Roller coaster-riding candidate arrested as NYC mayor’s race underway
Police arrested New York City comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lander on Tuesday, June 17, at an immigration court in the city. His arrest comes as voters cast their early ballots in the race to unseat current Mayor Eric Adams.
Candidate arrested
Video of the incident shows Lander linking arms with a person authorities were attempting to detain at a federal building in Manhattan. That’s when he and the person he was with were arrested.
Lander spent the morning in the courtroom observing immigration hearings. He reportedly told a journalist with The Associated Press he was there to accompany some migrants out of the building.
Video of the incident shows officials trying to separate Lander and the other person before eventually putting cuffs on both of them.
“You don’t have authority to arrest U.S. citizens,” Lander could be heard saying to law enforcement. They responded by saying Lander was obstructing the officers.
“It’s a really sobering and upsetting situation that I haven’t quite processed all the way yet,” Lander’s wife Meg Barnette said at a news conference covered by ABC News following his arrest.
Later in the day, Lander was released from custody and spoke to reporters.
“This is a critical time to have a mayor who will stand up to ICE and stand up to Donald Trump and insist on due process and the laws of this city,” Lander said. “This is a sanctuary city, and I was proud to sponsor those laws, and I’m going to show up and defend them.”
This is not the first time the city’s comptroller has been put in handcuffs. In 2017, police arrested Lander along with a group of activists who stood inside the U.S. Capitol building to protest a GOP tax bill.
Lander has not been considered a frontrunner in the mayoral race, but did get some attention for a campaign ad, showing him riding a rollercoaster on Coney Island.
NYC mayoral race
Among those calling for Lander’s release is state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who called the arrest “fascism.”
There are currently 11 candidates on the Democratic ticket, with Mamdani, Lander, NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo leading the pack.
Mamdani received an endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt..
Meanwhile, Cuomo caught criticism for reportedly leaving his car in the middle of the road while attending an event in Midtown on Monday, June 16.
Mayoral primary poll
The Manhattan Institute released a new poll on Tuesday, showing Cuomo leading the pack at 43%. Mamdani polled at 30% while no other candidate broke double digits. According to the poll, Cuomo is the clear first choice among Black voters, getting 39% while Mamdani polled at 16%.
Nine of the 11 candidates have qualified for a debate scheduled for Wednesday, June 18.
Mayoral primary voting
Early voting is already underway in the race. Election Day is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST.
A ranked-choice voting method will determine the outcome, meaning voters have the ability to rank their top five choices. If one candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win outright.
If no candidate reaches the necessary majority, the one with the fewest first-choice votes will be eliminated. Voters who chose the eliminated candidates first will then have their votes transferred to their next-highest ranked candidate who is still in the race.
That process of elimination would continue until one candidate reaches the majority needed to win.
Incumbent Mayor Adams
The incumbent, Adams, is running for reelection. But he withdrew from the city’s Democratic primary in April, announcing he would run as an independent.
His time as mayor has not been without controversy, including a federal corruption case where he was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions. That case was dismissed in federal court after Adams agreed to help the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in the city. Adams denies any quid pro quo.
“The dismissal of the bogus case against me dragged on too long, making it impossible to mount a primary campaign while these false accusations were held over me,” Adams said in a video posted on X.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
