Salaam, a first-time candidate, is one of the Exonerated Five, who were wrongfully convicted in the 1989 Central Park jogger case.
Yusef Salaam, who was wrongfully imprisoned for years as a member of the exonerated Central Park Five, was officially declared the winner of his Harlem City Council primary race after receiving a little more than 50 percent of the vote last Tuesday.
„I am here because, Harlem, you believed in me.“ @dr_yusefsalaam speaks to supporters as he’s poised to take the NYC City Council race in District 9. The „Exonerated Five“ member has never run for office before. pic.twitter.com/nkpWCYfJGf— Pat Kiernan (@patkiernan) June 28, 2023
Salaam, 49, had already declared victory over two primary opponents on Election Night, but the city’s Board of Elections had to complete its ranked- choice voting tally before it was officially in the books. After three rounds, Salaam received about 64 percent of the vote, a significant margin over veteran assemblymember Inez Dickens, who took home 36 percent.
