N.Y. State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi to challenge ‘selfish’ Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney for contentious House seat
ALBANY — State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi wants to go to Washington one way or another.
The Bronx lawmaker launched a primary challenge against Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney on Monday after the Hudson Valley congressman rankled fellow Dems by abandoning his own district and running for a neighboring seat currently occupied by Rep. Mondaire Jones.
Biaggi, who dropped plans to run for New York’s Queens and Nassau County-spanning 3rd district after the state’s new congressional lines were unveiled last week, told the Daily News that Maloney’s “selfish” decision to challenge Jones is a large part of what motivated her to run against him.
“People are outraged, straight up,” Biaggi said. “He did not even give the current representative the courtesy of calling and saying, ‘Hey, let’s have a conversation about this.’ He just decided to do it without any regard. Instead of thinking about the party, he thought about himself.”
New York State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx) (Hans Pennink/)
Biaggi was one of the first Dems to slam Maloney, chair of the powerful Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, when he recently announced his intention to run in the new 17th congressional district, which mostly encompasses Jones’ previous turf in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties.
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The new 17th is slightly more blue than Maloney’s current seat in the 18th district. The 17th also includes Maloney’s Cold Spring home.
As a result of Maloney’s foray into the 17th, Jones announced over the weekend that he intends to vacate his seat and run for a newly-created district covering Lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn instead.
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) (Andrew Harnik/)
Biaggi, who was part of a wave of progressive Dems who helped take over the state Senate in 2018, said Maloney’s role as chairman of the House Democratic Party campaign arm makes his bid for the 17th district especially problematic.
“It sends a terrible message to other Democrats,” she said. “This race will have a clear contrast for Dems. They can vote for a progressive Democrat who knows how to get things done. Or they can vote for a corporate, selfish Democrat.”
Describing her campaign, Biaggi continued, “This is a stand for the fact that we deserve better in this party. This is not cutting it. We cannot fight fascists in the Republican Party with failed leadership in the Democratic Party.”
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) (Manuel Balce Ceneta/)
Responding to Biaggi’s broadsides, a campaign representative for Maloney said the congressman’s record speaks for itself.
“Representative Maloney has served the Hudson Valley for nearly a decade, spending every day fighting for working families, good jobs, and to protect the environment,” campaign spokeswoman Mia Ehrenberg told the New York Times, which first reported Biaggi’s entry into the race.
Biaggi, who lives in Pelham, said she plans to move to the 17th district in coming weeks, and that she’s well acquainted with the areas she hopes to represent on Capitol Hill, having lived her whole life in Westchester County.
Biaggi’s grandfather, Mario Biaggi, served 10 terms in Congress before resigning in disgrace in 1988 and serving time in prison for a host of corruption crimes.
The 36-year-old isn’t the only state lawmaker eyeing the 17th in light of the new congressional maps that have upended races across the state.
Assemblyman Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River) announced Monday that he will run for the seat as well.
“Our country is at a crossroads and it requires leadership,” Lawler said. “It’s not enough to just criticize, or point out the failures, we must have people who are willing to step up, put politics aside and do what is right for our country, our state, and our community.”
