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Thursday night is ruined! Debate for NYC public advocate is off.
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Oct 7, 2025
Modified Oct 8, 2025
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Public Advocate's Office
By
Brigid Bergin
Published Oct 7, 2025
Modified Oct 8, 2025
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The debate for the New York City public advocate is canceled.
New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the Democratic nominee, said he will not participate in a general election debate that had been scheduled for Thursday evening. The candidates seeking to unseat Williams did not meet the minimum thresholds set by the city’s Campaign Finance Board, he said.
“We strongly support the Campaign Finance Board’s regulations and debate processes. At this time, the other candidates have not come anywhere near meeting the thresholds required to qualify,” Williams said in a statement shared with the debate’s media hosts. “If there were a way to make timing and criteria align, we'd gladly take part in a meaningful debate."
The first debate would have been hosted by Spectrum NY1, WNYC and the news website The City.
The Campaign Finance Board had said participation in debates was mandatory for any citywide candidate who received matching funds. Candidates for public advocate were required to have raised and spent $123,975 to appear on the debate stage.
Campaign records show Williams’ opponents were not close to that benchmark.
Republican and Conservative Party candidate Gonzalo Duran has raised $2,575 and spent $79. Independent candidate Marty Dolan has raised $80,053 and spent more than $103,000, leaving his campaign $23,000 in debt. Neither candidate has received public matching funds.
"The Public Advocate seems to have forgotten the oath of office to put New Yorkers first," Dolan wrote in an email.
"I’m treated as 'unqualified' simply because I don’t have million-dollar donations," Duran wrote. "Let’s be clear — money does not define qualification; integrity and service do."
Williams has received $1.3 million in public matching funds, including more than $31,000 for the general election campaign.
Williams, a progressive politician from Brooklyn who is a common presence at protests against the ongoing immigration crackdown, appears to be cruising toward re-election.
This story has been updated with comment from Marty Dolan and Gonzalo Duran.
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Politics
new york city
Brigid Bergin
Brigid Bergin is an award-winning senior reporter on the People and Power desk. She is fiercely committed to telling stories that help people engage and support democracy. In 2022, she hosted a live, ten-week call-in politics show ahead of the midterm elections called The People's Guide to Power. Brigid's reporting in 2017 included some of the first coverage of a political newcomer now known as AOC. In 2016, she broke the news of a voter purge in Brooklyn just days before New York’s presidential primary, triggering city, state and federal investigations. Brigid also guest hosts The Brian Lehrer Show and All Of It. She graduated from the University at Albany and the CUNY Newmark School of Journalism. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-723-4719.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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