Showing a surge toward the end of the campaign season, Brooklyn City Councilmember Bill de Blasio bested former City Public Advocate Mark Green in the Democratic primary for public advocate.
With nearly 100 percent of the votes counted, the unofficial tally gave de Blasio 112,781 votes or 32.62 percent of the vote to Green’s 106,838 or 30.90 percent of the vote.
Queens City Councilmember Eric Gioia had 63,706 or 18.42 percent and Norman Siegel had 49,398 or 14.29 percent of the vote.
Imtiaz Syed finished last with 13,045 or 3.77 percent of the vote.
Neither de Blasio nor Green received the necessary 40 percent of the vote and must face each other in a runoff in two weeks on Sept. 29.
In his remarks, de Blasio noted how his campaign had humble beginnings and came so far in such a short period of time.
“We are challenging Mark Green to 10 debates on all issues in all five of the boroughs,” de Blasio told excited supporters at the Water Street Cafe in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn Heights.
De Blasio spokesperson Gwen Rocco said in the 10 months since the campaign began it has managed to build one of the broadest and most diverse groups of support New York City has ever seen.
Neither Green nor the other candidates in the race were available for comment at press time.
