New York, New York - Carl Wilson has declared victory in the New York City Council special election for district 3 in Manhattan over Zohran Mamdani-endorsed candidate Lindsey Boylan.

Tabulations thus far show Wilson in the lead with over 43% of the vote, followed by Boylan at around 26%, Layla Law-Gisiko at 20%, and Leslie Boghosian Murphy at 10%.

The race is not expected to be officially called until next week, as no candidate won more than 50% of the vote in Tuesday's ranked-choice contest.

Nevertheless, Wilson declared victory during his election night party, telling the crowd, "I stand here tonight deeply honored to be your next council member for district 3."

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Wilson was backed by Erik Bottcher, the city council member who vacated the seat after getting elected to the New York State Senate in February.

Bottcher appeared alongside his former chief of staff on Tuesday night praising his "vision for a New York for all" and introducing him as "the next council member for district 3."

According to Politico and the New York Times, Boylan had called Wilson to concede the race, while Mayor Mamdani has also congratulated him on his "hard-fought victory."

Boylan, a former aide to Andrew Cuomo, was the first woman to come forward with accusations of sexual harassment against the ex-governor, who resigned in 2021 before launching an unsuccessful bid for New York City mayor last year.

A member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Boylan was endorsed by Mamdani and had promised to be an ally of the mayor on the City Council.

In a video shared by Boylan's campaign, Mamdani called Tuesday's special election "an opportunity to send someone to City Council who will fight for working people every single day of the week."

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New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who has opposed Mamdani on key issues such as protest buffer zones, celebrated Wilson's apparent victory.

"Tonight, we had a resounding victory by electing Carl Wilson as our next City Council Member. Carl has been a friend and colleague for many years, and I couldn’t have been more proud to endorse him in this election," Menin posted on X.

Wilson's win means the district – home to the Stonewall National Monument – while continue to be represented by a gay council member, as it has for over three decades.

Wilson is now expected to serve out the remainder of Bottcher's term through December. A primary election takes place in June for the next full term, which runs through 2029.