Overview
- Bottcher, 46, formally announced his bid for New York’s 12th Congressional District, entering a crowded Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler after 32 years in Congress.
- His campaign said it raised nearly $700,000 in the first 24 hours after opening an exploratory account, an early show of fundraising power.
- He is framing the race as a fight against what he calls autocratic threats under President Trump, citing concern over attacks on democratic norms and the Constitution.
- Bottcher is the only out gay candidate in the field and highlights a personal LGBTQ survival story, saying New York City “saved my life.”
- Pointing to his council tenure, he cites legislation expanding mental health services in homeless shelters, support for rezonings to add housing, and a 2022 clash with protesters that led to arrests as evidence he will not back down.