Buffalo, New York – Byron Brown, four-term incumbent, has declared victory in his Buffalo mayoral race against Democratic nominee and working-class hero India Walton.

Last June, India Walton came out on top in the Democratic primary, energizing progressives across the nation who finally saw a Democratic socialist candidate defeat an establishment incumbent.

But Brown didn't concede defeat, instead starting a write-in campaign to challenge Walton again in the general election.

Brown, who has long cultivated ties to real-estate and other corporate interests, started raking in big money from wealthy and GOP donors.

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He has spent much of that dough on attack ads seeking to defame the legitimate Democratic nominee, who received big endorsements from the likes of Sens. Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren.

Brown even sent rubber stamps with his name on them to voters, to avoid any possible misspellings when it came time to vote.

"What we have seen is my opponent actively colluding with Republicans and dark money to defeat a person who is going to be a champion for the little guy," Walton said at an Election Night press conference.

TAG24 was on the ground in Buffalo and heard constituents echo some of the same concerns.

Chris Roger, a 55-year-old chemical engineer, said he voted for Walton because he wanted "to see a fresh face in City Hall ... Byron [Brown] had way too long to build more than just breweries and lofts."

His wife Patty (51) added, "Once I heard that Trump supporters gave him money to keep going, I said that's enough."

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Though the race has not yet been called, the news that write-in candidates are so far in the lead is reminiscent of another heavy progressive loss just months ago.

Nina Turner, national co-chair of the 2020 Bernie Sanders campaign, lost the Democratic primary to represent Ohio's 11th congressional district after her competitor, Shontel Brown, started raking in big-money contributions from wealthy GOP donors and pro-Israel PACs.

Turner, who has urged progressives not to give up on the Democratic Party, even traveled to Buffalo to stump for Walton in the lead-up to Tuesday's race.

Walton has so far not conceded defeat, saying she will not do so until all the votes are counted and the final result is clear.

Tallies from the early hours of Wednesday showed write-in candidates with 59% of the vote and Walton with 41%, CNN reported.

But, as the Democratic nominee pointed out, that doesn't mean all the write-in votes went to Brown. In fact, it's impossible to say whose name appears on those ballots, despite Brown's declaration of victory.

There are also mail-in ballots still to be counted, as votes put in the post by Election Day are still valid.

"This is definitely not a concession speech," Walton insisted during a press conference Tuesday night, "but what I can guarantee you is that I will continue to fight for everyday Buffalonians who are struggling to make ends meet and live a quality life."

"I am going to continue to work with city electeds and cross-sector coalitions to build the safe and healthy Buffalo that we all need and deserve," she continued.

Tabulation of the write-in votes is not set to begin until November 17.