Nadler Endorses Erik Bottcher in District 3 Race

Rep. Jerry Nadler has picked his candidate in the District 3 City Council race.

The House Judiciary chairman announced Monday he would be endorsing Erik Bottcher in the upcoming Democratic primary, citing Bottcher’s record of service and government experience.

Bottcher is running to replace City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, for whom he served as chief of staff for five years. With Johnson term-limited, and now running for comptroller, Bottcher is among the six candidates vying to be the next member to represent District 3, which consists of Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, Greenwich Village and part of SoHo.

“Erik has the heart, experience, and fearlessness our community needs during this crucial time, and I’m proud to support him for City Council,” Nadler, who represents New York’s 10th Congressional district, said in a statement. “Erik and I have worked together on creating and preserving affordable housing, enhancing our parks, supporting our schools, and many other issues. In the years I’ve known him, I’ve seen Erik tirelessly serve his community in ways large and small. That’s what public service is about.”

Bottcher said it was an honor to be backed by Nadler and vowed to work with the congressman to bring about a better New York.

“Bringing New York City back from the COVID-19 crisis is going to take strong collaboration between the city, state, and federal levels of government, and I’m excited to work with Congressman Nadler to usher in a new era of prosperity for all New Yorkers,” Bottcher said in a statement. “Our City Council campaign is an unprecedented grassroots coalition of support, made up of hundreds of community leaders, organized labor, environmental groups, tenant groups, leaders like Congressman Nadler, and more. We are united in a determination to see our beloved city succeed in the face of unprecedented challenges.”

Bottcher’s campaign sees Nadler’s endorsement as an example of the momentum the candidate has been building for months leading to the primary. He’s recently surpassed 900 individual contributors to his campaign and picked up endorsements from the New York League of Conservation Voters, two local sects of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators.

The Democratic primary will take place on June 22.

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