New York’s 12th Congressional district primary drawing outsized attention

Tuesday is primary day in New York for congressional and state Senate races. But the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th Congressional District is receiving outsized attention because it is pitting two of the most powerful Democrats in Congress up against each other. 

Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney have both been in Congress for 30 years. They also chair two of the House’s most powerful committees, as Nadler heads Judiciary and Maloney leads Oversight and Reform.

Due to redistricting, they’re being forced to run against each other. It’s become a threeway race including Suraj Patel, an attorney, NYU professor and former staffer for President Barack Obama.

In the same way this race has most of the hype, one issue in particular is raising eyebrows: Congresswoman Maloney’s comments about President Joe Biden running for re-election in 2024–or not.

It all started during a televised debate on NY1 Aug. 2, when moderator Errol Lewis asked the candidates: “Should President Biden run again in 2024?”

Patel emphatically responded, “Yes!” 

Nadler answered, “Too early to say. Doesn’t serve the purpose of the Democratic Party to deal with that until after the midterms.”

Maloney said, “I don’t believe he’s running for re-election.” 

A week ago, the New York Times released the transcript of an interview with Maloney in which she was asked the same question and responded, “Off the record, he’s not running again.” 

While Maloney has been cleaning up her comments about Biden, Nadler has been receiving endorsements from top Senate Democrats, including Chuck Schumer, N.Y., and Elizabeth Warren, Mass.

“Jerry and I have been in the trenches for years, taking on bankruptcy laws to protect working families,” Warren said in a commercial for Nadler. 

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg revealed he voted for Patel. The 38-year-old Patel is casting himself as a generational change who can bring the urgency needed to fight climate change and housing issues plaguing New York City.