Liz Crowley Running For Ackerman Seat [Updated]

Queens Councilwoman Liz Crowley just confirmed in a phone interview that she’s running for the congressional seat being vacated by retiring Congressman Gary Ackerman.

“Yes, that’s true,” she said. “I believe that I’m the best candidate for this district. I was born and raised in Queens and I want to make sure that my area is represented in Congress.”

Crowley, who noted that her entire Council district is within the congressional district, will have at least two challengers: Assemblywoman Grace Meng, who’s being tapped by the Queens Democratic Party’s choice for the seat at this very moment, and Assemblyman Rory Lancman, who’s set to officially kick off his campaign later today.

Crowley said she would not be officially announcing her campaign today, but said an announcement would be coming soon. Crowley also confirmed that she has brought fundraiser Cindy Darrison and Berlin Rosen on as consultants.

I asked Crowley whether it would be strange to run against Meng, the Queens Democrats’ pick, considering that her cousin, Congressman Joe Crowley, chairs the Queens Democratic Party.

“That’s the county’s pick, but it doesn’t mean he’s personally supporting [Meng],” Crowley replied. “I definitely ran this by my family before making the decision.”

UPDATE: Sources close to Joe Crowley say Elizabeth Crowley is wrong, and that he is 100 percent behind Meng.

Our Jon Lentz is out at Queens Democratic Party headquarters and we’ll update as more information becomes available. State of Politics reported on a possible Crowley run over the weekend.