If you are in the 10th Congressional District of NY, and you are a registered Democrat, PLEASE turn out and vote for your long-term Congressman Jerry Nadler in Tuesday’s primary.
You would not think one with s0 long a service (elected in a special election and assumed office in 1992) would need to worry about a primary challenge. But Nadler’s District now includes some areas with heavy Hasidic and otherwise Orthodox Jewish populations. His district now the 10th dist now includes the west side of Manhattan from the Upper West Side down to Battery Park, the Manhattan neighborhoods of Chelsea, Hell's Kitchen, and Greenwich Village, as well as parts of Brooklyn such as Coney Island, Bensonhurst, Borough Park, and Bay Ridge. Borough Park is heavily Orthodox Jewish.
What complicates matters is this Daily News Editorial slamming Nadler for his support for the President’s Iran Nuclear deal. I will demonstrate the issue by simply listing the title of the editorial:
No to Nadler: Rep. Jerrold Nadler undermined global security by supporting President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, shouldn't be reelected
Normally, since the district is safely Democratic, Nadler has neither primary opposition nor serious general election opposition. This time he has both, as you can read in this article from The Forward. You will note that both his primary and his general election opponents
- decided to run against him precisely because of his support for the Iran Deal
- are Jewish — probably a necessity in this District.
If the Manhattan portion of the District turns out in numbers, Nadler should be okay in the primary. The worry is that people will take it for granted, and that the editorial will fuel opposition not only among Orthodox voters in Borough Park, but among non-Jewish working class voters in places like Bensonhurst.
What may help keep down the Orthodox vote for his opponent in the primary is that his opponent is openly gay, something that does NOT play well among most Orthodox Jews, and certainly not among Hasids.
I was asked to write about this from a friend who lives in the District to make the primary more visible to maximize turnout for a Congressman who is a long-time progressive champion on so many issues. Having lived in several parts of the District, albeit more than four decades ago, I have an affinity for it. Further, I admire Nadler, who was an early supporter of Howard Dean, which is how I had my one chance to talk with him at a Meet-Up for Dean back in the 2004 cycle in a bar on Capitol Hill. I was impressed with what I had seen on C-Span, and was more impressed by talking with him.
So if you are in the district, or have friends or family there, and are Democrats, remind them to turn out and vote to keep Jerry Nadler in Congress.
Thanks.