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Simon enters crowded Dem primary race for new 10th Congressional District

June 2, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff
Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon. Photo by Susannah Pasquantino
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Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, whose district stretches from Park Slope to DUMBO, has declared her intention to run for the Democratic nomination for Congress representing the newly drawn 10th Congressional District, which includes Lower Manhattan and much of western Brooklyn, stretching from DUMBO to Sunset Park.

In doing so, she joins a crowded field of candidates including former Mayor Bill de Blasio, Councilmember Carlina Rivera (D-Lower East Side), Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-Westchester-Rockland), Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou (D-Chinatown-Battery Park City) and former federal prosecutor Dan Goldman.

The congressmember who has occupied the 10th C.D. seat for many years, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, is now running for a congressional seat in an adjacent district. He lives in the Upper West Side, outside the redrawn district lines.

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In her announcement, Simon said:

“For over seven years, I’ve served as our city’s progressive voice in the New York State legislature — where I stood up to Albany’s entrenched political establishment and passed meaningful legislation on gender equity, gun violence prevention, education, and campaign finance reform.

“As a disability civil rights lawyer, teacher of deaf students, community activist, and progressive legislator, I’ve worked on the frontlines to make New York a more equitable, sustainable, and thriving place. Now, during this defining moment for New York and our nation, I’m bringing my community and legislative experience to Capitol Hill.”

Simon, who grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Yonkers, said that among her priorities are protecting our climate, improving our education system, ending gun violence, protecting access to abortion, and preserving democracy.

“Not only do I have the policy chops to do this job, but I have extensive background on the complex federal issues facing this district,” she added.

Among the other candidates, de Blasio, who lives in Park Slope, is the best-known. Some Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill residents still resent de Blasio because of his role in the closing of the former Long Island College Hospital.
De Blasio had a short-lived campaign for the Democratic nomination president in 2020, and also was reportedly considering a primary run against Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this year.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio has also declared his candidacy to represent the new 10th C.D. in Congress. Here, he’s seen speaking at a news conference last year. AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File

Rivera, according to an article in THE CITY, has “championed the establishment of a municipal program that funds abortion care for individuals who cannot fully afford the service, and she helped drive the creation of the first digital skills training center in New York City.” She also has been endorsed by a number of community leaders and City Councilmembers, including Brooklyn’s Alexa Aviles (D-Sunset Park-Red Hook).

Jones has been endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which noted that he has made history as “the first openly gay Black member of Congress.”

“Whether it’s pushing to cancel student debt or protesting outside our nation’s Capitol to prevent millions of Americans from being expelled from their homes, Mondaire Jones has shown up—and delivered—for our nation’s most underserved communities,” the group said in its endorsement.

Goldman was the lead counsel in Congress’ ill-fated impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump.

“As we look around the country and the threats that are really existential in terms of our democracy — threats to right to vote, threats against right to choose, our climate and public safety — I am running for Congress in this new 10th District because I want to get on the front lines and back in the trenches like I did during the impeachment to fight for our democracy,” Goldman said on MSNBC.


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