BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | A heavyweight showdown between Brad Hoylman and Scott Stringer for state Senate has been headed off as Stringer announced he is not running.
News reports and tweets recently had been saying Stringer planned to enter the race — and that he had even been pictured holding campaign literature.
With Hoylman having lost his Downtown base due to redistricting and with Stringer’s strong Upper West Side roots, it was shaping up to be an interesting race.
However, on Tuesday, the former longtime politician tweeted that he won’t challenge Hoylman’s reelection bid and gave his campaign his blessings.
“@Brad Hoylman is one of the most accomplished legislators in Albany. This district will be in very good hands,” Stringer said.
In response, Hoylman tweeted, “I received an extremely gracious call this AM from former Comptroller @scottmstringer to say that he’s decided against running for State Senate. I’ve long been an admirer of Scott’s progressive politics and commitment to public service. And no one knows the West Side better!”
Thank you,friend. @Bradholyman is one of the most accomplished legislators in Albany. This district will be in very good hands https://t.co/Rs90Voev3Z
— Scott Stringer (@scottmstringer) May 31, 2022
Due to recently released redistricting lines drafted by a court-appointed special master, the 27th District, which Hoylman currently represents, has been redrawn as a West Side-only district, now including all of the Upper West Side up to around 98th Street. It formerly only extended to 72nd Street. Now called the 47th District, it no longer contains as it once did before, for example, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, most of the East Village or parts of Midtown East.
According to the new map, the new 47th District also notably no longer includes a core area of Hoylman’s former district, namely, Greenwich Village — instead only retaining the Meatpacking District.
Hoylman lives in Greenwich Village. Since it’s a redistricting year, though, he’s not required to reside in the new state Senate district while running for election. He also is a former chairperson of Community Board 2, which includes the Village, Soho, Hudson Square, Little Italy and part of Chinatown.
Stringer currently lives in the Financial District, though has deep roots on the Upper West Side, having grown up there and been an assemblymember representing the neighborhood. He was also formerly the Manhattan borough president and city comptroller before recently making a run for mayor. But his mayoral campaign was derailed by two women’s accusations of sexual harassment that allegedly occurred 20 and 30 years ago.
Stringer has long been seen as a potential heir to Congressmember Jerrold Nadler. They are both members of the Upper West Side’s powerful Community Free Democrats political club. A state Senate win could have been the start of Stringer’s political comeback. However, Nadler himself is now locked in a race for his political life against fellow veteran Congressmember Carolyn Maloney in the new 12th District.
About a week and a half ago, after the congressional redistricting lines were announced, Hoylman declared he was running for the new 10th Congressional District, which takes in all of Manhattan south of 14th Street, plus Brownstone Brooklyn and Borough Park. But after Westchester Congressmember Mondaire Jones declared he, too, was running for the 10th, Hoylman — who, like Jones, is an openly gay, progressive Democrat — withdrew from the race.
Due to redistricting, Jones was one of three sitting Democratic congressmembers in Westchester and Hudson Valley who would have been vying for only two seats.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio is also among the crowded field of candidates running for District 10.
Mondaire and de Blasio last week participated in a 10th District candidates forum along with Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, Councilmember Carlina Rivera, former New York City Comptroller Elizabeth Holtzman and Elizabeth Kim.
Addressing the forum, Jones declared, “I do believe that the district that has so much history, with a history in the queer liberation movement, deserves to have its first queer person representative in Congress.”
Stringer’s name had also previously been floated for the 10th District before there were rumblings that he might run for state Senate.
Bravo, Scott!