Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon jumps into crowded race for NYC’s 10th congressional district

Another one!

Democratic Brooklyn Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon is jumping into the already jam-packed race for New York’s 10th congressional district, she told the Daily News on Wednesday.

Simon, who represents an Assembly district that overlaps with parts of the hotly contested congressional district, said in an interview that her extensive political resume makes her especially qualified to take a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

If elected to Congress, Simon said she’d focus on legislation to “preserve democracy,” expand gun control and protect reproductive rights.

“We are creeping not so slowly toward fascism. That is what’s happening in this country,” she said. “I have a very strong background in civil rights, and I have a strong record in Albany, so I am ready for that fight.”

New York State Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon (D-Brooklyn) (Craig Barritt/)

Simon, who was first elected to the Assembly in 2014 and served as a district leader in Brooklyn before that, is expected to make a formal campaign announcement Thursday.

The assemblywoman and a team of volunteers have already started collecting petition signatures to make it onto the ballot in the Democratic primary set for Aug. 23, according to Sam Powers, a spokesman for her campaign. Simon has also hired Queens-based North Shore Strategies to handle campaign strategy, Powers added.

The 10th district is currently represented by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y) who is also the chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

But this year’s tumultuous redistricting process resulted in much of Nadler’s constituency being drawn into Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s neighboring 12th district. That prompted Nadler to announce he’s going to run against Maloney in the 12th instead, resulting in a rare vacant seat in the 10th.

Spanning brownstone neighborhoods in western Brooklyn, including Park Slope, as well as a large chunk of lower Manhattan, the new 10th district has attracted intense attention since Nadler’s announcement.

Besides Simon, at least six other local Democratic politicians have announced campaigns: Former Mayor Bill de Blasio, Rep. Mondaire Jones, City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera, former Rep. Liz Holtzman, Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou and ex-federal prosecutor Dan Goldman.

De Blasio ostensibly holds the most name recognition in the race, and has extensive connections to the city’s political fundraising circles that could boost his bid for the 10th.

But Simon suggested she holds an advantage because she already represents a large portion of the Brooklyn side of the 10th district.

“I am the person with the deepest knowledge and deepest experience in this district,” she said. “I am not afraid of standing up to the challenge.”