NYC Primary Election 2020: Peter Harrison Challenges For NY-12

NEW YORK, NY — Democrats living on the east side of Manhattan as well as parts of north Brooklyn and western Queens will head to the polls on June 23 to cast their votes in a contested primary for New York's 12th Congressional District.

Longtime incumbent Carolyn Maloney will face off against challengers Suraj Patel, Lauren Ashcraft and Peter Harrison. Maloney has served in the House of Representatives since being elected to what was then New York's 15th Congresional District in 1992. Unlike Maloney, most of her challengers are outside of New York City's political establishment, and are running to the left of the incumbent on a number of issues.

The primary election is open to registered Democratic voters. All New York voters may request a mail-in ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ballots must be postmarked by the date of the election for the vote to count.

For those who want to head to the polls, click here to find your poll site. Early voting is available from June 13 to June 21.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the primary election to create these profiles. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

Peter Harrison

Age as of Election Day (Nov. 3)

37.

NYC neighborhood of residence

Stuyvesant Town.

Position Sought

U.S. Congress.

Party Affiliation

Democratic Party.

Family

Just got married to my partner Jennifer on April 29th in Central Park.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No. My father used to be an attorney for the EPA.

Education

Masters of Urban Planning, Columbia University;
BA. in History, College of the Holy Cross.

Occupation

Adjunct Professor of IT in the MBA program of CUNY Baruch College since 2016;
Previously senior housing advisor for Data for Progress, a progressive think tank;
Co-founder of two startups, homeBody, a tenant organizing app and Brightbox, a secure cell phone charging kiosk.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Campaign website

Peterfornewyork.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

COVID19, the BLM uprising and the general existence of President Trump has shown how broken our status quo is. The same leadership in the Democratic Party with the same limited courage and imagination can’t possibly address the economic inequality, racial injustice, and climate inaction that we face. People are taking it upon themselves to change politics, as it should be. It’s time for our party to respond. I’ve been fighting for this change on the ground in this community for over 10 years, as a housing activist in the city and Albany, as a policy advisor for presidential candidates like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and as a CUNY prof leading the charge fighting for the working class and small businesses by protesting Amazon HQ2, which would have been in our district. The moment for big change is now, and I am the right person to steer us through it.

The single most pressing issue facing our nation/state/community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The housing crisis. Because the housing crisis is really a crisis of capitalism - the economic inequality, racial injustice, and climate inaction that are undermining our society and imperiling our future are all tied to how our system values property over people. That’s true in NY-12 where over 72% of residents are homerenters - many were struggling before COVID, but now lots of folks can’t pay rent. This just shows how insecure all but the wealthiest among us are. We need communities in NY-12 to be affordable and sustainable for the working class (and if you only make money when you’re awake, you’re working class) and we need to make some big changes at the federal level to make that happen. Housing justice is economic justice is racial justice is climate justice.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The critical difference is that I’ve got the relationships, policy experience, and leadership to help propel our district forward. I’m the only candidate who has been involved as an activist in this community for ten years; I’m the only one who has helped write policies for presidential candidates (Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Julian Castro); I’m the only one who has introduced a plan to make all public transit 100% free, accessible, and green; and I’m the only person in this race who protested against the Amazon HQ2 deal, because it represented everything wrong with economic development in our country.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Rep. Maloney has done good work in this district, but much like the rest of the leadership of the Democratic Party, she has not adjusted to the realities on the ground in NY-12. Even though this district has a high per capita income, the reality is that too many people pay too much in rent, too much for healthcare, childcare, education, student debt, and transportation. She has been guilty of siding with corporations over struggling communities in these districts. Her support of the Amazon Deal is just one example. How can you say you’re pro-worker, pro-small business, and pro-immigrant if you want to give public wealth and land to a corporate monopoly like Amazon, which is the antithesis of all of these things? We can’t tolerate this double-speak anymore.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I believe that cities are our best defense against economic inequality, racial injustice and climate inaction, so my platform is about centering them in federal policy, which has never happened in our country, but must in the 21st century. In addition to working on the Homes Guarantee to make cities affordable and introducing the Freedom of Movement in America Plan to make transit free, I’ve also developed the New Economy of Care outline, which adjusts our post-COVID economy to give a bigger share of the economic pie to workers instead of investors, makes it easier for parents and caregivers to balance their obligations and self-care, and shares the benefits of technology with everyone. I support Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and getting money out of politics as well.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have shown consistency and commitment to my community by being an activist for 10 years through 3 rent law fights and as a union delegate at Baruch College. I have shown my hard work and creativity as the co-founder of two successful startup companies and as the Program Director for the CUNY Startups Accelerator Program. I have proven my policy chops as a policy advisor for multiple presidential candidates and congressional leaders. And I have shown my courage to lead as the only candidate to protest the Amazon HQ2 deal last year. I have the relationships, the experience, and the values to lead this district at a critical time in its history.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

When we fight. We win.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I was once, purely by accident, in a Drake music video directed by P. Diddy.