Sean Ryan has won the race for Buffalo mayor, taking more than 71% of the total vote according to the Erie County Board of Elections.
The victory makes Ryan the city’s first newly elected mayor in 20 years after Byron Brown stepped down in October 2024 for a job at Western Regional Offtrack Betting.
The State Senator's opponents, Republican James Gardner and Independent Michael Gainer took 22.86% and 4.63% of the vote respectively.
Ryan took to the stage at Town Ballroom in downtown Buffalo around 11p.m to make a victory speech, which danced between a sober and hopeful tone. First he focused on fixing "basics" such as potholes, plowing streets and opening city pools.
"For the last 11 months I bought this message to voters," Ryan said. "We can get the little things right and we can take on the big, tough issues like poverty, lead poisoning and the affordable housing crisis. These will be my priorities."
And he was upfront about the work it will take to stabilize the city’s bleak fiscal situation.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it. The road ahead is going to be challenging," Ryan said. "The city's finances are a mess. Job one is figuring out how big our budget hole is. Job two is figuring out how to fix it, but I'm up for the task. I'm ready to get to work with my new colleagues on the city council, and I'm ready to lead a transformation of the City of Buffalo."
Ryan spent the last 14 years in the State Legislature – first in State Assembly representing Buffalo’s west side and parts of the south towns from 2011, before being elected to State Senate to represent New York’s 61st District in 2021.
In June, he won the hotly contested Buffalo mayoral Democratic primary election against four other candidates including Buffalo Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon, beating him by approximately 3,000 votes.
Speaking to reporters after leaving the stage, he admitted the race for mayor was his toughest yet, though he said he could always count on conversations with voters if he needed a boost.
"People were very polite when I was running for the Assembly and the Senate, but they didn't really want to have long chats about a state policy," he explained. "But you knock on somebody in the city of Buffalo's door and say, 'I'm running for mayor,' they're going to tell you their ideas, they're going to tell you what's wrong with their community and how to make it right."
The new mayor elect has already assembled a transition team which is expected to be announced in the coming days. He will take office on Jan. 1, 2026.
