By Gus Saltonstall
Micah Lasher, who currently represents the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights in Assembly District 69, formally announced his campaign on Monday to succeed Rep. Jerrold Nadler in Congress.
Nadler, who has represented the Upper West Side in Congress for more than three decades, announced at the beginning of September that he would not seek re-election for New York District 12, which also includes the Upper East Side and Hell’s Kitchen.
Lasher’s announcement on Monday makes him the second candidate to officially enter the Democratic primary, along with Liam Elkind.
“Right now, we Democrats need our own Project 2026 that spells out what we’re going to do and how we’ll improve people’s lives; here’s mine,” Lasher said in his campaign announcement video. “Repeal Trump’s tax breaks for the rich. Pass Medicare for all. Raise the minimum wage. Massively expand childcare. Replace the crazy tariffs with policies that protect American workers. And locally, I’ll focus on crime and quality of life, and strengthening public transportation and addressing the housing crisis, with more investment and fewer barriers to housing that working families can actually afford.”
Lasher was elected as the successor to longtime Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell in November of 2023, but has a long history in politics, including as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s policy director and legislative director for then Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Before that, Lasher worked as an aide to Nadler.
Upper West Side Councilmember Shaun Abreu praised Lasher’s “relentless drive” to the Rag.
“Micah Lasher has the relentless drive and proven track record New Yorkers demand,” Abreu told West Side Rag in a text. “From bringing down long-standing scaffolding to taking on the national battles, Micah has shown he knows how to fight and how to win. He is the leader this moment demands, and I’m proud to endorse him for Congress.”
While Nadler has not said who he will support in the upcoming congressional race, sources familiar with his thinking told The New York Times that he will most likely support Lasher.
You can check out Lasher’s campaign website — HERE.
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Is it too much to ask that my congressional rep have worked one day in the private sector. And who thinks that globalizing the intifada is a bad thing.
Lasher said in a speech that you can be a proud Zionist and a proud progressive without having to choose between them. Do you have different information?
Mamdani, of course, is much more problematic. I’d like to see him make strong, unambiguous statements against Hamas and stand by them. We’ve had enough of progressives coddling terrorists.
Anna. This seat is basically for life. Once your in. Your in. And your there for good. A Msmdani endorsement really bothers me. And it should bother every Jew in the district
Donald Trump comes from the private [state supported] sector.
And?
And stock markets are at an all-time high!
Aimee,
Which does next to nothing to help average citizens.
Wages are down, working conditions are worse, and unemployment is up.
And he’s a terrible president.
W also had a business background, and was bigger failure than DJT as a business man.
“And locally, I’ll focus on crime and quality of life, and strengthening public transportation and addressing the housing crisis, with more investment and fewer barriers to housing that working families can actually afford.”
By all means, don’t be so shy with the details.
The website is awesome – either you donate, donate, donate, or you provide your personal information first. NOTHING ELSE.
Wow. You are right. There is literally nothing there but a big picture of him and ways to donate. Don’t rush to put up a site if it isn’t ready. This aligns with my impression of him as the guy who just seems to try a little bit too hard.
He also married very well so has plenty of money from his wife. Which is why he has never had a private sector job.
I think he has had at least one private sector job.
But this is an irrelevant, and quite frankly, an elitist argument. Those of us who work in the public sector or for nfps don’t qualify as having “real jobs”? Teachers, firemen, nurses, cops are disqualified? Public defenders? All the people who actually keep the city running? And, yes, elected officials: not only is that a “real job”, but it is exceptionally difficult.
I get the sense that the WSR commenters who make this point think that you have to be a Wall Street guy, or a hotshot private sector lawyer, or a billionaire like Bloomberg to qualify for public office. What rubbish! This just guarantees that rich people will increase their domination of the political system. Enough!
Fair point – I should have been more specific. I would count most of the jobs you mentioned. I think what we are referring to is that he has constantly been part of the government machine, whether as an elected or a close advisor to an elected.
I think there is just something that rubs many of us the wrong way. I am incredibly grateful and respectful to those who undertake public service. It is thankless, underpaid work. What bothers me are those who set it as a goal from birth then seem to be constantly adjusting their morals and positions in pursuit of the brass ring.
I will take Lasher over a MAGA or someone of the sort any day of the week. We could do much, much worse. But I also think we can do better.
We are about to get “much much worse” in Mamdani
OK.
If we want high quality public servants we should make elected office an attractive career that pays a competitive wage so you don’t have to marry well to serve your city.
No, people should go into public service because they want to make the country a better place, not get rich at the expense of taxpayers.
Sara Lind certainly has the UWS’s interest in her heart!
You are claiming Lasher is “getting rich at the expense of taxpayers”? I would ask you to provide some facts as to that accusation, but I know you can’t.
some people in public office get rich because they are corrupt, but these are a small minority. The people who actually get rich “at the expense of taxpayers” are the Wall Street guys and other billionaires and corporate titans who have mastered the art of lobbying for loopholes. Start with all the private equity guys and the corrupt “carried interest” scam. And all the real estate special tax statuses. Oh, and take a look at the Trump family, one of the most — if not the most — financially corrupt presidencies ever.
Sone people on the left are hypocrites, but in general it is officials in the center and right who benefit financially and stoke the fires of public cynicism.
Funny how all these “give everything away for free” far-left politicians come from wealth or have married into it!
We need someone young to represent us. Liam Elkind is that guy, I know who I’m voting for.
OK, but do you really pick candidates just based on age?
Do you also pick candidates based on race?
He’s fine. We could do better. We could do worse. I feel like he is a younger Scott Stringer – lifelong politician who has done absolutely nothing else and adjusts his positions based on what the polls are telling him. I am hoping for someone more inspiring (preferably a moderate Dem) but would not be miserable if he won.
Anyone else? Please?
I think Erik Bottcher lives in the district and he could be good. Or Brad Hoylman but he should probably stay where he is for now
Everything for free!
Lower taxes!
Magic!
I take it you’re referring to the MAGA platform for rich people, right? Mission accomplished.
Yeah, how about all those pardons for multi-millionaire cheats and January 6 insurrectionists, and all those tax breaks for the 1%? Hey — how’s inflation doing? Wars ended? We’re simply off to the next distraction like the handful of trans people, so you don’t notice the USA transitioning to the USSR.
The “distraction” of shooting up Christian schools?
Enough of the January 6 nonsense. Conservatives in this Country make up the overwhelming majority of the Military and Police. Conservatives have millions of guns and billions of rounds of ammunition. If we had an insurrection you would have noticed. Liberals on the other hand are your most violent, extremists.
Comment: This is factually wrong and misleading. Political affiliation doesn’t guarantee that someone will act to defend democracy—January 6 proved some members of the military, police, and armed groups participated in an insurrection. Owning guns and ammo doesn’t mean conservatives would automatically stage an organized uprising; coordination, legality, and discipline matter. Claiming liberals are the “most violent extremists” ignores the overwhelming evidence that far-right groups are responsible for the majority of politically motivated violence in the U.S. Generalizing entire groups this way spreads false narratives and ignores real threats.
Sam,
Thanks-once again you have saved me the trouble of writing a comment and pointing out the obvious. So many distractions-so little critical thinking….and so much fear being generated by the powers that be to maintain their positions. I kind of want someone who is familiar with politics ….to actually be a politician. Many of our current troubles are a result of amateurs being in a position to legislate…..ooops there I go-I ended up writing a comment anyways….
I’d bet the time you have spent in the USSR approaches… zero.
Nationwide strong single payer is normal in the rest of the world. So is government paid for childcare.
Way too much free stuff for ibankers and big real estate in the USA.
Yes the problem with New York is they don’t give enough stuff to lazy people. Get a job.
Comment: That’s a really simplistic way to look at it. Many people in New York and elsewhere rely on social programs not because they’re “lazy,” but because wages are too low, housing is expensive, and the cost of living is high. Telling people to “just get a job” ignores systemic issues like underemployment, stagnant wages, and economic inequality that make survival extremely difficult for millions. It’s not about laziness—it’s about economic reality.
Really? Have you been to Canada?
No. Nothing is “free”. The only reason so many countries (especially Western Europe, and Canada) have such generous social programs is because they’ve been massively subsidized by US defense spending. Over several decades, they’ve under-spent on their military and defense to the tune of hundreds of billions (perhaps trillions) of dollars. They’ve instead relied on the military umbrella of the US, and have applied these “savings” to things like healthcare.
But that is now changing with this administration. The free ride is over, and look what’s happening. These countries are seeing their deficits and debts explode higher, their funding costs are rightfully rising, and their governments are teetering (UK, Germany) or have collapsed (France). These countries are now spending more militarily because the US is sick of their free-riding, and Russia is looming; but they are incapable of cutting social services, so the wheels are falling off.
This isn’t about “free-riding” on the U.S. The problem is that Eurozone countries don’t control their own currency. They’re forced to treat euros as scarce and borrow to spend, so deficits spike when they raise military or social spending. It’s a design flaw of the monetary system, not a consequence of relying on U.S. defense. If they had fiscal sovereignty like the U.S., they could fund both robust social programs and defense without collapsing.
Citibike should be free!
Yes Comrade, the people’s bikes. Free is great you don’t have to work, or contribute in anyway. If people had to work for a living, perhaps they would have less time to do gangster stuff.
Various allies have been pouring money into US military contractors for decades.
Russia is not looming.
“The only reason so many countries (especially Western Europe, and Canada) have such generous social programs is because they’ve been massively subsidized by US defense spending. ”
That doesn’t sound right. Care to share your source on that?
So we should expect the Trump and the Republican House and Senate to pass a generous social spending bill using the savings from our defense partners any minute now right?
As long as they aren’t spending money to benefit cars.
Yes, and taxes are higher.
One must take in money in order to spend it.
That is also normal in the rest of the world.
Actually, that is not true. Taxes are lower in Europe than in NYC (once you combine NYC, NYS & Federal, the income tax rate is higher than in France, Italy, UK, et all.)
And though imperfect, those European taxes do more for general welfare than US taxes, outside of Medicare and Social Security taxes.
“Lasher was elected as the successor to longtime Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell in November of 2023, but has a long history in politics, including as Gov. Kathy Hochul’s policy director and legislative director for then Mayor Michael Bloomberg.”
These are big negatives.
Bloomberg is a negative? Too rich? Too effective? Too charitable? I must have missed that.
Stopping and frisking thousands of innocent black New Yorkers isn’t exactly our proudest moment as a city
That is why Bill De Blasio is a much better mayor, he took advantage of the anti-car movement growing inside NYC that was planted by Bloomberg and he ran with it. All while we can virtue signal about racial and social justice all day long!
The obsession with stop and frisk when people want to complain about Bloomberg is ridiculous. You have one and only one negative thing to say about him. Covering three terms. That’s a pretty good success rate.
And it is easy for you as a virtue signaling UWS white person to comment on stop and frisk. I have spoken to numerous minority New Yorkers in targeted neighborhoods who loved it. It made them feel safe – the minor inconvenience was worth it – no different than TSA. They just felt that it was too aggressive. Bloomberg should have gotten that message and told the police to tone it down and shame on him for not doing so. But the concept was good and appreciated by many of those impacted.
The reason minorities were targeted was that it is the best use of limited resources to target neighborhoods where the most crime occurs, and those are predominantly minority neighborhoods. The statistics show that. Do you want your tax dollars paying for lots of cops to be deployed to tree-lined blocks in Riverdale where there is virtually no crime? That doesn’t make much sense.
You people are a broken record. And you can only see things in black and white.
“the minor inconvenience” – Go back and revisit what stop and frisk actually was. Re listen to the audio recordings young men were starting to make when the iPhones started to appear and listen to what plainclothes officers were telling CHILDREN when they would hop out. They would threaten to break the arms of kids just for looking “wrong” in the direction of law enforcement. I would also encourage you to revisit what happened to Adrian Schoolcraft and listen to the recordings he made at roll call and you can literally listen to the horrible things precinct commanders would say.
I challenge your token quote from the “minority New Yorkers” you spoke to about it and place it up against the mountain of testimonies members of the community came forward with against stop and frisk that led to a federal judge with no other choice than to deem it unconstitutional. Your Theerant.com basic level PR drivel will never stand up for long as long as folks that actually lived that era are around to challenge it.
Will has a point. That is the Achilles heel of moderates and conservatives, especially in a society as diverse as ours.
Besides the 311 system, Bloomberg was mostly only effective at helping the already very well off.
He continued the destruction of public housing. He cut funds to NY Transit, stop and frisk was patently unconstitutional, and his 3rd term was illegal.
Go to the City pool-ice rink in Flushing Meadows Park (new in 2008) if you want to see an example of really sloppy oversight of a City building’s construction during Bloomby’s term.
Then there’s letting Lyft in without regulation, and there are e-bikes.
Could Lasher prove himself in his current position that he has had for a brief time?
Lasher endorsed Zohran Mamdani.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/nyregion/nyc-micah-lasher-jerrold-nadler.html
Lasher has lost my vote.
Write in Sara Lind! Or Melissa Rosenberg!
Me too!
This speaks to my comment above about him constantly changing his views to match the polls. He was a Bloomberg guy and is now a Mamdani guy? Really? He seems very opportunistic.
So I think my fave living Kennedy, Jack Schlossberg, might also go for the seat.
Aside from his last name, he’s qualified how?
How does the name “Schlossberg” help him?
His full name is John Bouvier *Kennedy* Schlossberg.
Or maybe the “schloss” part gets him a path toward the proverbial “castle” of power.
All this guy does is run for things. Career politician. Pass.
So basically he’s turning his back on the district and we are going to end up with Northrup if he and Nadler don’t manage this properly. This is the real tragedy. One of the wealthiest Assembly Districts in the the state and we are on the verge of being poorly represented in Albany. I hope this comment spurs much discussion.
Please clean up the UWS and decrease crime and drugs.
How about Brad Hoylman-Sigal?
Why not Sara Lind?
Sounds like bullets points from the Dem party. Nothing original here, just a younger Nadler…
Perhaps the candidates can begin with basic respect for law and order. $600 million is a lot of scratch ! “ The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has called for DA offices to resume prosecutions for fare evasion, citing the loss of more than $600 million in revenue in 2023. ”
https://www.city-journal.org/article/iryna-zarutska-murder-new-york-city-public-transit?utm_source=virtuous&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cjdaily&vcrmeid=EywDs4ln06IfPxX2FUjw&vcrmiid=vggP4PrVeU2LpeB35rM6kw
(Assemblymember Lasher has a 6:30 Town Hall tonight 9/16 at 159 West 93rd Street.)
I’m disappointed at his decision to leave the Assembly and run for Congress, but not surprised.
His resume gave indications he would bolt to higher office provided the opportunity. Yet, once in the state legislature he demonstrated he could work productively sponsoring and passing legislation in support of consumer protection, Fair Housing and employee rights. And he proposed legislation to change our state charter to enable redistricting if a Republican state legislature moved to stack their Congressional delegation. It was bold and necessary. AD 69 now loses those abilities and connections.
Attorney Northrup has his strengths too, but with a much different set of experiences. He needs to show he can work with legislators and accomplish for the district and state. It feels like a big gap.
Sara Lind should run, she is a much better qualified candidate than anyone! If not then she should definitely run for the 69th Assembly District seat next year.
This is one of those times when I read the comments to West Side Rag articles and am convinced that the West Side Rag should not have a comment section.