In the city’s hottest primary, candidates are holding their breath for an endorsement from The New York Times

Wondering where New York Times readers live? A map of which New York City neighborhoods voted for then Sanitation Commissioner Catherine Garcia for mayor last summer would be a good place to start.

For most of her campaign, the de Blasio appointee had very little support or recognition among average voters, despite being respected in political circles. That all changed on May 10, 2021, when the Times editorial board endorsed her for mayor, shooting her near the front of the crowded race. After ranking votes were tallied, she came in second to then-Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and carried most of Manhattan south of Harlem and much of northwest Brooklyn. Obviously, this is the heart of the Times’ New York.

Those districts are now home to two of the summer’s most-watched congressional primaries, and again the New York Times endorsement, which candidates in both races confirmed they’ve interviewed for, promises to be a major factor. The frenzy of behind-the-scenes lobbying for this suggests that the candidates are also well aware of it. One campaign said they probably had 20 supporters email or call board members to make their case. “Everybody’s lobbying,” said another campaign operative. “The question is to what extent.”

Campaigners and supporters especially follow Mara Gay, who reports on state and local issues. “The rumor is that Mara has to pick who the congressional person is in 10,” said one consultant who is not involved in the race.

There are no 2 districts in the country where NyT approval is as important as 10th and 12th. Both will certainly affect the race this week or next. .

— Chris Coffey (@chriscoffeytalk) August 2, 2022

In the 12th Congressional District, which spans Manhattan from the Upper West Side to the Upper East Side, veteran Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerry Nadler found themselves in a three-way race with perennial millennial candidate Suraj Patel. The Times-endorsed Garcia cleaned up almost every part of this area last summer. Nadler’s campaign confirmed he went to a meeting with the board in late July. Patel’s campaign confirmed that he also went for an interview. Maloney’s campaign did not contact us before we posted.

In the 10th Congressional District, a dozen candidates are vying for the open seat, including East Village City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, Hudson Valley Assemblywoman Mondair Jones, Lower Manhattan Assemblywoman Yuh-Lyin Niu and Trump’s impeachment lawyer and blue jeans heir Dan Goldman. The borough encompasses lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, including Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Park Slope, which in 2021 were carried by — you guessed it — Kathryn Garcia. Niou, Goldman and Rivera’s campaigns confirmed they were interviewed.

The interviews were 30 minutes each with a final lightning round, and the panel — which included gay and opinion editor Kathleen Kingsbury, among other journalists — focused on national issues more than local ones, according to a campaign source.

Early voting begins on Saturday, August 13, but most observers expect approvals to be released as soon as Thursday or early next week. Everyone involved reads tea leaves to predict who will get hit. The Times endorsed Jones in a crowded field for the open 17th Congressional District two years ago. Will he get approved again in his new district? Niou won the Times endorsement in her first Assembly campaign in 2016, while The Gray Lady declined to run in Rivera’s bid for the Council in 2017. The Midtown race also has history. The Times endorsed Nadler for re-election two years ago and chose Maloney over Patel — though the paper has backed some other upstarts challenging longtime incumbents, including Adem Bunkeddeko and Jamal Bowman.

The Times also brought in Hudson Valley Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney and his 17th Congressional District challenger, state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, for interviews. The paper may endorse Biaggi in this race — after endorsing her in the 2018 race to unseat former Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeff Klein. That same year, the Times endorsed Zephyr Teachout for attorney general, while criticizing Maloney’s bid in the same primary.

Of course, The New York Times isn’t the only newspaper with influence. The Daily News also endorsed Garcia last summer and are expected to jump in soon as well.

Rebecca S. Lewis contributed reporting.