"Bottcher, a 46-year-old gay man, is one of the city's most visible LGBTQ+ officials and a rising star in Democratic politics. In a letter to supporters on Wednesday and during an interview with , Bottcher said Nadler's decision not to seek reelection "creates an incredible opportunity for a new generation of leaders to step forward - and for our community to make history.""
""This congressional district has a proud tradition of representatives who've fought for LGBTQ+ rights, from Bella Abzug to Jerry Nadler," Bottcher said. "But we've never actually had one of our own at the table. And there's an old saying, 'If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.' Our community is under attack in terrifying ways, and it's time to take the gloves off.""
Erik Bottcher filed to run for the open seat of retiring Congressman Jerry Nadler and raised nearly $700,000 in campaign funds within his first 24 hours. The fundraising total is the largest first-day haul in New York State history and among the biggest nationally, attributed to grassroots outreach. Bottcher, 46, is a prominent LGBTQ+ elected official representing Manhattan's Third City Council District, which includes Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, and the West Village. He cites urgency and hope as motivations, frames the moment as resistance to Donald Trump and 'neo-fascist forces,' and emphasizes the district's long tradition of LGBTQ+ advocacy and the need for direct representation.
Read at Advocate.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]