Name: Carolyn B. Maloney
Age: 64
Party Affiliation: Democrat
Occupation: Member of Congress
Decision To Run: I have spent my career in public service fighting for New Yorkers and making a difference in people’s lives. From passing financial regulatory reform to passing my Credit CARD Act, we’ve made a lot of progress, but there are many more things that I want to accomplish.
I am proud of the work I have done to provide federal funding for the Queens Plaza Roadway Rebuilding Project, to support the opening near Queensbridge Houses of the first new federal credit union in this state in decades and to bring federal dollars to build six new affordable senior housing residences in Queens. I believe that my record shows that I have the ability to take good ideas and make them a reality.
Major Issues: The top concern is jobs. As Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, I have been working tirelessly to create jobs and get our economy back on track. I was on the Conference Committee that negotiated the financial regulatory reform bill to reform the way the financial sector operates, to rein in abuses and create a new consumer protection agency. Because small businesses are the backbone of our economy, I worked to pass the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act that provides tax credits to encourage companies to hire new workers.
Education is another top issue. That’s why I secured millions in federal funding for Queens educational institutions, including the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts and LaGuardia Community College.
Top Priorities: I will continue working with my Democratic colleagues in Congress to stabilize our economy. I won’t stop working until everyone who wants a job can get a job. I am also determined to pass the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
Name: Reshma Saujani
Age: 34
Party affiliation: Democrat
Occupation: Attorney and community activist
Decision To Run: I decided to run for office this year because I believe the issues we are facing in New York – and as a nation – call for new ideas and new leadership. We cannot continue to send the same ineffective politicians back to Washington and expect things to change. As the daughter of political refugees, I have never taken for granted what an incredible nation we live in, and I am running to make sure all Americans have the same opportunities to succeed that I did.
Major Issues: Voters consistently cite two major issues: the dirty politics in Washington and Albany, and the stagnant economy.
Every day when you pick up the newspaper there’s another story about an elected official tangled up in a scandal. As long as our elected officials are in the pocket of special interests, we cannot trust them to act in our interests. I’m not accepting any corporate PAC money to fund my campaign, I’ve proposed detailed ethics legislation, and I believe we need a non-partisan regulator to enforce a basic common sense principle: if a member violates ethics rules, they should be removed from office, period.
I also believe we need smart policies to rebuild America’s economy – and we haven’t seen any innovative ideas come out of Washington.
Top Priorities: My first priority will be getting New Yorkers back to work. Nearly one in ten of 14th District residents are currently unemployed. I have proposed a 21st Century Jobs Corps that helps unemployed Americans to get training in fields like solar panel installation, energy retrofitting and broadband expansion. I would also create a National Innovation Fund, a public-private partnership to help small businesses get the initial start-up funding they need.
