Acting Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon has filed paperwork with the Erie County Board of Elections to remove himself and his Good Neighbors Party independent line from the November general election ballot for mayor. An official with the board confirming that filing to BTPM NPR.
This comes just days after Scanlon lost the Democratic mayoral primary to State Senator Sean Ryan. Scanlon placed second in a field of five candidates, garnering 9,338 votes, or 35.2%. Ryan garnered 12,309, or 46.4%.
Just after his primary loss on Tuesday night, Scanlon told BTPM NPR that he would be weighing his options.
“The best part about this is, in the last eight months as mayor, I've told everyone the fact that the number of people I got to meet that I haven't known before, the organizations I didn't work with in the past and had the opportunity to do it now,” Scanlon said. “But as far as learning from the election itself, it’s a little too early. We’ll have to look at numbers tomorrow and things like that, we'll take a look at it.”
The acting mayor, also tweeting about his decision around 5:00 p.m. on Friday, thanking his family and supporters for their dedication throughout his mayoral run.
After careful consideration, hours of thoughtful debate, and heartfelt conversations with my wife, my family, friends, and supporters, I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for Mayor and forgo the Independent line on the ballot this November. pic.twitter.com/ou0X6iVN7a
— Chris Scanlon for Buffalo Mayor (@cscanlonbflo) June 27, 2025
In a written statement, Scanlon expanded on that conversation and thought process of deciding to end his campaign.
“This was not an easy choice—it was, without question, heartbreaking. I am profoundly grateful to the thousands of people who believed in our vision for Buffalo and cast their votes in support of our campaign," wrote Scanlon. "Your trust, your hope, and your belief in the future we imagined together will stay with me forever.”
As acting mayor, Scanlon will remain in office until January. He made sure to highlight his commitment on seeing that through.
“For the remainder of my term as Mayor of the City of Buffalo, I am as dedicated as I was the day I stepped into the office in October. I will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of our residents and taxpayers to advance the initiatives we’ve begun—initiatives that I truly believe will leave Buffalo in the best position moving forward," he said.
After a new mayor is elected and sworn in, Scanlon will continue to hold his South District council seat, as well as the council presidency.
Ryan released a statement shortly after Scanlon's announcement, saying he hopes to work well with him in the future, should Ryan win November's election.
"Though we have at times disagreed about the best policies and strategies to move Buffalo forward, I know that Chris Scanlon sincerely has Buffalo's best interests at heart," said Ryan.
Ryan also said how he hopes to unify the party and people of Buffalo.
"I believe the vigorous discourse about our city's future has made me a stronger candidate and will help make Buffalo a better city," said Ryan. "As the Democratic nominee, I plan to be a uniter, and I extend my hand to anyone who wants to be part of building a better Buffalo."
Scanlon's decision to remove himself from the general election ballot sets up a three-way race in November. Democratic nominee Ryan, Republican attorney James Gardner and Michael Gainer under his "Restore Buffalo" independent line.
