A look at key endorsements in the NY-17 Democratic congressional primary
The NY-17 Congressional District, located in New York’s bucolic Hudson Valley, is home to an ugly political battle between Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.), head of the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx), an outspoken progressive insurgent.
Like other hot primary races, the stage for the fight was set by court-ordered redistricting, which scrambled both candidates’ plans. There was a primary in June for the governor’s race and other statewide offices, but the primary for congressional races was delayed until Aug. 23 so new maps could be drawn.
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Biaggi launched a primary bid against Maloney in May after he rankled fellow Dems by running for a neighboring seat following the state’s redistricting mess. Maloney currently represents the 18th Congressional District.
However, he decided to run for the redrawn suburban 17th, which covers parts of Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties, after Dem-crafted maps were ruled unconstitutional and his hometown of Cold Spring was no longer in the 18th.
That led incumbent Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) instead to take a stab at an open seat in Manhattan. Biaggi then dropped plans to run for a Queens and Nassau County-centric House seat to challenge Maloney.
New York State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, D-Bronx (left) and Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y. (right)
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney
Two powerhouse endorsements: The New York Times, which carries a lot of weight with the Democrats in the district’s suburbs and exurbs of New York City, along with the endorsement of former President Bill Clinton, whose Chappaqua home is in the area.
Interestingly, Hillary Clinton has not endorsed anyone so far, perhaps out of deference to Biaggi, who worked on her 2016 White House bid.
FILE - Voters cast their ballots at privacy booths during early voting at the Brooklyn Museum, Tuesday Oct. 27, 2020, in New York. The state Democrat-controlled Assembly and Senate passed legislation making it easier to sue over discriminatory voting policies and require communities with a history of civil right violations to get approval before changing election rules. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File) (Bebeto Matthews/)
The first openly gay congressman from New York, Maloney is also endorsed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and former Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), who represented the seat until she retired in 2020, clearing the way for Jones.
New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) announced his backing of Maloney on Saturday and was previously endorsed by state Sens. Peter Harckham and Elija Reichlin-Melnick, as well as Assembly members Chris Burdick, Sandy Galef and Ken Zebrowski, along with three members of the county legislatures, several labor union locals and the state AFL-CIO.
Locally, he boasts the support of several town supervisors and mayors including the leaders of Peekskill, Ossining and Nyack
Thank you @CarlHeastie for your support! Leaders in Albany are coming together to support our campaign because they know I will always put New Yorkers first and ensure our state gets the resources it needs from DC.
https://t.co/jSNef9Hp3u— Sean Patrick Maloney (@spmaloney) August 20, 2022
State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi
The biggest name backing State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, a lawyer in former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration and granddaughter of former Bronx Congressman Mario Biaggi (D-N.Y.) is progressive star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Biaggi, like Ocasio-Cortez, has a history of taking on powerful, more moderate members of her party and espouses an activist, working-people credo.
🚨 I'm honored to receive @AOC's endorsement today:
"Alessandra was able to break through and deliver a series of progressive wins for New York State — now, she’s ready to take her leadership to Congress."https://t.co/wEJJNJJ2in— Alessandra Biaggi (@Biaggi4NY) June 7, 2022
The progressive firebrand leader stated that Biaggi would be a powerful ally for left-wing causes in Congress, while Maloney has steered a moderate course.
“We can count on her to stand with our movement on critical issues such as abortion rights, championing the Green New Deal and Medicare for All,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an endorsement
Biaggi also boasts the backing of actress Cynthia Nixon, who mounted a failed progressive challenge to ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the support of the left-leaning Working Families Party and the Sunrise Movement, along with a United Auto Workers union local.
