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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNY-09: New York Times endorses Adem Bunkeddeko against incumbent Yvette Clarke
DISTRICT 9 (Park Slope, Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, Midwood, Sheepshead Bay and more): For nearly 14 years, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke has represented this large, vibrant area of Brooklyn. In 2018, we supported Adem Bunkeddeko, a talented challenger with ambitious plans for affordable housing who is back for a second try. This time, Isiah James, a promising young Army combat veteran and democratic socialist who has also promised to focus on housing, is in the race, too, though he has struggled with fund-raising. Another candidate, New York City Council member Chaim Deutsch, hasnt shown up for the debates and is instead vying for votes with a campaign of fearmongering.
In 2018, Ms. Clarke barely won the primary race against Mr. Bunkeddeko, with 53 percent of the vote. In her current term, she has taken a more active role in her district, a welcome change.
But once again, Mr. Bunkeddeko represents the best chance at getting a more vibrant voice for the district. Mr. Bunkeddeko, 32, grew up in Queens and is focused on securing federal dollars for public and affordable housing. He also wants to create a federal program that would help moderate- and lower-income New Yorkers become homeowners, exactly the vision needed in the district and in Congress. As he put it, housing needs were a five-alarm fire even before the job losses of the coronavirus pandemic. He has also supported a public option for Medicare as a way to move toward Medicare for all.
His life story is inspiring. Mr. Bunkeddeko is the son of refugees from Uganda who has earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He has experience in government working for the Empire State Development Corporation, the state entity that helps drive economic investment into New York. He deserves the support of voters in the Ninth District.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/12/opinion/new-york-congress-endorsements.html?smid=tw-share
OnDoutside
(19,968 posts)against Dem incumbents. Odd.
Squinch
(50,992 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)GovTrack.us rates her among the strongest liberals in the house Democratic caucus (6th percentile out of 235, also shown on the graph)
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/yvette_clarke/412221
Energy and Commerce Committee, Vice Chair
Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Homeland Security
Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation and Operations
Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery
Congresswoman Clarke also serves on several House caucuses, including:
Smart Cities Caucus, Co-Chair
Multicultural Media Caucus, Co-Chair
Black Women & Girls Caucus, Co-Chair
Caribbean Caucus, Co-Chair
Congressional Progressive Caucus
Congressional Black Caucus
Immigration Task Force, Chair
Census 2020 Task Force
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Last edited Sun Jun 14, 2020, 07:19 AM - Edit history (1)
The NYT is clearly working to subvert the strength, and cohesion, of the currently strongly united liberal Democratic caucus. They're typically endorsing genuine dissident-left candidates, but this time they're backing the candidate most likely to displace a good, experienced Democrat.
After all, Mr. Bunkeddeko came very close in 2016. At that time he was assisted by "Wall Street dollars," as Politico put it, in 2016. This time The City reports:
Also giving the maximum $2,800 is Bradley Tusk, an adviser to Mike Bloombergs presidential campaign who is also an influential New York lobbyist, registered, state records show. In an interview with THE CITY, Bunkeddeko indicated he was not aware Tusk is still a lobbyist.
https://www.thecity.nyc/politics/2020/1/31/21210565/race-for-brooklyn-rep-yvette-clarke-s-house-seat-spans-democratic-spectrum
If the NYT could have highlighted that kind of false representation of who he is to the voters for Congresswoman Clarke, they would have. But they couldn't.