Endorsements
The Electoral Strategy Team is proud to announce our endorsements for the upcoming NYC 2021 Democratic Primaries! These candidates represent our vision of a progressive city government that will work to dismantle systems of structural oppression, uplift our communities, and build a city that works for all New Yorkers.
As New York City will be implementing ranked choice voting for the primaries, we have issued first & second choice endorsements for the City Council Races in District 35 and 39. In the coming weeks, the Electoral Strategy Team will be hosting events to support our endorsed candidates. Join us on Slack to get updates!
NYC Comptroller
Brad Lander
We are excited to endorse Council Member Brad Lander, who will bring an organizer’s perspective as the Chief Financial Officer of NYC. Brad’s decades of organizing experience will ensure that our city not only recovers from this pandemic, but that we build a sustainable economy that works for all New Yorkers! We are excited to partner with Brad’s campaign to invest in our city's future and fight for justice for all New Yorkers. You can learn more about Brad’s campaign here.
Petition for Brad Lander
Council District 35
First Choice Endorsement: Crystal Hudson
We are excited to endorse Crystal Hudson, a public servant and community organizer, as our 1st Choice for CD-35. With her bold Black Agenda for New York City, Crystal has put forth a policy framework to recover, rebuild, and reimagine a city that works for us all and centers Black New Yorkers. We are excited to partner with Crystal’s campaign to elect the first openly gay Black woman to NYC Council. You can learn more about Crystal’s campaign here.
Second Choice Endorsement: Michael Hollingsworth
We are excited to endorse Michael Hollingsworth as our 2nd Choice for CD-35. Michael is a lifelong Brooklynite, tenant organizer with Crown Heights Tenant Union, and dedicated fighter for housing justice. Michael will bring his community organizing experience to the City Council and continue to organize his constituents to build collective power in their communities. You can learn more about Michael’s campaign here.
Council District 39
First Choice Endorsement: Shahana Hanif
We are excited to endorse Shahana Hanif as our 1st Choice for CD-39. Shahana was born and raised in Kensington and is a domestic violence, immigration, and disability rights activist. She is running an unapologetically joyful and intersectional feminist campaign, which promises justice in housing, the environment, education, public safety, and economic rights for all New Yorkers. We are excited to partner with Shahana’s campaign to elect the first South Asian person and first Muslim woman to NYC Council, and the district’s first woman Councilmember. You can learn more about Shahana’s campaign here.
Second Choice Endorsement: Brandon West
We are excited to endorse Brandon West as our #2 Choice for CD-39. Brandon brings to the table his experience as an analyst with the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget and the NYC Council finance division, as well as experience organizing for voting rights, unions, and racial justice. Brandon’s platform is centered on transforming the city government so that it works for all New Yorkers, because he believes “A Better City is Possible.” You can learn more about Brandon’s campaign here.
How Does a Ranked Endorsement Work?
The Electoral Strategy Team will be focusing our efforts on the First Choice endorsed campaigns (Brad Lander, Crystal Hudson, and Shahana Hanif). We look forward to partnering with those campaigns to directly recruit volunteers and host dedicated Persist Brooklyn volunteer events for their campaigns. The first step to getting elected is getting on the ballot, so sign up for a shift to petition for our candidates!
Petition for Brad Lander
Petition for Crystal Hudson
Petition for Shahana Hanif
We encourage all of our members to attend electoral events for our Second Choice endorsed campaigns (Michael Hollingsworth and Brandon West), but the Electoral Strategy Team will not be hosting volunteer events on behalf of those campaigns. You can recruit volunteers for their electoral events via Slack!
If you are a resident in CD-35 or CD-39, we encourage you to rank these candidates on your ballot in June.
In summer 2020, Persist Brooklyn endorsed our first slate of nine candidates who represented a critical piece of realizing our mission as an organization. You can read more about our 2020 All-Stars here. We are proud to have endorsed these candidates, regardless of the outcomes of their respective elections.
After the November 2020 general election, we continued our work by supporting All-Star Rev. Raphael Warnock and progressive organizations working on the ground in the Georgia runoffs.