NY Congressional Election 2020: Jerry Nadler Defends Seat

MANHATTAN, NY — Voters living in New York City's 10th congressional district — which stretches the majority of the West Side of Manhattan and also a handful of neighborhoods in Brooklyn — will head to the polls on Nov. 3 to cast their ballot in this year's election races.

On the ballot will be incumbent Congress member Jerry Nadler, who has held the seat since 1992, Republican Cathy Bernstein, Libertarian Michael Madrid, and Independent Jeanne Nigro.

Nadler, who lives on the Upper West Side, who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and has served as chairman of its Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civl Liberties and as a member of the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet.

All New York voters may request a mail-in ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For those who want to head to the polls, click here to find your poll site. Early voting is available from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the primary election to create these profiles.

Jerry Nadler

Age as of Election Day (Nov. 3)

73

NYC neighborhood of residence

Upper West Side

Position Sought

U.S. Congress

Party Affiliation

Democratic Party

Family

Rep. Nadler lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife, Joyce Miller.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Rep. Nadler is a graduate of Crown Heights Yeshiva, Stuyvesant High School, Columbia University and Fordham Law School.

Occupation

Representative in Congress, 10th Congressional District, 1992 - Present

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Assembly Member, New York State Assembly, 1977-1992

Campaign website

www.jerrynadler.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

Our country is facing extraordinary challenges from the Trump Administration, and they will not be over after he leaves office. We need to take action to protect the rule of rule of law and democratic institutions against the continuing attacks by the President, his Administration, and their enablers. We also need to take urgent action to reverse rising economic inequality, and to fight the climate change emergency.

I will also continue to push for civil rights and civil liberties (voting rights, protecting immigrants, due process); increasing investment in transportation and in eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels, which will grow the economy, create jobs and reduce the environmental impact; pursuing intelligent economic policies that will stimulate our economy and promote economic growth that reaches all members of our society.

The single most pressing issue facing our nation/state/community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Climate change is real and threatens all of us, regardless of nationality, political party, or economic status. Extreme climate change has already arrived in the United States and impacts every congressional district across our country.

At a time when America should be leading the global fight against climate change, the Trump Administration has taken our nation backward, recklessly withdrawing us from the Paris Agreement and rolling back countless environmental regulations designed to curb greenhouse-gas emissions.

The Administration has even gone so far as to undermine the very science of climate change by blocking federal climate scientists from publishing data about the climate crisis and scrubbing all references to climate change from government websites. These actions are careless, and the consequences could be irreversible.

In the face of the Administration’s dangerous retreat on environmental policy, the House has not been silent. As a critical first step, the House passed multiple bills that would require the United States to stay in the Paris Agreement.

Additionally, the House passed legislation to block the Trump Administration’s dangerous plan to auction off up to 90 percent of our nation’s offshore waters for oil and gas drilling.
Democratic Members of Congress have put forward bold proposals to combat this crisis. I am proud to support Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal Resolution, which challenges our federal government to address the changing climate now by bringing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions down to net-zero and meeting 100 percent of power demand in the country through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources by 2030.

The Green New Deal addresses the urgency of the moment and is the start of a serious conversation we must be having in 2020.

For the sake of future generations of young people, the federal government must move quickly to tackle the climate crisis head-on. We must also improve our climate resilience to protect Americans from the increasingly extreme weather and natural disasters that are being driven by climate change.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My experience and record of accomplishment. I am a fearless and principled liberal and have been on the front lines in the fight for civil rights and civil liberties, relentlessly defending our country’s fundamental promise of equality for all.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

• Enacting the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities.
• Oversight or the Trump Administration
• Enacting the DREAM Act
• Investigating the administration’s treatment of undocumented immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border
• Funding NYCHA and dealing with the affordable housing crisis in NYC and the entire country
• Dealing with Climate Change - which is an existential threat to our planet
• Funding vital transportation infrastructure

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

For over 30 years, in both the House and in the New York State Assembly, I have proudly been on the front lines in the fight for civil rights, and have been a relentless defender of our country’s fundamental promise of equality for all. Central among my focus has been the ongoing civil rights struggle for people of color. I have been a leader in the fight to protect voting rights and reduce voter disenfranchisement. I have been a key House leader behind the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, and have authored and introduced the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the first-ever bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities.

This article originally appeared on the Upper West Side Patch