Erik Bottcher Wins District 47 NY State Senate Race

Erik Bottcher will now become a State Senator representing a large swath of Manhattan’s West Side, after cruising to victory in a special election on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Bottcher—who will leave his District 3 City Council seat to represent the 47th District in Albany’s upper chamber—pulled in an insurmountable 91.6 percent of the vote against his Republican opponent, Charlotte Friedman, a first-time candidate.

He’ll be filling the post left vacant by Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who is now the Manhattan Borough President. Bottcher will also have to stand for the seat again in an official Democratic primary this June, which will lead to a November general election that will fill out the rest of Hoylman-Sigal’s term.

Bottcher will be representing many of the same constituents in his new gig, too. The 47th District encompasses many of the same neighborhoods as District 3, which covers Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, as well as part of the West Village. However, he’ll now oversee parts of the Upper West Side, as well.

“Tonight, the people of the 47th District made a clear choice for progress, integrity, and leadership that shows up,” Bottcher said in a public statement. “I’m deeply grateful to every voter, volunteer, and neighbor who believed that government should work harder for working families—and I’m excited to get to work.”

Bottcher also slyly acknowledged his election win on social media by sharing a memeified post made by Shaun Abreu, the City Council Majority Leader. It consists of a photo of Bottcher whispering something to Abreu, which the caption implies is: “‘I’m outta here’– Senator @ebottcher.”

Hoylman-Sigal, Bottcher’s predecessor, congratulated him on social media as well: “I’m so proud that Erik is assuming the 47th Senate District that I had the privilege of representing on the West Side from ‘the gay bars to Zabar’s’.”

Bottcher originally planned to run for the Manhattan-spanning U.S. House of Representatives seat being vacated by Jerrold “Jerry” Nadler, who is retiring at the end this year.

Bottcher made those plans shortly after winning re-election to his City Council seat last fall, before abruptly pivoting to the State Senate bid; the federal congressional race had become relatively hypercompetitive, attracting everybody from local State Assembly Members (Micah Lasher, Alex Bores) to J.F.K.’s grandson, the Democratic influencer Jack Schlossberg.

Crucially, Bottcher’s now-successful State Senate bid has created its own set of cascading political questions, as his City Council seat now needs to be filled.

Multiple contenders have already lined up to succeed him in another upcoming special election, the date of which Mayor Zohran Mamdani must announce by this weekend.

Bottcher’s own City Council Chief of Staff, Carl Wilson, is one contestant—and has already earned his endorsement.

Before his stint as a top Bottcher staffer, Wilson co-founded the Hell’s Kitchen Democrats, which essentially toppled the long-running Democratic Party machine in the neighborhood. He is also highlighting his background as a former “struggling” artist, namely an actor, who found acceptance and community in District 3.

Other contenders include the community activist Layla Law-Gisiko, Community Board 4 chair Leslie Boghosian, and Lindsey Boylan.

Boylan was the first woman to publicly accuse former Governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual misconduct, which led to his eventual resignation in August 2021, after a state report determined that he had harassed additional women. Cuomo has disputed the findings of the report.

Law-Gisiko is partially organizing her campaign around her opposition to certain private development projects in the neighborhood, such as NYCHA tapping Related Co. to completely overhaul the Fulton & Chelsea-Elliot Houses.

Law-Gisiko has picked up support from District 1 City Council Member Christopher Marte, who represents Lower Manhattan and shares similar priorities.