Erik Bottcher, the New York City Council member who represents some of the Big Apple’s most LGBTQ-friendly neighborhoods, has abruptly dropped out of the race for New York’s 12th Congressional District to pursue an open New York State Senate seat.
An openly gay Democrat, Bottcher drew early headlines even before officially launching his campaign. While running for reelection to his City Council seat in October, he filed paperwork to seek New York’s 12th Congressional District, which includes Midtown Manhattan, Chelsea, the Upper West Side, and the Upper East Side. The district’s longtime incumbent, U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D), is set to retire at the end of 2026 after seventeen terms in office.
After filing his paperwork, Bottcher shattered a state record for the most money raised by a candidate for public office within 24 hours, pulling in $683,241. He also secured a major endorsement from Equality PAC, the political action arm of the Congressional Equality Caucus, which works to increase LGBTQ representation in Congress.
Bottcher will instead run for New York’s 47th State Senate District, which will be vacated on January 1 when the incumbent, openly gay Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan), assumes the role of Manhattan borough president following his November election.
“Running for public office has never been about titles for me,” Bottcher said in a statement. “It has never been about chasing the position with the most power. It has always been about where I can make the most meaningful difference and help make people’s lives better.”
He noted that the “decision is rooted in where I believe I can do the most good immediately. The State Senate is where critical decisions are being made on housing affordability, addressing the mental health crisis, safeguarding our environment, and defending New York from the Trump agenda. At a moment when MAGA extremists are attacking our freedoms and undermining democracy, strong state leadership matters more than ever.”
Pointing to his record on the City Council, Bottcher said he has delivered on issues including affordable housing, environmental sustainability, transit infrastructure improvements, and expanded community-based mental health services, and argued that a move to the State Senate would allow him to build on that work.
“Public service is not about climbing a ladder,” he added. “It is about showing up, doing the work, and delivering concrete results that make a difference in people’s lives. That is why I am running.”
With Bottcher’s exit, Cameron Kasky, a progressive activist and gun reform advocate who survived the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, is now one of two remaining LGBTQ candidates in the crowded Democratic primary field. The other is LGBTQ advocate Matthew Shurka, a conversion therapy survivor who has worked to protect minors from being subjected to the widely discredited practice.
Other contenders seeking the NY-12 seat include conservative lawyer and Trump critic George Conway; Manhattan Community Board member Jami Floyd; nonprofit CEO Liam Elkind; writer and political commentator Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of President John F. Kennedy; private equity executive Alan Pardee; tech entrepreneur Micah Bergdale; patent and life sciences attorney Squire Servance; civil rights attorney Laura Dunn; and State Assemblymembers Alex Bores (D–Upper East Side) and Micah Lasher (D–Upper West Side), the latter of whom has close ties to Nadler and is widely viewed as the race’s frontrunner.
History was made in Pennsylvania several weeks ago, when Erica Deuso became not only her town's first transgender elected official, but the first transgender mayor to be elected in Pennsylvania history.
Deuso's identity -- and the historic nature of her candidacy -- were not the focus of her campaign for mayor of Downingtown, Pennsylvania. Instead, the 45-year-old focused on kitchen-table issues and the nuts and bolts of governing a small city in an exurban county outside Philadelphia.
"After I won my primary, The Philadelphia Inquirer did a story about it, noting, 'This person could be the first trans mayor in Pennsylvania.' But that's not what I was running on," says Deuso. "Everybody I met was really focused on what was in it for their families. What was I going to do about flooding? What am I going to do about public safety? And I kid you not, the first person who approached me, after I found out that I won, was talking to me about a speed bump in their neighborhood."
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, has stopped accepting financial support from two defense contractors, Northrop Grumman and RTX (formerly known as Raytheon).
The change, first reported by the progressive publication The Intercept, comes amid a two-year pressure campaign from far-left and pro-Palestinian organizations who alleged that the companies were profiting off of Israel's military campaign in Gaza by supplying arms and other military technology to the Israeli military.
In a statement to Metro Weekly, HRC said that it is not currently sponsored by Northrop Grumman or RTX, but did not directly respond to an inquiry asking specifically about how those relationships ended.
U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is defending himself after leaked personal text messages showed him mocking fellow Democrats’ looks and criticizing them for not conforming to traditional gender norms.
In the texts, which were leaked to right-wing outlets, Gallego and a friend discuss his political future. At one point, the friend suggests that "somebody with a cool head and a solid plan could rise to the top" of the Democratic Party, according to People magazine.
"Oh man have you met my party?" Gallego replied. "I have been yelling at them this whole time."
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.