Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - With just 1507 early and in-person votes separating Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown and unofficial Democratic mayoral primary winner India Walton with 100 percent of the vote tallied, political minds are beginning to assess what went 'wrong' for Brown and 'right' for Walton.
Former mayoral candidate and political analyst Bernie Tolbert tells WBEN, "People are looking more and more at progressive candidates."
Walton's apparent victory is making national headlines as the progressive movement relishes the win.
"I received a call from Congresswoman AOC this evening, and I'm just excited to be a part of this movement that is ushering progressive politics into Buffalo," Walton told WBEN and reporters late Tuesday.
"It's quite a stunning upset," says Tolbert and he says the longtime incumbent status enjoyed by Brown may have actually been a large part of his likely downfall. "Shelf life becomes a major issue in any kind of political (race)."
Tolbert also notes that Brown ran what he terms a 'low key' campaign, saying a more aggressive approach to the campaign may have made the different for the four term mayor. "It was a mistake not to be more aggressive."
With Walton atop the mayoral race and two candidates not endorsed by their respective political parties winning in the sheriff primaries, Tolbert says it's time for party politics to look introspectively.
"Jeremy Zellner should be reassessing where the Democratic Party stands," Tolbert said.
Political strategist and Erie County Legislator Dr. Kevin Hardwick tells WBEN the fact that candidates outside the traditional political parties won is a reason to take note. "It gives you pause," Hardwick said.
"Most people did not see this coming," Hardwick said and he attributes Walton's success to the internal energy of her campaign effort. "This is a historic time for the city of Buffalo."
Hardwick, like Tolbert, referenced Brown longtime incumbency in saying, "It’s a lot more fun to run for something than to run for reelection."
Democratic political strategist and 'Politics and Stuff' blogger Ken Kruly says the Mayor and his team didn't take the campaign seriously enough, running largely a 'rose garden' campaign of attending multiple ribbon-cutting events. "I think this was a terrible miscalculation by the Mayor and his team."
Kruly tells WBEN the other side was 'working their tales off' and also says the nagging issue of the school zone speed cameras may have played a role in Brown's demise. "It didn't help," Kruly said.
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WBEN contributor and Business Insider's Dave Levinthal calls the Walton win historic for the city of Buffalo. "In Buffalo it’s absolutely a seismic event."
Levinthal says most residents in Buffalo know of only three mayors for the city in the late Jimmy Griffin, Anthony Masiello and Byron Brown. None of those mayors have been considered 'progressive' so Levinthal says this is a major shift for the city.
Like Tolbert and Kruly, Levinthal referenced the Brown teams low key approach to the reelection campaign and says it was likely a key factor in the apparent loss.
"You can win in these very low turn out elections."