Flatbush Councilmember Jumaane Willams positions himself as a strong progressive alternative to the present administration in Albany.
Momentum continues to build for Jumaane Williams in the race for New York lieutenant governor. According to a new poll released by Big Dog Strategies and Remington Research Group on Tuesday, Williams is in a statistical tie with the incumbent Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul among Democratic voters.
"What this poll demonstrates is that as New Yorkers get to know Jumaane Williams, they see in him a leader who will expand the duties of lieutenant governor in order to be an effective voice for all people, and to be a tireless advocate for their needs and the needs of their communities," according to a statement issued by the Williams campaign.
Williams, a progressive Democrat who is currently serving his third term in the New York City Council, represents the 45th District including Flatbush, East Flatbush, Flatlands, Midwood and Canarsie. He announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor in February. The councilman has long been a critic of Governor Cuomo and other officials who he says "put on a progressive cloak" when it is politically expedient. Williams sees himself as a progressive challenge to the present administration and argues that the Capitol needs people who will help to "create those political winds."
"It is his consistent commitment to productive and intelligent change that is penetrating the consciousness and imagination of New Yorkers from all walks of life," stated his campaign.
So far, Williams has received the endorsements of the following elected officials, community leaders and organizations:
Elected Officials
- State Senator Kevin Parker (D- Brooklyn)
- Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Brooklyn)
- Legislator Joel Tyner (D-Dutchess County)
- Councilmember Vanessa Agudelo (D-Peekskill)
- Councilmember Latoya Allen (D-Syracuse)
- Councilmember Khalid Bey (D-Syracuse)
- Councilmember Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn)
- Councilmember I. Daneek Miller (D-Queens)
- Councilmember Brian Nowak (D-Cheektowaga)
- Councilmember Robin Reynolds-Wilt (D-Brighton)
- Councilmember Antonio Reynoso (D-Brooklyn)
- Alderwoman Tiffany Garriga (D-Hudson)
Community Leaders and Organizations
- Minister Kirsten Foy, activist
- Katie Goldstein, tenants rights activist
- Eddie Kay, labor organizer
- Bertha Lewis, activist
- Natasha Soto, Resisting In Buffalo
- Zephyr Teachout, former gubernatorial candidate
- Alexander Wright, activist
- New York Progressive Action Network (NYPAN)
- People For Bernie Sanders
- Tenants PAC
- Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats
- New York Communities for Change (NYCC)
In New York State, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately in the primary, with the winners of each party's nomination forming a joint ticket for the general election. The primary will take place on September 11, 2018, followed by the general election on November 6, 2018.
