Lee Stephens of Staten Island remembers the borough’s bustling Navy Yards, a massive machine of manufacturing muster and steel shipyards. Now, they are empty and desolate, much like the outlet mall that sits like a graveyard against the thriving Manhattan skyline across the bay. Staten Island is a borough of forgotten projects—failed movie studio lots, a stalled community ferris wheel—and residents. Stephens has felt this stagnation and neglect as a Black resident of New York City’s most conservative and predominantly-white borough for over 40 years. He sees a commercial chain, like Whole Foods, in other boroughs and wonders, why not us?
“I’ve been frustrated by observing how I’ve seen the city evolve and grow in the other boroughs,” he said, “and not evolve and grow in Staten Island.”
African Americans make up 10 percent of the Staten Island population, and Black Staten Island voters of different generational and socioeconomic backgrounds feel disillusioned and conflicted about the candidates in the upcoming mayoral election. From economic pragmatism to political distrust, a wave of disapproval has permeated even the most loyal voters of this demographic.
“I am a staunch democrat, but I am disillusioned and have been for a while. It doesn’t stop me from voting, but it does make me sad. I just feel like there is a major disconnect.… I don’t feel comfortable with any of the candidates,” said Lisa Stephens, a Staten Island resident of the baby boomer generation.
With less than a week away from election day, Democratic nominee Zorhna Mamdani leads in the polls with 43 percent against Independent candidate Andrew Cuomo’s 28 percent and Republican Curtis Sliwa’s 19 percent. Despite 83 percent of Black voters leaning toward Democratic partisanship nationwide, the African American vote is split.
While Mamdani holds a strong lead over gentrified areas of Brooklyn and Manhattan with his push for affordability, Cuomo has garnered 59 percent of support from Black-dominated neighborhoods, over Mamdani’s 26 percent, according to a New York Times analysis. This partisan delineation stems from decades of neglect and distrust voiced strongest among African American voters in the white dominated and Trump-leaning Staten Island, whose votes are shaped by factors like racial identities and socioeconomic status.
Lisa Stephens, a retired Federal Reserve Member, has always voted blue, but is currently torn about her vote. She raised her two daughters in the diverse and upper-middle-class neighborhood of Lower Grimes Hill, and, despite being the only African American family, she felt comfortable in the North Shore as it mirrored her Brooklyn stomping grounds: ethnically diverse, culturally rich, and with easy access to the Staten Island ferry, it was the perfect place to raise a family.
Despite this comfort, Stephens recalls the 2014 killing of Eric Garner shattering her idyllic community.
“We were furious when Eric Garner was killed,” she said. “We were furious with the policing and the lack of attention and sort of the dismissiveness of the actions that were taken.”
Garner was killed in 2014 after being put in an illegal chokehold by police, and his death later sparked local and national Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Police brutality and pushing through Democratic agendas are some of the issues important to Stephens in the upcoming mayoral election, of which she remains conflicted.
While admiring Cuomo’s extensive political experience, particularly his leadership and calm demeanor during the COVID-19 pandemic, she is wary of his scandals and eagerness to return to the political scene after his resignation in 2021. A New Yorker born and bred, Stephens knows how dirty, rough-and-tumble New York politics can be.
“He’s going to be in a sandbox with a lot of dirty politicians, and they are not going to play nice,” she said.
Despite this, she’s leaning towards giving Mamdani a chance, as she wants a fresh, new perspective in politics, but is worried about Mamdani withstanding his fierce competitors.
A new perspective in politics is exactly what her daughter, Aubree, wants for New York City’s next mayor. Aubree is a millennial from Staten Island, now living in Brooklyn, and works as a learner experience designer. Many of her millennial neighbors, and she herself, are excited and energized about a potential Mamdani victory with his support of DEI policies and BIPOC representation. As an Independent voter, she tries to look at candidates holistically, and, even though critics point to Mamdani’s loftier ideas.
“I would rather someone bring me a big idea than someone who’s just going to continue with the status quo,” she said.
Aubree has been disappointed with the current mayor, Eric Adams, with his “fear-mongering” tactics of increasing NYPD presence throughout the city and subways, and wants a new leader.
Eric Adams is a controversial political figure among other Black voters as well. While initially garnering support from many voters for his stances on diversity inclusions and African American representation, many are also disappointed with his current policies pushing police presence and aligning himself with the Trump administration.
Recent political trends also reveal a growing discontent within the Democratic party nationwide and an increase in Black voter support for Trump, particularly from Black male voters under the age of 45. Trump won Staten Island in all three recent presidential elections, and, while there are no available statistics for African American voters on Staten Island, according to the AP, “about 3 in 10 Black men under age 45 went for Trump, roughly double the share he got in 2020,” the highest national Republican share since George W. Bush in 2000.
“Historically, the Democratic Party’s legacy with the civil rights movement is what kept it popular with Black voters,” wrote Al Jazeera staff. “However, younger Black voters do not have those same civil rights legacy attachments.”
It seems many are willing to align with more Centrist or Republican candidates to feel heard. The Democratic party still holds the majority of African American votes, but this disappointment has splintered a once unified demographic and provided Independents, like Cuomo, a possible edge over more Democratically aligned candidates.
The legacy of the “Cuomo” name cannot be understated in New York City, with Mario Cuomo serving as New York governor for three terms and Andrew Cuomo gaining national traction during his 10-year run as governor during the pandemic. Lee Stephens, a fellow baby boomer, speaks to Cuomo’s familiarity, similar age, and more centrist viewpoints that most likely align with his own.
Familiarity alone, however, is not enough to guarantee Stephen’s vote: a commercial banker and economic pragmatist, he wants to conduct more research and understand comprehensive details about many of Mamdani’s campaign promises before casting his vote. He’s skeptical about certain ideas, including Mamdani’s plan for fare-free buses in New York City.
“As a banker,” he said, “if you were bringing me that issue and your balance sheet to come get a loan from the bank, I would say, ‘well, ok, that’s revenue, that’s a material amount of revenue you’re forgoing, where are you filling that?’”
Despite his loyal democratic voting track record, he said it’s hard for him to hear Mamdani’s policies and not think, “Oh, they’re going to raise my taxes.” Lee wants, and admittedly said, needs, to do more research before November, so he currently remains undecided.
One guaranteed vote for Mamdani on Staten Island, however, belongs to Jasmine (Jasi) Robinson, district leader of the 61st assembly district and proud progressive “triple prime voter.” Moving from the Bronx to Staten Island at 17, Robinson is proud of her Black and Cuban heritage and spoke of her home of the past 20 years, Port Richmond on the North Shore, as ethnically diverse and home to many working-class citizens.
As a woman of color and self-identifying Black woman, Robinson cares about public safety, quality of life, and more funding and research for healthcare, especially related to the Black maternity and morbidity crisis. She prioritizes free transit for working-class neighborhoods—some commuters needing to take two or three buses just to get to work—and access to quality, affordable groceries.
A main talking point for mayoral candidates on Staten Island is the revitalization and development of her home, the North Shore. In an exclusive and impromptu bus interview, mayoral candidate Sliwa spoke of the importance of jobs and trade education, but some North Shore residents point out that politicians of both parties spend more time courting the wealthier South Shore than addressing the needs of working-class neighborhoods.
Robinson was happy with Mamdani’s outreach when he visited her First Central Baptist church, as personal outreach to her community is a large factor in her voting stance.
“For me, I withdrew my support [for Cuomo] once I saw that there was no kind of overtures for him to meet with everyday Staten Islanders…On the other hand, Zohran did come out…he went to my church… he did worship with us and he was very well received,” she said.
Although rare, her support has wavered with a Democratic candidate once before. Robinson is supportive of locally elected leaders, but has been disappointed overall with Democratic leadership; she regrets voting for Jill Stein in the 2016 election, but said she couldn’t support Hillary Clinton due to microaggressive statements she made towards young Black activists and the Clintons’ unfulfilled promises to Haitians for earthquake relief.
With the disappointment in New York City’s mayor and current administration, many Black democratic voters of Staten Island want real, attainable change and transparency within their party. Has the disappointment in the Democratic party and leaders paved the way for an Independent victory? How can the Democratic Party repair the trust it needs with Black voters?
Robinson says the news only depicts Staten Island’s worst moments, noting environmental injustices amongst other everyday issues.
To her, the key to securing minority voters, including the Black community, requires that they not feel overlooked or forgotten, a reminder that actions, not promises, matter.
