Just four minutes before the Jan. 14 midnight filing deadline, Chino submitted his petitions to run for the position — the 22nd of 23 candidates to do so.
Because ballot order in the Feb. 26 special election is determined by order of petition submission, Chino, 46, a self-described bitcoin entrepreneur, is slated to be listed next to last on a ballot that is likely to rank as one of the longest in city history.
Welcome to New York City’s first citywide special election, necessitated by Letitia James’ win in the race for state attorney general in November. The contest is nonpartisan, so there will be no party primaries, and candidates must run under their own party lines — often hinting at a candidate’s priorities.
— The Candidates
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The field for the Feb. 26 contest is extraordinarily deep.
It begins with one of the presumed front-runners, former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who was the first to submit her petition signatures (candidates must have at least 3,750 signatures to qualify to run).
Mark-Viverito is running on the Fix the MTA line; Michael Blake, a Bronx assemblyman who will appear second on the ballot, is running on the For the People line.
Here is the rest of the field, in the preliminary ballot order (although petition challenges may still disqualify one or more hopefuls):
3. Dawn Smalls, No More Delays: former lawyer in the Obama administration
4. Eric Ulrich, Common Sense: Queens city councilman
5. Daniel O’Donnell, Equality For All: Manhattan assemblyman
6. Latrice Walker, People For Walker: Brooklyn assemblywoman
7. Rafael Espinal, Livable City: Brooklyn city councilman
8. Jumaane Williams, The People’s Voice: Brooklyn city councilman
9. Ron Kim, People Over Corporations: Queens assemblyman
10. Ydanis Rodriguez, United for Immigrants: Manhattan city councilman
11. Danniel Maio, I Like Maio: mapmaker and former congressional candidate
12. Gary Popkin, Liberal: libertarian and retired professor
13. Benjamin Yee, Community Empowerment: entrepreneur and activist
14. Ifeoma Ike, People Over Profit: community activist
15. Manny Alicandro, Better Leadership: lawyer
16. Michael Zumbluskas, Fix MTA and NYCHA Now: Reform Party leader
17. David Eisenbach, Stop Rebny: Columbia University history professor and ex-candidate for public advocate
18. Nomiki Konst, Pay People More: journalist and activist
19. Jared Rich, Jared Rich For NYC: lawyer
20. Anthony Herbert, Housing Residents First: community activist
21. Walter Iwachiw, I4panyc: repeat candidate for elected office
22. Theo Chino, Courage To Change: bitcoin entrepreneur
23. Helal Sheikh, Friends Of Helal: a one-time City Council candidate
— The money game
This is the first election with the new $8 to $1 public financing option approved by voters. Under the new rules, donations from city residents are capped at $1,000 but the city will match the first $250 on an $8 to $1 basis. Candidates can also choose the previous $6 to $1 match on the first $175 with a higher donation limit of $2,550.
In order to qualify for matching funds, candidates must raise a minimum of $62,500 in contributions from city residents. A handful of candidates met that threshold in the first filing period, giving them an early leg up.
Blake, 36, the Bronx assemblyman and a vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, topped all fundraisers with close to $302,000 raised. He has $212,000 in cash on hand, according to filings from the Campaign Finance Board. With the $8 to $1 match, Blake’s campaign said they expect to have raised close to $1 million.
Williams came in second in fundraising with more than $204,000 in contributions and now has more than $113,000 on hand.
Smalls, 41, a first-time candidate, raised close to $179,000 and has nearly $104,000 on hand. She said she expects to have raised close to $800,000 once matching funds are calculated, placing her third in fundraising.
Rafael L. Espinal Jr., a city councilman who represents Brooklyn, was the only other candidate to meet the matching funds threshold so far.
Espinal, 34, who is running on a platform of making New York City more livable, raised close to $125,000 and has $94,000 in cash. Almost $69,000 in donations were eligible for the match.
Mark-Viverito, 49, has not yet met that threshold; she has just over $50,000 in donations that are eligible to be matched. Political experts said that failing to meet the matching fundraising threshold for the first filing puts Mark-Viverito at a slight disadvantage.
“The likelihood is that she will get the match, but the quicker you get there, the quicker the funds are dispersed,” said Bruce Gyory, a Democratic political consultant. “This is not a September primary.”
He added that the petition and fundraising filings could signal a shift in the race.
“There were two tests: Where you landed on the ballot in a crowded field and how much money you raised,” Gyory said. “Blake and Smalls did well on both tests and there are now four top tier candidates.”
O’Donnell, 57, the Manhattan assemblyman, came close with over $60,000 in donations that count toward the match. He raised almost $90,000 and has almost $65,000 in cash.
— The back story
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the Feb. 26 election earlier this month after James, the former public advocate, was elected as state attorney general in November. The winner will hold office for only a few months.
A primary will then be held in September followed by a general election in November. The winner of that contest will fill the remainder of James’ term, which runs until the end of 2021.
The ballot positions, number of candidates and matching fund totals could shift if candidates challenge the accuracy of one another’s petitions and once the campaign finance board audits donations.
Candidates are already focusing on everything from buses and subways to public housing, privacy rights, increasing the minimum wage and improving the quality of life in the city.
“I truly believe this election will be won by the candidate that reaches the most people, lets them know there is an election on Feb. 26 and gives them a candidate to vote for,” Smalls said. “You have to give people a reason to show up to the polls on a cold February day.”
In a field this deep, some of the lesser-known candidates may have difficulty breaking through, which could lead to some unorthodox campaign moments.
Two weeks ago, Chino heckled de Blasio in Harlem during an announcement about a plan to provide discounted MetroCards for the poor. He believes public transportation should be free.
He was intercepted and briefly detained by police officers, who perhaps correctly sensed Chino’s air of unpredictability.
“This is not your regular election,” Chino said. “They don’t know what I’m going to do.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.