Brewer, Salaam Draw No Opponents, Win CD Races
Of the 10 City Council districts in Manhattan, only two–Gale Brewer on the UWS and Yusef Salaam in Harlem–ran with no opponents.
| 05 Nov 2025 | 03:18
Once again Gale Brewer, the formidable UWS City Council member, drew no opponents in her race in CD6 on Nov. 4. (
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Yusef Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five who was first elected to the City Council in 2023, swept to victory again with no Republican opposition in the CD9 race. (
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While Democrats cruised to victory up and down Manhattan, two City Council members had a particularly easy time.
Gale Brewer on the Upper West Side and Yusef Salaam representing Harlem were the only two Manhattan candidates to run with no opposition.
Brewer, who did not endorse Eric Adams four years ago, also pointedly did not endorse mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani or any other candidate in the mayor’s race.
She did endorse Brad Hoylman-Sigal in his Borough President run. When the Spirit encountered her at the watch party being tossed by New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Hoylman-Sigal, she said, “I’m keeping a low profile.”
Brewer is one of the longest-serving City Council members. She first took office on Jan. 1, 2002 until 2013. She then served as Borough President from 2014 to 2021 before returning to reclaim her District 6 Council seat in 2021.
Yusef Salaam is, of course, one of the Exonerated Five, who were falsely accused of brutally raping a female jogger in Central Park in 1989 and spent nearly 15 years in prison. All five were freed in 2014.
“Gate of the Exonerated” was dedicated at the northern end of Central Park in 2022 in honor of Salaam and the other four members of the Exonerated Five.
Salaam, who had moved to Georgia after his release, returned to NYC to run in the City Council race in 2023, won the primary, and ended up running unopposed in the general election.
In the the June primary, he was opposed by educator Elizabeth Sanchez. After winning, he ran unopposed in the current election.
”I’m keeping a low profile.” — City Council member Gale Brewer on why she didn’t endorse any candidate in this year’s mayoral race.