a ban on high emissions vehicles in certain zones of the city.

Paperboy Prince

Rapper Paperboy Prince first entered politics two years ago as a booster of Andrew Yang’s presidential bid, specifically around the idea of Universal Basic Income, which he’s now advocating for as a mayoral contender. Prince ran for Congress last year challenging the longstanding and highly popular Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who easily beat him with 74 percent of the votes in the June primary. His mayoral platform revolves around abolishing the police and creating a “love team that replaces the police,” Medicare for all, canceling rent and establishing “love centers” across the city.

His stunts have injected unpredictability into typically monotone Zoom forums—he dons elaborate costumes, and is often accompanied by a smoke machine. At least once he took a pie to the face.

Most recently he took aim at fellow mayoral contender and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, skewering a 2011 PSA Adams created as a State Senator, in which he encouraged parents to meticulously search their children's possessions for drugs and weapons.

Joycelyn Taylor

Taylor grew up in the Pink Houses in East New York, one of the first Black families to move there after her mother migrated from South Carolina. She worked in the legal department of AIG as an operations manager before founding her own contracting company TaylorMade LLC, where she’s worked on projects including Essex Street Market and two public school auditorium upgrades. She also founded the NYC MWBE Alliance, a group that advocates for companies owned by people of color and women to receive lucrative government contracts. As mayor, Taylor would focus on investing in public housing, helping small businesses and criminal justice reform. After initial clerical issues with the Board of Elections she belatedly secured a spot on the ballot this week.

Isaac Wright Jr.

Wright is an attorney who spent seven years in maximum security prison in New Jersey after being sentenced to life in prison for drug charges. He spent his time behind bars studying the law and helping others challenge their convictions while also trying to overturn his own. He was freed in 1996 by a judge who found evidence of prosecutorial misconduct. After his release he earned a law degree, and his life story inspired the ABC drama “For Life” released last year.

As a mayor, he would focus on improving public housing, and providing a path for renters in NYCHA to own their own apartments.