Harlem City Council Results: Kristin Richardson Jordan Elected

Harlem NY

02 November, 2021

9:04 PM

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Last updated 10:53 p.m. HARLEM, NY — Kristin Richardson Jordan has been elected to the City Council, defeating her Republican opponent in Tuesday's general election months after she scored an upset primary victory in the Central Harlem seat. With about 83 percent of votes counted, Jordan was winning easily as of 11 p.m., leading with about 94 percent of the vote over Alpheaus Marcus. NY1 has called the race in Jordan's favor. Jordan, a 34-year-old socialist activist and writer, shook up Harlem's political scene in June when she defeated incumbent Bill Perkins in the Democratic primary. To achieve that narrow victory, which came after a recount, Jordan also had to defeat a whopping 11 other candidates. Marcus, meanwhile, is a consultant and community advocate running as a Republican. He centered his campaign around stopping gentrification, stopping crime and improving conditions in NYCHA developments, but faced an uphill battle in heavily Democratic Harlem. For more Harlem news, subscribe to the email newsletter from Harlem Patch. Jordan had been the heavy favorite to win, given Harlem's strong Democratic leanings. Still, her victory would represent a major shift in the neighborhood's politics: Harlem's lawmakers have often been selected through uncompetitive, internal party maneuverings, and Jordan is reportedly less than beloved by the neighborhood's Democratic establishment. Jordan's lengthy platform includes ambitious calls to cut NYPD funding, enact universal rent control, halt evictions, raise taxes on the wealthy and stop NYCHA privatization plans. She attributed her upset primary victory to her campaign's "grassroots movement," which focused on mobilizing voters at the block level. District 9 covers much of Central and North Harlem, stretching between 110th Street and the Polo Grounds Houses above 155th Street. In the neighborhood's other City Council races, Shaun Abreu prevailed in West Harlem's District 7, while incumbent Diana Ayala was re-elected unopposed for a second term in East Harlem's District 8. Jordan's first term will last only two years instead of the usual four, due to a quirk in the city charter related to the recent census and the redistricting process that follows it. Previous coverage: Central Harlem City Council Race: Jordan Faces GOP Nominee MarcusPerkins Concedes Harlem Council Race To Jordan, Cementing Upset