Erik Bottcher will represent District 47 in the State Senate.
Donna Aceto
Manhattan Councilmember Erik Bottcher, the co-chair of the Council’s LGBTQIA+ Caucus, easily won a special election on Feb. 3 to replace Brad Hoylman-Sigal in the State Senate, defeating Republican Charlotte Friedman by a wide margin, according to unofficial results.
Bottcher’s victory in District 47, which runs along the west side of Manhattan from Manhattan Valley down to Greenwich Village, ensures that the seat will continue to be held by an out lawmaker and comes just over a month after Hoylman-Sigal resigned from the State Senate to become Manhattan borough president.
With more than 86% of the vote in on election night, Bottcher had 91.8% — or just over 11,200 votes — while Friedman had 7.5%, or 920 votes.
“Tonight, the people of the 47th District made a clear choice for progress, integrity, and leadership that shows up,” Bottcher said in a written statement on election night. “I’m deeply grateful to every voter, volunteer, and neighbor who believed that government should work harder for working families — and I’m excited to get to work.”
Bottcher vowed to be a “relentless advocate for safer streets, more affordable housing, reliable transit, and an economy that rewards work and treats people with dignity.”
“I want to thank everyone who believed in my ability to be an effective state senator,” Bottcher said. “Your trust means everything to me, and I’m ready to honor that trust with action.”
Last October, Bottcher, 46, announced he was exploring a campaign to replace outgoing Congressmember Jerrold Nadler, but as competition grew, Bottcher ultimately decided to run for Hoylman-Sigal’s old seat. When he pivoted to run for State Senate, Bottcher said in a written statement that his decision was “rooted in where I believe I can do the most good immediately,” adding that the “State Senate is where critical decisions are being made on housing affordability, addressing the mental health crisis, safeguarding our environment, and defending New York from the Trump agenda.”
“I’m so proud that Erik is assuming the 47th Senate District that I had the privilege of representing on the West Side from ‘the gay bars to Zabar’s,’” Hoylman-Sigal wrote on X, referring to a phrase he commonly repeated in recent years when describing his State Senate district.
In a sign of his imminent departure from the City Council, Bottcher posted a selfie on Instagram on Feb. 2 from an office building and said he was “packing up the City Hall office.”
Bottcher has served in the City Council since January of 2022 in a district that includes Hudson Square, West Village, Chelsea, Hudson Yards, Meatpacking District, Garment District, Times Square, and Hell’s Kitchen.
Bottcher has frequently advocated for the LGBTQ community during his time in office — including through legislation, letters, and public remarks at rallies and demonstrations — but his fight for queer rights predates his time in office. He worked under former City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who represented the same Council district, as an LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS liaison and served under former Governor Andrew Cuomo during the push for marriage equality in New York State. Bottcher went on to work for former City Council Speaker Corey Johnson as his chief of staff — also in the same City Council district Bottcher later represented.
During his first year in office, the Council passed Bottcher’s bill requiring the city’s Department of Education to provide information about suicide prevention to students, including the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline that was later shut down by the Trump administration. In December of that year, Bottcher was the target of anti-gay backlash from vandals who defaced his office and home with homophobic slurs. He went on to become the co-chair of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus in 2024 and also served as the co-chair of the Manhattan delegation.
Bottcher’s victory will trigger a special election to succeed him in District 3 of the City Council — and his out gay chief of staff, Carl Wilson, has already launched a campaign for the seat. When Bottcher formally leaves his City Council seat, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is required to issue a proclamation within three days to announce the special election date.
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