Meng, Lancman, Crowley Enter Race
Though he previously said that he would seek another term in Congress in central Queens’ new Sixth Congressional District, Rep. Gary Ackerman instead announced his retirement last Thursday, Mar. 15-and three local Democrats have launched campaigns to take his place.
“The residents of Queens and Long Island have honored me with their trust and support for the past 34 years, first as a New York state senator and for the past 15 terms as a Member of Congress,” said Ackerman, currently representative of the Fifth District that spans northeastern Queens and northwestern Nassau County. “I’ve been truly privileged to have had the opportunity to fight for the beliefs of my neighbors in both the state capital and in the halls of Congress.”
City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley of Glendale, Assemblywoman Grace Meng of Flushing and Assemblyman Rory Lancman of Fresh Meadows have emerged as the main candidates seeking the party’s nomination for the new seat in the June 26 Congressional primary.
Ackerman’s announcement came at 7:30 p.m. last Thursday, just two hours after Lancman, who previously declared his candidacy for the seat, informed the media that he would drop out of the race in deference to Ackerman’s presumed candidacy.
When asked by the Times Newsweekly on Friday, Mar. 16, if Lancman would re-enter the race, a source close to the legislator replied, “Of course he is.” The assemblyman made it official with a press conference in Flushing on Monday afternoon, Mar. 19.
But earlier that morning, party leaders in Queens officially threw their support to Meng. Other candidates who had been previously reported as considering a run for the seat declined and threw their support to the two-term legislator.
Late on Monday afternoon, the race took another interesting turn when a spokesperson for Crowley confirmed to the Times Newsweekly that the Council member will run for the Democratic nomination for the Sixth District seat.
“Born and raised in Queens, Elizabeth Crowley is running for Congress as an independent advocate for our neighborhoods and our communities,” said campaign spokesperson Eric Yun. “She has been a staunch advocate for women and children, for working families and for our seniors. While the county organization as a whole may not want to endorse a family member of its chairman, Elizabeth Crowley’s campaign will demonstrate that she is the best candidate to represent all of the communities in the new congressional district.”
Council Member Crowley is the cousin of Rep. Joseph Crowley, who chairs the Queens County Democratic Party and who announced his support of Meng earlier on Monday. In an interview with The Politicker political blog, Representative Crowley was quoted as saying, “I love my cousin very much. I hope she realizes this is in the best interests of the district.”
Council Member Crowley, Assemblywoman Meng and Assemblyman Lancman will now take their case to Democratic voters, who will have the final say in choosing their party’s nominee in the June 26 primary election. The demographics of the new district-which has a population of about 38 percent of Asian descent and a nearly equal number of caucasian or Jewish descent-will likely play a key factor in determin- ing the outcome, according to various reports.
The new Sixth District is located entirely within Queens and spans neighborhoods in the center of the borough, including Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Elmhurst, Kew Gardens and a host of communities in northeastern and north-central Queens. It was created in a redistricting proposal developed by Federal Magistrate Roanne Mann at the order of the U.S. District Court, which took over the Congressional redistricting process after the state legislature failed to produce its own plan.
Many of the neighborhoods in the new Sixth District were formerly a part of the current Ninth District represented by Rep. Bob Turner. The current Ninth District was one of two Congressional districts eliminated in the federal redistricting plan due to reapportionment.
With Turner located in the newly drawn Fifth District in southern Queens, the legislator opted to instead run for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat occupied by Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand. He is one of three Republicans seeking the nomination on the June 26 primary ballot.
As for potential Republican candidates for the new Sixth District seat, it seems that no one has yet to step forward to announce their interest. Reports have cited City Council Member Daniel Halloran of Bayside as a possible candidate, but there has been no confirmation of his consideration as of press time.
