Politics
Mark Levine endorses Assembly Member Micah Lasher in NY-12
He’s no Kennedy grandson, but the state legislator is clearly the favorite of the Upper West Side political machine.
Micah Lasher, left, has been endorsed for Congress by New York City Comptroller-elect Mark Levine, right. Noam Galai/Getty Images for Riverside Park Conservancy
Assembly Member Micah Lasher racked up another big-name endorsement Thursday morning when New York City Comptroller-elect Mark Levine endorsed Lasher in the increasingly crowded Democratic primary for the 12th Congressional District.
“I am excited to endorse my colleague and friend Micah Lasher for Congress,” Levine said in a statement. “I have worked side by side with Micah on a wide range of critical issues, from tackling our mental health crisis, to building the housing we so badly need, to battling the scourge of antisemitism.”
Levine currently serves as Manhattan borough president and will be sworn in as New York City comptroller on Jan. 1. Lasher can already count endorsements from state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who will succeed Levine as Manhattan borough president, in addition to former Manhattan Borough Presidents Gale Brewer, Scott Stringer and Ruth Messinger.
Levine’s endorsement is the latest sign that Lasher, who is widely seen as Nadler’s protégé, is the Upper West Side Democratic establishment’s pick to replace Nadler. But he faces a growing field of primary contenders.
Among the more serious contenders are Assembly Member Alex Bores, who represents the Upper East Side and raised over $1.2 million within 15 hours of announcing his candidacy; and New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher, who represents Chelsea and the West Village and raised over $600,000 in the first 24 hours after launching his campaign. Less experienced candidates for the congressional seat include Liam Elkind, a 26-year-old nonprofit founder who began running for the seat before Nadler announced his retirement; and Cameron Kasky, a democratic socialist and advocate against gun violence after surviving a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The latest entrant to the race is Jack Schlossberg, a social media influencer best known for being the grandson of President John F. Kennedy, who launched his campaign on Wednesday night with a splashy profile in The New York Times.