Westchester Insider: Election Desk 2022 News: Endorsement Alert: PCCC Endorses Alessandra Biaggi in NY-17: Elections 2022.

 

NEWS: PCCC Endorses Alessandra Biaggi Over Sean Patrick Maloney in Open NY-17 Primary.

Sean Patrick Maloney’s decision to abandon his district and force out a sitting Democrat in favor of a safer seat undermines everything the DCCC is supposed to stand for.

Today, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) is endorsing State Senator Alessandra Biaggi for Congress in New York’s 17th District. Biaggi is running in an open primary against DCCC Chair Sean Patrick Maloney. Maloney, who currently represents NY-18, decided to leave behind his Biden+8.5 district in favor of running in NY-17, which is Biden+10 and currently held by sitting Democratic Congressman Mondaire Jones. 

In an email to its national membership, including more than 30,000 New York residents, the PCCC said, “As DCCC Chair, Sean Patrick Maloney’s only job is to protect a Democratic majority. His selfish decision to abandon his old district and potentially hand it to a pro-Trump Republican is political malpractice and is like a cowardly general abandoning troops on the battlefield. In contrast, Alessandra Biaggi is a bold progressive fighter for working families who has run into tough fights and won. Maloney owes it to House Democrats to either focus on running the DCCC or focus on running in this competitive open-seat primary, but he can’t do both well and the stakes are too high in 2022. Maloney is not the incumbent in this district, and we believe Alessandra Biaggi is the most likely candidate to hold this open seat for Democrats.”

Rep. Maloney’s decision to leave behind his district drew sharp criticism from Democrats such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, and Rep. Ritchie Torres. In addition, the Working Families Party pulled its support from Rep. Maloney and endorsed Alessandra Biaggi. 

"I’m so proud to earn the endorsement of Progressive Change Campaign Committee! In 2018, the PCCC endorsed my race to take on a corporate Democrat, and against all odds we beat the New York political machine allowing us to deliver for working families. Now, with the support of the PCCC, we will do the same in Washington. Corporations, special interests, and the old way of politics no longer serve us. Our country desperately needs progressives who actually deliver big things for our communities," said New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi. 

“As a State Senator, Alessandra arrived in Albany to a government plagued by gridlock — one caused by conservatives in our own party, rampant corruption, and cronyism at the highest levels,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said as she endorsed Alessandra Biaggi. “Alessandra has been here before — she knows what it takes to go up against powerful opponents and win.” 

Alessandra Biaggi has succeeded in challenging powerful establishment Democrats in the past. In 2018, the PCCC endorsed Alessandra Biaggi’s successful groundbreaking challenge to State Senator Jeffrey Klein, head of the conservative Independent Democratic Caucus. In office, Alessandra Biaggi chairs the Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance. She has successfully leveraged her close relationship with grassroots organizers to usher through high-priority legislation, including expanded protections against sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace, the Excluded Workers Fund, the Housing Security and Tenant Protection Act, criminal justice reform, and more.