Brooklyn prosecutor Joe Caldarera organizing run for Brooklyn/SI congressional seat
Nicole Malliotakis is the early favorite to challenge Democratic Congressmember Max Rose for his Staten Island and Bay Ridge Congressional seat, as only a convicted felon and a man best known as a notorious YouTube figure have expressed a desire to challenge her in the Republican primary.
However, a member of the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, Assistant DA Joseph Caldarera, has resigned from his job and is exploring the possibility of launching a formal campaign next month, he told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
The news was first broken by Zachary Cohen of the National Journal.
Malliotakis, an assemblymember who represents parts of Bay Ridge and Staten Island, was the Republican nominee for mayor in 2017; she lost to Bill de Blasio, the incumbent Democrat, 66.5 percent to 27.8 percent. Despite the landslide victory by de Blasio, the election did raise Malliotakis’ profile.