Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, who ran for a third term while under indictment in a campaign finance case and under fire for her handling of a police killing, was defeated Tuesday in the Democratic primary by City Councilman Malik Evans.
Evans’ win all but guarantees he’ll become mayor of New York’s third largest city. There is no Republican challenger on the November ballot.
The former Rochester School Board president entered the race in January, taking on the vulnerable Warren with a theme of restoring trust and government transparency.
“Tonight is the true beginning of our journey together to put Rochester in the upper echelon of U.S. cities where it belongs,” Evans said to supporters in his victory speech.
In a city that has been wracked by tension over policing, he said, “We need to make sure that we keep our city safe, that we have a system where our police officers are guardians and not warriors.”
In her concession speech, Warren pledged to support Evans and urged her supporters to do the same.
She said her running despite all the turmoil around her was about her daughter “and all the little Black girls of this city. It was about letting them know that no matter what comes your way, you will never, ever give up.”
