[2] The day after the election, Walton released a statement stating that although a victory "seems unlikely," her campaign would not concede until all votes were counted.

[1] Brown's victory made him the longest serving Mayor of Buffalo once he began his fifth term on January 1, 2022, breaking the record held by James D.

[19] Walton had previously received some local attention while active in the George Floyd protests, when she criticized Mayor Brown for his handling of the Buffalo police shoving incident.

Brown's staffers staged a rally outside Sahlen Field days after the primary to encourage support for his general election write-in campaign.

[36] The president of the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association stated that Brown would have the support of the union if he ran as a write-in candidate.

Board members Kathy Evans Brown, Hope Jay, Jennifer Mecozzi, Ann Rivera, and Lawrence Scott held a joint press conference to announce the endorsement.

[43] The Buffalo News separately reported, on September 19, that Byron Brown and his administration have been under investigation by federal authorities, including the F.B.I., for multiple allegations involving political donations and city government contracts since 2015.

Walton criticized the ruling and accused Sinatra of bias, pointing out that his brother is a regular contributor to Byron Brown's campaign.

[49] The Erie County Board of Elections and the Walton campaign appealed the decision, and on September 16, state and federal courts definitively took Brown off the November ballot.

[52] Brown expressed openness to accepting Republican support, saying “I don't see a conflict of interest because we're in the general election .

[55] Governor Kathy Hochul declined to endorse a candidate in the race, despite Walton winning the Democratic nomination.

[56] On October 18, Jay Jacobs, Chair of the New York State Democratic Committee, restated his own refusal to endorse.

[57] Many prominent Democratic leaders in New York called for Jacobs to resign following his remarks, including Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, and Congressman Jamaal Bowman.

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