India Walton On Track To Be Buffalo Mayor

In what appears to be a remarkable feat Mayoral candidate India Walton pulled an upset in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, unofficially beating four-term mayor Byron Brown, 11,132 to 9,625.

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Mayor Brown, however, did not concede Tuesday night, telling supporters he would wait for every vote to be counted. The result remains unofficial, with absentee ballots still having to be counted.

Walton, 38, is on track to become Buffalo's first female Mayor. According to NEWS 4 Buffalo Elections officials confirmed that no one has filed paperwork to be on any other line come November.

Barring a write-in campaign or something that would turn the primary in Brown’s favor, Walton will be Buffalo's next Mayor.

“This is the work of a well-meaning group of rebels and revolutionaries that had a bold vison on what we want the future of our city to look like,” Walton said in speech that was frequently interrupted by supporters chanting her name.

Walton, a nurse who campaigned on the idea that it’s time for a change in the city’s leadership, was endorsed the Working Families Party, the Buffalo Teachers Federation,  and others.

“We set out to not only change Buffalo but to change the way processive politics are viewed in Upstate New York,” she added. “… From the very start, I said, this is not about making India Walton the mayor of Buffalo. This is about building the infrastructure to challenge every damn seat — I’m talking about committee seats, school board, common council.” 

Mayor Brown was seeking to become the first mayor in Buffalo’s history to serve five terms.

Le’Candice Durham, a complaint clerk for the City of Buffalo, finished third with 650 votes.