Erik Bottcher (D) drops out of House race, will run for state Senate instead
New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher is dropping out of the race for the 12th Congressional District and will instead run for state Senate, he announced on Monday.
“This decision is rooted in where I believe I can do the most good immediately,” he said in a statement. “The State Senate is where critical decisions are being made on housing affordability, addressing the mental health crisis, safeguarding our environment, and defending New York from the Trump agenda. At a moment when MAGA extremists are attacking our freedoms and undermining democracy, strong state leadership matters more than ever.”
Bottcher filed to run for the House seat, which covers the East and West sides of Manhattan, in October, after incumbent Rep. Jerrold Nadler announced that he would not run for reelection next year.
He raised nearly $700,000 within 24 hours of opening a fundraising committee, he said, and received endorsements from national LGBTQ+ organizations like Equality PAC and the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, but he struggled to stand out among the crowded Democratic field, which also includes Assembly Members Micah Lasher and Alex Bores, Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg and Gen Z anti-gun violence activist Cameron Kasky.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/12/erik-bottcher-drops-out-house-race-will-run-state-senate-instead/410344/?oref=csny-homepage-river