Micah Lasher, a first-term Democratic state lawmaker from Manhattan, said on Monday that he is running to succeed his political mentor, Representative Jerrold Nadler, who plans to retire next year after three decades in Congress.
Mr. Lasher is among the first to officially enter what is expected to be a crowded primary to represent one of the most Democratic congressional districts in the United States.
In a video announcing his candidacy, Mr. Lasher, a state assemblyman who represents the Upper West Side, outlined policy proposals that included raising the federal minimum wage and passing “Medicare for All.”
But he said his top priority would be fighting what he called the Trump administration’s assault on the Constitution, democratic norms and vital public programs.
“I think the fundamental question facing Congress today is: How do we muster every ounce of power we can to stop the Trump regime and their reactionary program?” Mr. Lasher, 43, said in an interview.
His entry into the race comes two weeks after Mr. Nadler, at 78 one of Congress’s leading liberal voices, said he would step down when his current term ended, heeding calls within his party for generational change.
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The post Lasher, Nadler’s Protégé, Says He Is Running to Succeed His Mentor appeared first on New York Times.
