Yusef Salaam Declares Victory In Harlem Council Race, Reports Show

HARLEM, NY — Yusef Salaam has declared victory in the much-talked about Harlem District 9 race to replace Kristin Richardson Jordan, according to NY1 reporter Emily Ngo.

Salaam has a significant lead over Dickens and Taylor with 96 percent of scanners reported as of 10:30 p.m., according to the Board of Election website's unofficial results.

1. Yusef Salaam: 50 percent (5,330 votes)
2. Inez Dickens: 25 percent (2,663 votes)
3. Al Taylor: 14 percent (1,532 votes)
4. Kristin Richardson Jordan: 9 percent (1,005 votes)

Salaam walked into Harlem Tavern a little before 10 p.m. with a celebratory crowd gathered outside, video from Jeff Coltin, political reporter for City and State, shows.

"What has happened on this campaign has restored my faith in knowing that I was born for this," Salaam said during his victory speech, according to Coltin. "I am not a seasoned politician. So therefore, this was not politics as usual."

Salaam, along with the rest of the "Central Park Five," — who were all Black and Latino minors — was wrongly convicted in 1990 for the rape of a white jogger in the famous Manhattan park.

In 2014, the group received a $41 million payout from the city, of which more than $7 million went to Salaam.

In the years since, Salaam was appointed to the board of the Innocence Project in 2018, which is a nonprofit committed to exonerating people who have been wrongfully convicted.

He has also worked as an advocate on the issues of false confessions, police brutality, press ethics and bias, and the disparities in America's criminal justice system.

Jordan announced in May she would not seek re-election, leaving candidates Assembly member Dickens, Assembly member Taylor, and member of the Exonerated Central Park 5 Salaam vying for the position.

Jordan is also still on the ballot as she missed the deadline to decline her spot

The City Council's 9th District represents almost the entirety of Central Harlem.

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Earlier this month, Tayor and Salaam forged a partnership and announced they would be cross-ranking each other on their ballots, while also urging their supporters to do the same.

Dickens looks to have lost the race despite securing an endorsement from Mayor Eric Adams.

During early voting, the Harlem race saw the most votes cast of any Council primary citywide, with 3,889 ballots cast as on Monday, reported the Gothamist.

This story will be continuously updated with voting totals.