Councilmember Erik Bottcher threw his hat into a crowded ring to compete for Rep. Jerry Nadler’s House seat, he said Thursday.
Nadler, 78, announced his retirement in September, leaving an opportunity for younger politicians vying for a shot. His Manhattan district, which spans from 14th Street to the top of Central Park, includes the Upper East and Upper West sides.
“I love my country and I love my city and I’m heartbroken and angry about what’s happening,” Bottcher told the Daily News. “We have a bully in the White House who is openly talking about tearing up the U.S. Constitution. I’m coming from a different place in this race, I’ve been taking on bullies my whole life.”
Bottcher said his background, including as growing up in the closet in a small town in the Adirondacks and being targeted even in Manhattan by right-wing agitators, makes him well-positioned to stand up to the president.
“They invaded my home, they vandalized my office, two of them were arrested in the lobby of my building, a third was arrested for assaulting one of my neighbors,” he said of an incident when he was targeted for his support of Drag Story Hours. “We did not back down, we stood up against them, and we held them accountable.”
Also in the race are Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, Micah Lasher, a state assemblymember and Nadler protégé, Alex Bores, another state assemblymember and Liam Elkind, a twentysomething nonprofit founder, as well as Alan Pardee, ex-Wall Street exec and Jami Floyd, an attorney.
Bottcher previously filed to run last month, but held off formally announcing until after last week’s Election Day.
