Micah C. Lasher won the Democratic primary State Assembly race in New York City’s 69th District, beating runner-up candidate Eli Northrup and two other challengers.
“I think this was a campaign of the neighborhood. I’m a kid from the West Side and the West Side came out,” said Lasher at a victory party on the night of the primary, June 25.
Endorsed by many elected officials of the democratic establishment, including Congressman Jerold Nadler, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, UWS Councilwoman Gale Brewer and NYS Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal. Lasher who early in his career worked for Hoylman-Sigal and Nadler was most recently director of policy for Gov. Kathy Hochul, a post he resigned from last year to run for the Assembly. His campaign focused on housing and comprehensive education reform, aiming to improve public schools and ensure equal opportunities for all students. He advocated for increased availability and stronger tenant protections to address the housing crisis. Additionally, Lasher championed economic equality, supporting fair wages and job creation to build a more inclusive economy.
With backing from incumbent Assembly member Daniel J. O’Donnell, Northrup pulled 33.95 percent of the total vote, running an anti-establishment campaign and with an endorsement from the Working Families Party and the United Auto Workers. The remaining votes were split between, Carmen Quinones, a housing advocate who is president of the Foster Douglas Tenants Association and Melissa Rosenberg, a member of CB7 and vp of real estate lobbying firm Kasirer and Jack Kellner.
“While the results are not what we had hoped for, I am incredibly proud of the campaign we ran, driven by our shared vision of a government for the many, not the few,” said Northrup in a statement. “I’m proud to have run with integrity and a true commitment to our community. I’ll continue to bring myself to this fight.”
A public defender, Northrup in his first run for elected office ran a campaign that, as he put it on his website, “prioritizes people over politics.” He envisioned improvements in the accessibility of mental health services, he planned to work toward creating more affordable housing, and fought for other people-first initiatives.
The Lasher campaign hosted an election watch party at E’s Bar on the Upper West Side which was brimming with volunteers, campaigners, and elected endorsers who were seen celebrating and waiting to congratulate Lasher.
Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal was present at the party and was ecstatic about Lasher’s victory. Hoylman-Sigal said he has a long-standing professional relationship with Lasher, who was in charge of his first campaign for a city council seat in 2001 when Lasher was only 19 years old.
“He was able to differentiate himself due to his extensive experience, strong connection to the West Side, and deep knowledge of policy. Micah has been dedicated to several key issues for years, including housing, mass transit, tax compliance, strengthening public schools, and combating climate change. He has worked on these issues in detail through his various professional, political, and personal roles. I believe he is probably the best-prepared newly elected Assembly Member I’ve ever met,” Hoylman-Sigal to The West Side Spirit.
Meanwhile, the Northrup campaign held an election watch party after the polls closed at Bob’s Your Uncle, an Upper West Side bar. When Northrup himself entered the function, the whole room started chanting his name.
Looking out on a crowd of those who supported him and his campaign, many of whom were wearing “Rely on Eli” T-shirts, Northrup gave a speech reflecting on his effort.
“It’s such a hard thing to do to push back against establishment forces, and the reason I really wanted to run was to show that perspective of people that are on the front lines helping people, like public defenders, like social workers, like teachers, like nurses,” Northrup said. “I really, truly believe that, and I ran a campaign that’s in accordance with my values. I’m so proud of not losing myself in a situation that really tries to pressure you into not being yourself.”
While Lasher was busy thanking his supporters and political endorsers, Deborah Thomas, a campaign volunteer, and member of the Three Parks Independent Democrats club, highlighted what helped him emerge as a clear winner.
“He grew up here on the Upper West Side, he has children who go to public schools. You know, I’m a retired teacher. And so I know that it’s very important to have someone in there who is going to be fighting for the schools and fighting for sensible, reasonable things. Personally, it was a no-brainer for me, because the other people who were running were very good, I’m sure but they just didn’t have Micah’s experience”.
“I think this was a campaign of the neighborhood. I’m a kid from the West Side and the West Side came out”, said Lasher at a victory party on the night of the primary.