NYC mayoral ballots are all but set, even if candidates drop out of the race

Former federal prosecutor and independent mayoral candidate Jim Walden last week announced he was dropping out of New York City’s mayoral race. There’s just one problem: His name will still appear on voters’ ballots in November’s general election.

That reality is at the center of a likely showdown Tuesday between Walden and the New York City Board of Elections commissioners. Walden is fighting to get his name off the ballot in an effort to fulfill his principled pledge to get out of the race if he couldn’t establish himself as the best candidate to challenge Democratic nominee and frontrunner Zohran Mamdani.

“If my name remains on the ballot, voters will be confused and lured to vote for me, despite my timely withdrawal. This is unfair to voters and the remaining candidates,” Walden, who