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PHOTOS: Buffalo mayoral primary race heats up as polls close

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | By S.J. Velasquez
Published June 24, 2025 at 9:04 PM EDT
The scene outside mayoral candidate Anthony Tyson-Thompson's primary headquarters at Steel Leaf Brewing
Alex Simone
The scene outside mayoral candidate Anthony Tyson-Thompson's primary headquarters at Steel Leaf Brewing

As of 9 p.m., polls have officially closed across Buffalo and Western New York for today's primary elections. Voters have cast their ballots in various races that will shape the region's future, most notably the highly anticipated Democratic primary for the Buffalo mayoral seat.

With the voting period now concluded, attention shifts to the counting of ballots. Reports from BTPM NPR staff indicated that Buffalo mayoral candidates' primary night headquarters were still relatively quiet as 8:30 p.m., but activity is expected to pick up as results begin to trickle in. We will closely monitor the returns for what promises to be a telling night for local politics.

A crowd begins to trickle into Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon's primary night headquarters in the Barrel Factory.
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A crowd begins to trickle into Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon's primary night headquarters in the Barrel Factory.
Jim Fink
Buffalo mayoral candidate Sean Ryan's primary headquarters, located at Babeville.
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Buffalo mayoral candidate Sean Ryan's primary headquarters, located at Babeville.
Holly Kirkpatrick
Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon's primary night headquarters in the Barrel Factory.
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Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon's primary night headquarters in the Barrel Factory.
Lori Overdorf
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The entrance to Buffalo mayoral candidate Sean Ryan's primary headquarters, located at Babeville.
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The entrance to Buffalo mayoral candidate Sean Ryan's primary headquarters, located at Babeville.
Holly Kirkpatrick
Mayoral candidate Sean Ryan's primary night headquarters at Babeville
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Mayoral candidate Sean Ryan's primary night headquarters at Babeville
Holly Kirkpatrick
Mayoral candidate Sean Ryan's primary night headquarters at Babeville
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Mayoral candidate Sean Ryan's primary night headquarters at Babeville
Holly Kirkpatrick
The scene outside mayoral candidate Anthony Tyson-Thompson's primary headquarters at Steel Leaf Brewing
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The scene outside mayoral candidate Anthony Tyson-Thompson's primary headquarters at Steel Leaf Brewing
Alex Simone
Councilman Bryan Bollman speaks to BTPM NPR contributing reporter Jim Fink at Scanlon primary election headquarters.
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Councilman Bryan Bollman speaks to BTPM NPR contributing reporter Jim Fink at Scanlon primary election headquarters.
Lori Overdorf
Buffalo mayoral candidate Garnell Whitfield Jr.'s primary night headquarters
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Buffalo mayoral candidate Garnell Whitfield Jr.'s primary night headquarters
Alex Simone
Buffalo mayoral candidate Garnell Whitfield Jr.'s primary night headquarters
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Buffalo mayoral candidate Garnell Whitfield Jr.'s primary night headquarters
Alex Simone
Sean Ryan celebrates victory among supporters at Babeville.
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Sean Ryan celebrates victory among supporters
Amanda Robert
Senator April Baskin speaks as people celebrate Sean Ryan's Buffalo mayoral primary victory.
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Senator April Baskin speaks as people celebrate Sean Ryan's Buffalo mayoral primary victory.
Holly Kirkpatrick
Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon embraces a supporter after delivering his concession speech.
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Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon embraces a supporter after delivering his concession speech.
Lori Overdorf

Follow BTPM NPR's whip-around coverage of primary election results as results roll in. This includes breakdowns from our studio panel, live check-ins from campaign headquarters and phone interviews with prominent local figures.

How to listen:

Listeners can tune into the show on the radio by tuning into one of the following frequencies:

Buffalo: 88.7 FM (WBFO HD1)

Olean: 91.3 FM (WOLN)

Jamestown 88.1 FM (WUBJ)

Listeners can tune in via the BTPM Listen app, smart speaker or on BTPM.org.

Previous announcements:

Meet the guests for 'The Primary Path: Buffalo 2025' preview show | Buffalo Toronto Public Media

Meet the studio panel for 'The Primary Path: Buffalo 2025' | Buffalo Toronto Public Media

BTPM NPR announces broadcast coverage for 2025 Buffalo mayoral primary and WNY races | Buffalo Toronto Public Media
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Local WBFO NewsLocal StoriesThe Primary Path: Buffalo 2025
S.J. Velasquez
S.J. Velasquez is the Director of Audio Strategy at Buffalo Toronto Public Media, where she oversees BTPM NPR, BTPM Classical and BTPM The Bridge. She is an award-winning writer, editor and curator with extensive experience in multimedia journalism.
See stories by S.J. Velasquez
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