City of Buffalo mayoral candidate Sean Ryan surged ahead of Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon with 100% of primary votes counted, according to the Erie County Board of Elections.
Ryan took to the stage around 11 p.m to declare his victory. He thanked supporters and addressed those who did not vote for him, expressing hope that Buffalonians will join together to make the city a better place.
"I know we need to unite Buffalo, not just as Democrats, but as Buffalonians," Ryan said.
Ryan also said that Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon called to congratulate him on his primary win.
"We had faith in a victory, but I'm so pleasantly surprised with the margin," Ryan told BTPM NPR's Holly Kirkpatrick in an exclusive election night interview.
Congratulations to my friend Sean Ryan on his big victory in the Democratic Primary for Mayor!! The Democratic voters have spoken. It's time for Democrats to come together to defeat the Republicans who are fielding a candidate for November and elect our next Mayor: Sean Ryan!
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) June 25, 2025
Scanlon addressed a crowd of supporters at his primary headquarters at the Barrel Factory around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday, thanking family, friends, volunteers and voters. Speaking to the crowd, he apologized for "not getting it done for you tonight."
