October 25 2025, 08:15 
Erik Bottcher, 46, the gay New York City Council member representing a large LGBTQ+ constituency in Chelsea, the West Village, and Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan, is likely running for Congress.
Earlier this month, Bottcher filed paperwork to run for the seat of longtime Democratic power broker Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who’s retiring, but stopped short of a formal declaration.
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He raised nearly $700,000 in his first 24 hours as a nascent candidate, a New York State record.
“I love my country, and I won’t stand by while it’s torn apart by Donald Trump and his neo-fascist forces,” Bottcher said in a message to supporters on social media. “It’s time for a new generation of leaders to take charge and take our country back.”
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The attack on democracy is coming from inside the house, “at the highest levels of our government,” Bottcher told City & State on Wednesday.
Bottcher said that Nadler’s decision not to seek reelection “creates an incredible opportunity” for new leaders “to step forward — and for our community to make history.”
Remarkably, the youthful-looking council member is the oldest of the expected contenders for Nadler’s seat.
Those include New York Assembly members Alex Bores, 34, and Micah Lasher, 43, considered Nadler’s heir apparent; Jack Schlossberg, 32, the writer, influencer, and only grandson of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy; and community activist and nonprofit founder Liam Elkind, 26.
“I’m blown away by the tremendous outpouring of support in such a short period,” Bottcher said Thursday.
“It’s clear that people across the district are hungry for a new generation of leadership that will stand up for our values and deliver real results. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who contributed and showed their support. In the weeks ahead, I’m looking forward to having many conversations with neighbors across Manhattan and will share more about my decision soon.”
That will likely include an official announcement of his candidacy, or a pledge to refund all those campaign contributions.
Bottcher has represented Manhattan’s Third City Council District since 2022.
His resume includes a run as Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s LGBTQ liaison, as chief of staff to then-Council Speaker Corey Johnson from his same council district, and as aide to state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the latter two both gay trailblazers in New York politics.
If elected, Bottcher would be the first out gay member of Congress from Manhattan and the third from New York City, after Ritchie Torres (D) from the Bronx, and disgraced former Rep. George Santos (R) from Queens, who was just granted clemency after serving several months of a seven-year sentence.
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.
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