Kathryn Garcia endorsed by StreetsPAC in NYC mayoral race
There’s the progressive lane and the moderate lane — and then there’s the bike lane.
Mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia picked up a coveted endorsement on Tuesday from StreetsPAC, a local political organization committed to increasing safety on New York City’s roads and sidewalks.
“When I think about bike safety, I think about my son, who bikes to work,” Garcia, 51, said at a news conference in Gowanus, Brooklyn. “I also think about the delivery workers for whom a safe bike lane isn’t optional.”
The former sanitation commissioner arrived at the endorsement event after riding a Citi Bike from her home in nearby Park Slope. She wore a black helmet as she made her way down Fourth Ave. on a sweltering morning.
“Right now, many New Yorkers who want to cycle don’t do so because of safety concerns,” she said. “It is the healthiest, greenest way to get around. And we want all New Yorkers to have that option.”
Garcia pledged to expand bike parking, advance cycling space into neglected neighborhoods and connect the city’s disjointed bike infrastructure. She would grow the city’s protected bike lane footprint by 250 miles within her first term, according to her campaign.
StreetsPAC formed in 2013 ahead of that year’s mayoral race. That year, the group endorsed the eventual winner, Mayor de Blasio, in the Democratic primary.
Eric McClure, executive director of the Manhattan-based political action committee, said Garcia’s background running city organizations helped set her apart in a largely bike-friendly field.
“Among all of the transportation agendas, hers was as complete and well thought out as any,” he said. “It was really the combination of that along with her ability to get things done.”
Garcia, a relatively moderate Democrat running as a problem solver, has seen her poll numbers soar after she netted endorsements last month from the editorial boards of the Daily News and The New York Times.
After receiving StreetsPAC’s nod, she headed to Midtown Manhattan to haul in an endorsement from Liz Abzug, the daughter of Bella Abzug, a trailblazer in national politics who died in 1998.
Bella Abzug served in Congress and made a doomed bid for mayor in 1977. She also was the cousin of city Comptroller Scott Stringer — a candidate for mayor who has seen his run derailed by accusations of sexual harassment lodged by two women.
Liz Abzug described Garcia as an ideal candidate “at this time, in this point in our history” and praised her knowledge and work ethic.
“I think it’s really important, too, that she is a woman,” Abzug said. “And a very qualified woman.”
New York City has never elected a woman as mayor.
Garcia appears to be battling with two other moderates — Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang — at the front of the crowded Democratic field. In a NY1 survey of likely primary voters released on Monday, Adams snagged 22% of the first-choice vote, Yang picked up 16% and Garcia received 15%.
Stringer is competing in the progressive lane with Maya Wiley and former nonprofit executive Dianne Morales. Wiley, a former counsel to de Blasio, has received major endorsements in recent days from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
The June 22 Democratic primary is widely expected to determine the next leader of City Hall in deep-blue New York City. Early voting in the turbulent race is scheduled to start on Saturday.
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