Mr. Patel lacks credibility. He voted in his parents' district in 2016, even though he claims to be an East Villager for 12 years.
2016.
He calls registering to vote in 2017 elsewhere, a clerical error.
He has a vacation home on Long Island, so, if anything, he truly represents the gentrifying element of "our" neighborhood.
5
I hope all these upstarts win their elections. These people who become entrenched in Congress are part of the problem. Fresh blood is good. And we need more women and people of color.
11
Why is anyone treating these challengers with zero chance as anything more than ego-driven trial balloons for future campaigns?
More importantly, the notion that Democrats need a fierce battle over issues or "purity," when that's exactly what put Trump in the White House, is dangerous. The only things that matters for 2018 is electing more Democrats. Anything else is doing what Trump (and Putin) wants.
15
Fake profiles on dating sites to troll for votes? And this is an ethics professor? Eww.
I also saw that in Patel's debate with Maloney, he called his teaching of business ethics "God's work."
Reached for comment, God said: uh, no. I did not hire him.
34
I have met Adem Bunkeddeko twice on the streets of our district in Brooklyn and found him to be energetic, clearly super smart and committed. His personal history is inspiring, and his heart is clearly in the right place. I think our district would be well-served by him.
20
Incumbency isn't everything. If a legislator is totally ineffective, then the voters aren't being represented. I have lived in Yvette Clarke's district for 30 years, and I have never once seen her. Recently I reached out to her office by phone and email, and it took days to get a reply; my request for an appointment has remained unanswered for the past three months.
Fortunately, there is an excellent alternative: Adem Bunkeddeko. Earlier this week, I hear Adem speak--yes, he came to my neighborhood--and three times he said that he would make decisions based on what is morally, not politically, right. Clearly, this is the kind of person we need in Washington at this perilous time for our nation.
No one owns a seat in Congress; at least, they shouldn't. And I wasn't aware that candidates had to wait in a queue until their number comes up. If 2016 taught the Democrats anything, it should be that we need some fresh, new faces in Washington.
25
I find Mr. Patel appalling.
'Tinder banking' is his answer to the issues.
What a bankrupt, unintelligent, unengaged group of young people we've raised. Social media is the end all and be all of this dumbed-down part of our population?
27
Yikes! I agree. I was considering voting for him. But then I read this article. How deceitful and appalling.
22
These two insurgents came at the wrong time.
At this moment (it could change) the republicans are running scared re the midterms not the democrats and senior pols. like Crowley and Maloney have nothing to fear from the voters.
So whether you think Crowley and Maloney are capable or useless it really doesn't matter. Their seats are safe for them.
3
If I was "catfished" by a candidate, I would have a hard time believing that they would be honest in their other efforts. Has Trump's message to Dems been that dishonesty is acceptable?
36
You said it!
12
The sheer arrogance of this party and their rancid incumbents yet every two years they scratch their heads wondering why their "base" doesn't come out to vote in general elections.
13
Maloney was until verrrrrry recently anti-vaccine. I am sick of the NYC establishment choosing mediocre representation for me. I will be voting for Patel.
14
As I have received several mailings from J. Lewis that were so vicious and misstated facts that Eliot Engel's campaign had to respond to them, I find it hard to understand why your reporters did not report about the negative Jon Lewis's campaign mailings. I trust The Times to report both sides factually. This is an instance where it did not.
5
Fortunately New York City is still considered a Democratic stronghold, so we have nothing to fear as far as a sudden conservative, pro-Trump Red wave is concerned.
But if the party sees itself split down the middle like it was during the 2016 presidential campaign and election -- I dread to think of it yielding the same consequences.
We can't afford to let that happen twice.
11
The Left has in a sense won many races against incumbent congresspeople, because they have been forced to adopt our platform of Medicare for All, $15 minimum wage, free college, etc. But right now, we are mostly focused on open House seats and the state and local level - the fight against incumbent Democrats is mostly on hold until 2020 and beyond so we can see who is with or against Bernie Sanders.
8
Bernie can't win in a national election. We need younger better candidates. If you thought HRC was bad, wait until the RNC gets a Bernie smear campaign heated up. He has given them a lot of red meat to cook up over the years.
That said, he is great as the senator from Vermont. He is an important independent voice. But run him and he loses in a national election. I will bet money on that. The so-called independent voters that need to be swayed are a skittish bunch and easily influenced - which is why there is such a fight for them. Let's not try to lose.
9
Although Representative Jeffries is correct when he told Adem Bunkeddeko that Barack Obama ran for lower office, he omitted the fact that after serving two terms in the Illinois Senate, Obama did challenge an incumbent member of Congress, Bobby Rush, in 2000 Democratic primary and lost by a 2-1 margin. That didn't seem to damage his political future.
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