Queens appears to have a Democratic nominee for borough president.
In an early afternoon message on social media on Tuesday, July 21, former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley conceded the Democratic primary for borough president to Councilman Donovan Richards.
“I recently called Council Member [Richards] to congratulate him and to give him my full support as he becomes the Democratic nominee for Queens borough president,” Crowley said on Twitter.
Crowley was second in the Queens borough president primary race following in-person voting on June 23.
Speaking to her supporters, she added, “I wanted you to hear it from me first: while the Board of Elections has not officially called the race, and some districts are still getting tallied, the numbers to win are just not with us.”
Together, with your help, we ran a very competitive race for Queens borough president. From neighborhood to neighborhood, we shared our ideas and our concerns, we put forward plans, and we renewed our commitment to move our communities forward.
— Elizabeth Crowley (@ElizCrowleyNYC) July 21, 2020
I recently called Council Member @DRichards13 to congratulate him and to give him my full support as he becomes the Democratic nominee for Queens borough president. pic.twitter.com/7MNjHlqzQ8
— Elizabeth Crowley (@ElizCrowleyNYC) July 21, 2020
This was an incredible opportunity. Thank you for your encouragement, thank you for the many hours of volunteering, thank you for donating—this campaign was built on your support. -Elizabeth
— Elizabeth Crowley (@ElizCrowleyNYC) July 21, 2020
The city’s Board of Elections is currently in the process of counting absentee ballots cast in the June 23 primary. The BOE counts ballots by Assembly Districts and won’t have a full count of votes for the Queens borough president race until each district has been counted.
The BOE has not confirmed the results of the Democratic primary for Queens borough president.
Although he refrained from claiming victory outright, Richards said he was “proud to call [Crowley] a friend,” in response to Crowley’s tweet.
“I admire her commitment to Queens and look forward to working with her to unite our borough moving into November,” Richards said.
The southeast Queens legislator held about a 10,000 vote lead after last month’s in person voting. In addition to Richards and Crowley, Councilman Costa Constantinides, retired NYPD Sergeant Anthony Miranda and businessman Dao Yin also ran for the nomination.
“I want to thank all of my supporters who made their voices heard at the ballot box or by voting absentee. I’m proud of the issues that we spoke about and the work that we did throughout this campaign,” Richards said in a statement. “I’ve spent my life fighting for racial equity, and I’ll continue that fight in my remaining months in the City Council and in the future at Borough Hall.”
Richards added that he hopes to serve as a unifying voice for the “World’s Borough.”
“Over the last few months I’ve spoken with thousands of Queens voters about the issues facing our communities. In a borough as diverse as ours, each neighborhood often has their own priorities, but we remain one Queens,” he said. “I’ve also gotten to know the others who ran in this race, and the issues that they spoke about so passionately with Queens residents. All of them want the best for our borough, and I hope to be able to continue to work with them so that we can build a Queens that works for everyone.”
Crowley also spoke of unifying the borough and endorsed Richards in his race against Chairwoman of the Queens County Republican Party Joann Ariola for Queens borough president in November.
“During these most challenging times, we need unity to bring out great borough together,” Crowley said in a statement. “Queens deserves its fair share. To accomplish this we must unite and emerge stronger than ever.”
Constantinides also stood behind Richards when he too conceded the race to his City Council colleague on Wednesday.
“I want to congratulate one of my best friends, Donovan Richards, on a hard fought victory. We are all rooting for you to deliver Queens through the other side of this crisis,” Constantinides said. “It has been a privilege to serve alongside Donovan in the City Council over the last six and a half years. While his presence there will be sorely missed, I am so excited to see what he will do as out next Borough President. He loves Queens dearly. I know he won’t stop fighting for it.”
Updated at 10:15 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22.
