Maloney Kicks Off Campaign

New York politicians came out in full force for Rep. Carolyn Maloney at her campaign kickoff at the Williamsburg Hotel in Brooklyn Monday evening, showing their support for the longtime Upper East Side congresswoman’s re-election effort.

The lengthy list of guests included representatives from federal, state and local governments as well as members of union and community groups. Attendees included, Governor Kathy Hochul, Congressmembers Jerrold Nadler and Nydia Velázquez, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, New York State Senators Liz Krueger and Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Members Rebecca Seawright, Robert Rodriguez, Dan Quart, Deborah Glick, Catalina Cruz, Dick Gottfried, Jo Anne Simon, Councilmember Ben Kallos, Former Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch, Councilmembers-elect Lincoln Restler, Erik Bottcher, and Rita Joseph, and District Leaders and union representatives from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, the Uniformed Firefighters Association, and the National Association of Letter Carriers. Also present were NYCHA Resident Association leadership from across NY-12.

“Last night’s campaign kick off [sic] exemplified everything that is great about NY-12,” Maloney said in a statement. “It was a coming together of a diverse group of grassroots supporters made up of elected officials, district leaders, unions, and NYCHA Resident Association leadership from across our district who came together for a night of activism, joy, and celebration.”

Maloney could see a tough primary battle come next summer. Already activist Rana Abdelhamid and organizer Jesse Cerrotti, both Queens natives, have launched campaigns to challenge Maloney, who has served in Congress for 28 years. Suraj Patel, who has challenged Maloney twice before, has also indicated he will join the race.

But with Congressional redistricting expected to take place before the 2022 midterm elections – it is currently unclear what New York’s districts will look like by the primary.