NEW YORK— Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and his wife arrived at the Hargrave Senior Center in Upper West, Manhattan, to cast their ballots in the primary with their two infant sons. Stringer is running for the city comptroller in a close race against Eliot Spitzer.
Max, who is 19 months old, and Miles, who’s just 14 weeks old, wore blue tops with “Stringer Comptroller” printed on them.
The family turned up at 10:15 a.m. in the morning and were greeted by more than a dozen photographers and reporters.
“We have a new voter,” Stringer joked about his son Max.
All smiles, the couple were ushered into the senior center just as an elderly lady stepped out of the voting booth. Black plastic curtains covered the entrance of the old lever voting machine.
Stringer held his son Max as he walked into the booth. After he pulled the final lever, he told Max to get ready and smile as he pulled back the curtain and stepped out. The little boy was then taken into the booth again by Stringer’s wife Elyse Buxbaum.
Stringer shook hands with some of the staff members and then talked to the press outside.
“We’re feeling good. I started in the Bronx this morning, my old neighborhood in Washington Heights.”
“People are voting and I’m excited about the possibilities for tonight,” he said.
“The best part of it is that I got to vote with my son Max ... It’s his first vote,” Stringer said.
For all the voters who are heading to polling stations today for the primary vote, Stringer suggested they look at his record as the Manhattan borough president.
“I think that we need a comptroller who’s going to have the backs of working people—and you know my record, I’m not going to embarrass anybody. I’m not going to ever give doubt to my constituents that it’s not about them, and for too long I think we’ve had a double standard in this city,” he said.
He said the job of a comptroller is about integrity, leadership and experience.
“Maybe today’s election for comptroller is about leveling the playing field. It’s also about whether or not an individual can spend one check for $10 million and buy the office of comptroller,” he said.
“I voted for myself,” he smiled.
“We have a very strong volunteer field operation. We don’t have the resources my opponent has, so obviously people who need help or assistance ... we have a full operation to do that,” Stringer said before heading off with his family down 71st Street.
