New York: The New York Times’ Shane Goldmacher writes that a number of New York Democrats are eyeing primary challenges to sitting House members. Below is a look at each seat:
• NY-03: DNC member Robert Zimmerman reportedly has been encouraged to take on Rep. Tom Suozzi in this central Long Island seat, and he’s very much not ruling it out. Indeed, Zimmerman declared that Suozzi was a “Trump sympathizer” who was “not stand[ing] up for mainstream Democratic principles.”
Suozzi has a long electoral history in this area, and he won this seat in a crowded and expensive 2016 primary almost seven years after he lost re-election as Nassau County executive. However, he pissed off some progressives last year when he defended ICE and called for “some physical structures on the border,” a statement he made during an interview with “Fox and Friends” no less. Suozzi told the Times this month that he was only for these barriers as part of a larger immigration deal. This seat moved from 51-48 Obama to 52-46 Clinton.
• NY-04: Rep. Kathleen Rice is another Long Island Democrat who has made some enemies on her left. Last month, Rice was part of the disorganized attempt to prevent Nancy Pelosi from taking back the speaker's gavel, which proved spectacularly unsuccessful. Nassau County Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams told the Times he was considering taking on Rice, but said he was currently focused on winning re-election this year.
Abrahams and Rice both ran in 2014 for what was an open seat. Abrahams had trouble raising money, and Rice, who was Nassau County district attorney at the time, beat him 57-43. Another Nassau County legislator, Siela Bynoe, didn’t rule out a primary bid against the incumbent early last month, though she doesn’t seem to have said anything since then. This seat backed Clinton 53-44.
• NY-09: Community organizer Adem Bunkeddeko held Rep. Yvette Clarke to a surprisingly close 53-47 win in last year’s primary for this safely blue Brooklyn seat, and the Times writes that he’s “signaled he plans to run again.” Bunkeddeko didn’t commit to anything but he sounds likely to jump in, saying of Clarke, “Maybe someone’s seventh term is the charm?” but “most of us aren’t holding our breath.”
Last time, Bunkeddeko emphasized the need for affordable housing, a very potent issue in this area, and he argued that Clarke had no major accomplishments in Congress. Clarke even admitted she didn't take her challenger seriously: After Bunkeddeko declared at a debate that he "understand[s] that Ms. Clarke is upset by the fact that she has a competitive primary," she interrupted, "Upset? I'm laughing!" However, Clarke sounded a whole lot less complacent when asked about a rematch. She told the paper she “definitely will not be caught by surprise,” and she said she’d reorganized her district office since her 2018 race.
• NY-10: Longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler, who now serves as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has always decisively won re-election in this safely blue seat, which includes Lower Manhattan and the Upper West Side as well as Brooklyn’s Borough Park, and there’s little inclination that he’s inflamed primary voters at home.
Still, Lindsey Boylan, who served as an economic advisor to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, says she’s considering taking him on. Boylan cited the number of women who ran for Congress in 2018, and she said she “can’t justify having my daughter watch me sit on the sidelines.”
• NY-12: Attorney and hotel executive Suraj Patel challenged Rep. Carolyn Maloney in last year’s primary for a safely blue seat that’s centered around Manhattan's affluent Upper East Side, and despite his 60-40 loss, he also tells the Times he’s considering another try. Patel outspent Maloney by quite a bit, though he attracted some unflattering headlines during the race. (Tinder-banking? No thanks.)
• NY-15: Rep. Jose Serrano is another longtime incumbent who hasn’t faced any serious intra-party opposition in decades (now-Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez initially filed to challenge him in 2018, but she decided to take on Rep. Joe Crowley a few days later). New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres tells the paper he’s considering taking on Serrano, though it’s not clear what argument he’d use against him. Serrano, who has represented this safely blue south Bronx seat since 1990, will be 77 on Election Day, and Goldmacher says some are watching to see if he’ll retire.
• NY-16: Veteran Rep. Eliot Engel, who now serves as chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, turned back a primary challenge last year from a self-funding businessman by a 74-16 margin. However, educator Andom Ghebreghiorgis expressed interest in taking him on, saying that Ocasio-Cortez’s surprise win last year “showed there’s a hunger, especially here in New York, for representative who reflect the changing progressive politics of their communities.”
It’s possible that demographic changes could make Engel, who has served since 1989, vulnerable in this safely blue seat, which includes the northern Bronx and Yonkers in Westchester County. This district has a voting age population that’s only 39 percent white, while African-Americans and Latinos make up another 32 and 23 percent of the district, respectively. The Times notes that there are only about a half-dozen white men who represent a seat more diverse than this one.