December 27 2025, 08:15 
Despite setting a New York state fundraising record upon announcing his congressional candidacy, gay New York City Council member Erik Bottcher (D) has announced he is dropping out of his House race and running for state senate instead.
“This decision is rooted in where I believe I can do the most good immediately,” Bottcher said in a statement. “The State Senate is where critical decisions are being made on housing affordability, addressing the mental health crisis, safeguarding our environment, and defending New York from the Trump agenda. At a moment when MAGA extremists are attacking our freedoms and undermining democracy, strong state leadership matters more than ever.”
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Bottcher will run in a special election for State Senate District 47. Its current state senator, gay Democrat Brad Hoylman-Sigal, is leaving his seat after being elected Manhattan borough president.
“Running for public office has never been about titles for me,” Bottcher said. “It has never been about chasing the position with the most power. It has always been about where I can make the most meaningful difference and help make people’s lives better.”
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On the city council, Bottcher currently represents a large LGBTQ+ constituency in Chelsea, the West Village, and Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan. In October, he filed paperwork to run for the seat of longtime Democratic power broker Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who’s retiring. Even though he did not make an immediate formal declaration of candidacy, he raised a New York State record of $700,000 in the 24 hours after that paperwork was filed.
Bottcher’s political activism started early.
After graduating from Lake Placid High School, he wrote an open letter to the school board sharing his experiences with bullying at the school. Soon after, the district added “sexual orientation” to its non-discrimination policy.
He has represented Manhattan’s Third City Council District since 2022 and is currently term-limited from running again.
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