New York City
Mayoral Voter Guide

As Speaker and leader of the first majority-women City Council, I have passed the NYC Abortion Rights Act in the wake of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Additionally, I led us to expand the Council’s abortion funding allocations from $250,000 to $1 Million per year since the year of the Dobbs U.S. Supreme Court decision. This represents the largest allocation of municipal funds to provide direct access to abortion and reproductive healthcare for those who cannot afford it.   

As Mayor I will continue to ensure that the City of New York is doing everything that we can to make access to both abortion throughout pregnancy and gender-affirming care affordable, accessible, safe and stigma-free.  I have called on the Administration to stand with the TGNCNBI community by allocating and baselining $15 million beginning in Fiscal 2026 to support non-profit organizations that provide gender-affirming care.  

We are facing the greatest threat to bodily autonomy and the rights of women and LBTQ+ people in my lifetime–the leader of the City of New York cannot back down from that challenge, and has to be persistent and creative in fighting attacks from the federal government. 

As a Black woman and a mother, I know that reproductive justice also has to mean healthy pregnancies and births. This year, I convened the Council’s first Maternal Health Steering Committee, a group of advocates, medical providers, union leaders, and elected officials to confront the city’s maternal mortality crisis. I was proud to launch New York City’s first-ever municipal guaranteed income program.  

But reproductive justice goes so much further than that.  Safe, sustainable communities require affordability.   My Fair Housing Framework law that the Council enacted seeks to ensure that every community is doing its part to create more housing for New Yorkers. I also have led the Council to approve 120,000 new homes for New Yorkers and secured over $8 billion for affordable housing and homeownership, NYCHA, Mitchell Lamas, anti-homelessness and tenant protection programs.  

Housing isn’t the only issue of affordability in our city – people need to be able to afford to go to work and children need early care and development. That is why I’ve led efforts to defend early childhood education programs from the mayor’s budget cuts each year. These efforts have sought to address challenges in the early childhood education systems, expanding full-year, full-day 3-K seats. Most recently in my State of the City address, I proposed expanding access to childcare vouchers for more working families with younger children ages 0 to 2.   

Our safety net providers need sustained, ample funding in both the expense and capital budgets. New Yorkers deserve public hospitals that are clean, modern and efficient– and staff that are not overburdened and undercompensated. We need to improve and expand our birthing centers in public facilities– people who aren’t rich should have the same birthing experiences as wealthy New Yorkers. DOHMH stand-alone sexual and reproductive health clinics need to be expanded, not scaled back– and should be providing the full range of care that they are licensed to provide.   

Finally, I have long been an advocate for improving mental health services–This includes providing education and improving awareness for pregnant people about symptoms of postpartum depression and making resources available to them during and after pregnancy. I have urged the Administration to allocate $5 million in Fiscal 2026 for H+H to provide at least one maternal health focused psychologist within each of its maternity departments. 

 All of these things require funding, and I will be a fierce advocate for New York City to get it’s fair share–from the State and the Federal government.  

New York City public schools are amazing places full of creative and committed teachers and administrators– my cousin is a public school principal right in my home borough of Queens. But our school system has not implemented a comprehensive sex education program in the absence of a state curriculum mandate. I’m not willing to wait for Albany to decide it’s not afraid of the phrase “sex ed” to act. As Mayor, I will direct the Chancellor to implement comprehensive, age-appropriate, scientifically based K-12 sex education. Comprehensive sexuality education not only includes lessons on health matters like preventing unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but also covers issues like healthy relationships, body image, and self-esteem. Without this vital education, students are missing out on the information and support they need to make the best decisions for themselves about their health, relationships, and futures. 

New York City needs a mayor who is like New Yorkers: Strong, no nonsense and willing to stand up for what is right. As Mayor, I will approach working with federal and state elected as equal partners in governance– everyone has a role to play. Government works far better for New Yorkers when we are constructively working together and aren’t wasting time on unnecessary conflict. But that doesn’t mean rolling over when some elected officials decide to act like bullies. I hope to have good-faith partners at all levels of government. In the absence of that, I will fight alongside our allies to protect medical privacy, ensure that New York is a haven for affordable abortion care throughout pregnancy and improvements to our medical system to prevent maternal mortality. The leader of our city cannot collude with a corrupt federal regime, and cannot be complacent in the face of attacks. New Yorkers need a champion– I will never sell out our city. 

Sexual and reproductive healthcare – including access to abortion – is a human right. As Mayor, I’ll fight like hell to protect it.  

These rights are personal to all of us. They sure are to me. I’m the proud husband to Meg Barnette, who was General Counsel at PPGNY for a decade. Our daughter Rosa is named after women who fought fiercely for freedom, and she expects we’ll do no less.  

The Trump Administration and his MAGA Supreme Court are attempting to turn the clock back to the dark days before 1973 — to take away the right for people to control their bodies, to secure contraception, to have an abortion. We must make NYC a haven for those rights. 

As Comptroller, I demanded that pharmacy chains dispense mifepristone. The treasurers of 15 red states attacked me, but I did not back down. 

I’m the only candidate in the mayor’s race with a comprehensive plan to protect reproductive rights. 

• I’ll create an independent locally-funded authority to manage and protect reproductive and gender-affirming care. 

• I’ll expand the Abortion Access Hub so everyone knows how to get care. 

• I’ll protect patients and providers from harassment. 

• I’ll convene a coalition of mayors across the state and country. 

Even if Trump limits the abortion pill, or threatens our funding, I’ll ensure New Yorkers have access to safe, effective reproductive care. Under a Lander Administration, every New Yorker will enjoy Reproductive Freedom — no matter who is in the White House. 

Throughout my career, I have been a champion for reproductive justice. I’ve joined protests and rallies, allocated funding, and passed legislation to protect reproductive rights. 

As a City Councilmember, I supported legislation to prevent crisis pregnancy centers from lying to New Yorkers; introduced bills developed in partnership with Girls for Gender Equity to adopt an inclusive dress code, and prohibit discrimination based on weight or height; and passed legislation prohibiting discriminatory policing based on gender identity. 

As Comptroller, I demanded that Walmart, Costco, and other chains dispense mifepristone. I was proud to support Proposal 1 which enshrined protections for abortion and gender equality into the State Constitution. 

One of my top campaign priorities is to offer free high quality child care and universally accessible after school programs to elementary and middle school students. These programs will guarantee every child in preschool gets the services they need, when they need them; and will ensure working families have access to stable, reliable child care.

We must fight against the dystopian goals of the Trump Administration and the Project 2025 agenda. That’s why I’ve proposed creating an independent locally-funded authority to manage and protect reproductive and gender-affirming care. 

If the FDA withdraws approval of mifepristone, I will work with providers and the City and State Departments of Health to formalize a protocol for early abortions relying on misoprostol – a standard practice in many countries proven to be safe and effective. 

To protect providers who are serving clients in other states, I will work for proposed amendments to our Shield Laws which would also protect New York health professionals and any other institutions that receive “inquiries” about out-of-state residents who may have received services. 

Additionally, I will revive a training protocol from 2002 to ensure that all Ob/Gyn residency programs in New York City public hospitals include abortion training. This program will also include ER doctors and other specialties who often have to address pregnancy and miscarriage issues. This will build a pipeline of abortion providers who can prepare physicians across the country, especially in states where abortion curriculum in medical residency has been cut. 

In addition to the initiatives discussed above, as Mayor I will: 

• Double the number of people served by the New York City Abortion Access Hub, an educational resource and network that supports the right-to-abortion. Navigators will assist users in securing funding for their procedures and strengthen partnerships with Brigid Alliance and the NY Abortion Access Fund. 

• Ensure that contraception is widely available, by: (a) demanding that pharmacies ensure emergency contraception is available and that pharmacists provide contraception without a prescription; (b) launching a public information campaign on emergency contraception availability, prescription-free contraception, and insurance coverage options; and (c) ensuring that every CUNY campus provides emergency and over the counter contraception in easy-to-access vending machines. 

• Work with providers to fill remaining gaps in family planning services across the city, including any financial barriers to providing long acting reversible contraception like IUDs. 

• Work with the Department of Education to strengthen sex education requirements in middle and high schools, ensuring comprehensive, evidence-based instruction delivered by teachers trained in DOE-approved curricula. Regularly monitor compliance and incorporate results into school report cards and leadership evaluations.

As more states aim to ban or limit reproductive healthcare, it will be crucial that New York remains a haven of accessibility. 

In 2019, the New York City Council led the nation as the first municipality to fund abortion services. As Mayor, I will incorporate local grant funding into the City’s baseline budget to ensure consistent support. 

I will work closely with State elected leaders on key legislative initiatives, including: 

• Codifying the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act to prohibit hospitals from refusing treatment for patients with an emergency medical condition. Once adopted, I will monitor compliance and provide a hotline to respond to any delays in care. 

The Health Information Privacy Act, and a second bill, granting individuals control over sensitive information in their electronic health records. As Mayor, I will explore creation of a Sovereign ID program to provide New Yorkers with more digital privacy. 

Finally, I will organize mayors across the state and nation to build a coalition that works together to develop the most effective strategies for local and state policies and speak out for reproductive freedom, expose the calamitous effects of further bans, and stand up loud and clear for reproductive justice. 

I will direct city agencies to fully implement the New York City Sexual and Reproductive Health Bill of Rights and enforce LL17 to protect New Yorkers from Crisis Pregnancy Centers. I will increase resources and translation services for the city’s Abortion Access Hub and create a new corps of healthcare workers to conduct outreach so every patient knows their reproductive rights. As with the state legislation I introduced in the Assembly, I will prevent police from creating fake social media accounts, sometimes used to surveil those seeking abortions. 

I will declare New York City a sanctuary city for LGBTQ+ individuals. I will ensure all trans New Yorkers have protections around gender-affirming care, expand LGBTQ+ healthcare clinics in all five boroughs, and work with the Attorney General to take legal action against hospitals or clinics that deny gender-affirming care.  

As Mayor, my corps of outreach workers will help every expecting parent navigate public resources. To combat our city’s maternal mortality crisis, we will provide all new parents and guardians free baby baskets. I will implement free childcare for every New Yorker aged 6 weeks to 5 years while increasing workers’ wages to parity with teachers. I will use the bully pulpit to pressure legislators to pass the New York Health Act.  

As an Assembly Member, I have been unwavering in my commitment to protect and expand reproductive justice. I have introduced a bill to ban police from creating fake social media accounts (which have been used to surveil those seeking abortions), written an op-ed on the necessity of voting yes on Proposition 1, and stood with reproductive justice advocates on legislation to boost abortion funding and access through the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Program.  

The central commitment of my campaign is to lower the cost of living and make life easier for working class New Yorkers. I understand that true reproductive justice requires not only protecting the right to abortion and gender-affirming care, but also creating universal programs that guarantee high-quality, low-cost, and extremely accessible reproductive healthcare for every New Yorker. As Mayor, I will fight for New Yorkers’ reproductive rights by harnessing the full power inherent in this office—which has been described as the second-largest bully pulpit in the country. I will use every available tool to protect New Yorkers from Trump’s continued assault on reproductive rights.  

Safety net providers offer critical support to New Yorkers who need sexual and reproductive healthcare regardless of their ability to pay. The city has an obligation to meet the needs of the providers themselves, who are doing this critical work in trying circumstances as the Trump administration attacks their profession and makes daily life more difficult for the patients they serve. I will create solutions with providers themselves, partnering with them to leverage the Department to deliver the services and support they need.  

The city must also meet the needs of patients, who are too often left to navigate labyrinthine systems with inadequate state resources. My administration will make an unprecedented investment in a corps of outreach workers who will support patients in understanding the public resources available to them: how to find insurance, apply to programs, access financial assistance, and claim their health benefits – including reproductive healthcare. Research shows that such workers can facilitate care for a range of conditions and break down social barriers that keep people from accessing care. Such investments will support providers and patients alike.

As part of my aforementioned new corps of outreach workers, I will guarantee that these workers connect every New Yorker in need of reproductive care to affordable, quality support. I will also direct city agencies to fully implement the recent New York City Sexual and Reproductive Health Bill of Rights and enforce LL17. 

The leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths is mental health, the majority of which happen post-partum. One fixture of my plan to tackle this crisis is to provide every family with a newborn a baby basket, which are proven to improve mental health outcomes. I also will expand home visit programs to coordinate postpartum care, integrate midwifery models of care into maternal health care settings, and increase access to doula care. 

I will also continue to fight for queer and trans New Yorkers by declaring New York City a sanctuary city for LGBTQ+ individuals. I will not hesitate to take any legal actions in partnership with the NYCCHR and the AG against hospitals or clinics that deny trans New Yorkers the care they are legally entitled to, and I will further oversee an expansion of LGBTQIA+ healthcare clinics in all five boroughs. 

New Yorkers need a fighter who will always stand up to Trump’s attacks on reproductive and LGTBQ+ rights. I have already shown that I will stand up to Trump as an Assembly Member, having confronted the “border czar” Tom Homan during his visit to Albany to do Trump’s bidding. I will continue to resist Trump’s efforts to push for mass deportations, endanger sexual and reproductive healthcare and access, and carry out an unprecedented assault on working class New Yorkers. 

As Mayor, I will build a coalition of reproductive justice advocates and working people across our city and state to protect and expand every facet of sexual and reproductive care. Unlike my opponent Andrew Cuomo, whose own campaign treasurer previously fundraised efforts to defeat Proposition One, I will use every available tool to protect and expand the rights of queer and trans New Yorkers.  

Working alongside this coalition, I pledge to use the bully pulpit to pressure the State Legislature to pass several statewide bills, including: the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Program, continued funding for the Family Planning Grant and medication abortion access, and the New York Health Act—which would guarantee universal, single-payer healthcare to all New Yorkers, including for all reproductive and gender-affirming care.  

During my tenure in the State Senate, I’ve taken steps to expand reproductive and gender-affirming care across New York. During my very first month in the State Senate in 2019, I championed and advocated for the Reproductive Health Act (RHA), which codifies abortion rights into New York law, ensuring that these rights are protected regardless of what happens at the federal level. 

I’ve declared severe maternal morbidity a public health crisis and, in 2019, I recognized the importance of doulas in improving birth outcomes and fought for a Medicaid rule change to cover doula services. In 2023, I also supported the “One House” Budget’s push toward fair Medicaid reimbursement for doulas.  

I’ve also convened roundtables with maternal health advocates and organizations addressing maternal mortality in our communities. Their work has informed my approach, and I’ve used my platform to amplify and invest in it.  

This year, when abortion access came under attack nationwide, I published a comprehensive guide to abortion care in NYC to help people navigate services and identify safe and trusted providers.  

Furthermore, I championed LGBTQ+ rights by sponsoring legislation to include non-binary individuals in party positions and co-sponsoring bills like the Lorena Borjas Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund. Furthermore, I supported the creation of the LGBTQ Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force to expand mental health support for queer youth. This work reflects my existing commitment to protecting and expanding access to care. I look forward to continuing my advocacy as Mayor. 

Reproductive justice is about more than the legal right to abortion: it’s about ensuring every person has the resources, freedom, and safety to make decisions about their body, their family, and their future. That vision is at the heart of my work.  

In the State Senate, I’ve championed and co-sponsored legislation that advances reproductive justice across multiple dimensions:  

• Bodily autonomy & abortion access: I co-sponsored S758 to establish the Abortion Access Fund and S36A to protect provider privacy on abortion prescriptions. I also supported bills shielding providers and patients from out-of-state legal threats and ensuring New Yorkers and those traveling here can safely access abortion care.  
• Health care equity: I co-sponsored the New York Health Act to guarantee universal, single-payer health coverage—including for undocumented New Yorkers—and S3881 to create maternal and child health centers in underserved communities.  
• Support for pregnant and parenting people: I co-sponsored S7132A, a human-rights based bill for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated individuals, and S4583, which ensures prenatal and postpartum care and supports family unity in correctional settings.  
• Gender-affirming care & gender justice: I co-sponsored S1049, guaranteeing access to gender-affirming medical and mental health care for incarcerated individuals, and S1408, an anti-discrimination education bill inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity.  

As Mayor, I will be committed to continuing to improve reproductive health and gender equity for all New Yorkers.  

Under my administration, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) will play a leading role in supporting sexual and reproductive health care providers-- especially safety net providers-- through expanded coordination, funding advocacy, and public education. This includes building on my work to protect SUNY Downstate and establish maternal health centers through legislation like the Chisholm Chance Act (S3881), which ensures that providers serving marginalized communities are not just preserved, but strengthened.  

With my leadership, DOHMH will also expand public information campaigns, so all New Yorkers know their rights and how to access safe and quality care. Whether it’s abortion services, prenatal care, or gender-affirming treatment, our city must guarantee that all New Yorkers have access to the resources and support that they need.  

Currently, DOHMH houses the Bureau of Maternal, Infant, and Reproductive Health (BMIRH), which plays a crucial role in advancing sexual and reproductive health across New York City. BMIRH supports a broad range of services, including access to contraception, abortion referral and care coordination, prenatal and postpartum support, perinatal health initiatives, and STI/HIV 2 prevention. It also works to reduce maternal mortality and racial disparities in reproductive outcomes, particularly among Black and brown New Yorkers.  

As Mayor, I will expand this essential work by increasing BMIRH’s funding, staffing, and ability to coordinate across agencies and neighborhoods. We will deepen its partnerships with safety net providers, expand access points in underserved communities, and invest in public information campaigns to ensure every New Yorker knows how to access care. This work will build on my legislative track record, including co-sponsoring the Abortion Access Fund (S758), the New York Health Act, and the Chisholm Chance Act (S3881), and reflects my belief that sexual and reproductive health must be core to our city’s public health strategy.  

I will work closely with federal and state leaders to protect and expand access to sexual and reproductive health care. In Albany, I’ve co-sponsored critical legislation, including S7132A to guarantee trauma-informed care for incarcerated pregnant and postpartum individuals, the New York Health Act, to provide universal health coverage regardless of immigration status, and the Abortion Access Fund (S758) to support those facing financial and logistical barriers to care.  

As Mayor, I will actively push for these bills to become law, and work alongside state and federal partners to ensure New York leads the nation in reproductive justice and care access. 

The Stringer Administration will fight tooth and nail to ensure that access to sexual and reproductive health care remains available to all New Yorkers. As mayor, my administration will continue to increase access to abortion and reproductive healthcare and will prioritize funding for services and sexual health education programs 

As Comptroller, I led the annual LGBTQ+ Guides to Healthcare and Resources to help direct people toward gender-affirming care, abortion access, and the support services they needed. In 2019, I partnered with the National Institute of Reproductive Health Action Fund and called upon New York City to be the first city in the nation to directly fund abortion care. Trust in the government is at an all-time low, people’s bodily autonomy is being attacked, and it's costing lives. I am committed to continuing to work with community organizations and healthcare providers to guide people to the resources they are entitled to across the city. I will continue to stand up for providers and patients as I have done throughout my entire career. 

I have been a champion for reproductive justice throughout my career. For New York City to be the greatest city in the world, it must continue to be a safe place for women and a place that protects women’s rights—including the right to make their own healthcare decisions. I spoke at a Stand with Planned Parenthood rally in 2017 and addressed another rally in 2019 to protect women’s reproductive rights. I have always asserted that abortion is healthcare and a fundamental right. As Comptroller, I released a report highlighting the importance of Title X funding for family planning services in NYC and raised alarms about the federal cuts to the programs causing permanent damage to our city. The right to bodily autonomy, to choose between having or not having children, and the opportunity to raise a family well should go without question across the five boroughs. As mayor, I will work with advocacy organizations and healthcare providers to make sure our city remains a safe and welcoming place that respects women’s right to make their own healthcare decisions and provides parents with a safe, inclusive, and sustainable community in which to raise a family. 

As the City Comptroller, I regularly butted heads with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, repeatedly investigating and auditing the agency and consistently finding weak, inadequate, and at times negligent responses to real health crises facing New Yorkers every day. As mayor, I am committed to holding our city agencies accountable, streamlining and coordinating their responses, and instituting cost-effective measures to reallocate underutilized funds towards services that the city needs—like sexual and reproductive healthcare. My QualitySTAT initiative will facilitate a direct conversation between residents and the city so we can hear what is and isn’t working and make city government responsive to the needs of everyone – with a strong emphasis on healthcare – across the five boroughs. I strongly believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and I support efforts to move toward a more comprehensive coverage system. I will fight for larger investments into NYC Care and other public health programs to ensure all New Yorkers can access primary care, preventive care, and reproductive care. Investing in Public Hospitals and Safety-Net Providers is essential to keeping hospitals fully staffed, well-resourced, and equipped to meet the needs of all New Yorkers, especially in underserved communities. 

Sexual and reproductive health initiatives are under attack at the federal level, leaving it up to New York City to step in and ensure affordability and access to these services – and broader healthcare needs – for its residents. My healthcare priorities include: 

1. Expanding Access to Affordable Healthcare – I will fight to expand NYC Care and other public health programs to ensure all New Yorkers can access primary, preventive, and reproductive care. 
2. Investing in Public Hospitals & Safety-Net Providers – I will secure increased funding for NYC Health + Hospitals, ensuring public hospitals remain fully staffed, well-resourced, and equipped to meet the needs of underserved communities. 
3. Protecting Healthcare Workers & Fair Labor Standards – I will work with labor leaders and frontline workers to improve staffing ratios, wages, and workplace protections, ensuring healthcare professionals have the support they need to provide quality care. 

Our city’s healthcare cannot be compromised. With the threat of federal action always looming, we need a mayor who is ready to stand up and fight to secure the rights of all New Yorkers. Reproductive and sexual healthcare is a right. I will allocate resources towards expanded access to abortion regardless of the budgetary threats from the Oval Office. 

New York City has been and always will be a leader in protecting a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions—including abortion. The Stringer Administration will continue to make New York City the blueprint for the rest of the country to follow in terms of providing safe, comprehensive, and accessible abortion care. State and federal elected officials must work alongside advocacy organizations and healthcare providers in order to preserve access to abortion and reproductive healthcare in New York City and to push for increased access to abortion and reproductive healthcare throughout the country. With the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, we are living through one of the scariest times in our modern history. Leaders in New York City and New York State must do everything in their power to put an end to restrictions on reproductive health and restore the protections of Roe. As Mayor, I will do just that. Under my leadership, NYC will not be under the thumb of the Trump administration, I will work only for the people of this city.