Progressive mayoral candidate Maya Wiley on Friday picked up a key Black endorsement from U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn) in the race for mayor.
Clarke, who represents Central Brooklyn’s large Caribbean neighborhoods, is the daughter of former City Councilwoman Una Clarke and whose Progressive Democrats Political Association club was an early and important backer of Bill de Blasio in his campaign for mayor.
However, City Councilmember Alicka Ampry-Samuel (D-Brownsville) and Assemblywoman Latrice Walker (D-Brownsville) – both of whom belong to the club and are very close to the Clarkes – are not backing Wiley. Amprey-Samuel has already endorsed Eric Adams for mayor, and Walker has appeared in Brownsville with Andrew Yang.
“Maya Wiley is the change maker this moment calls for; reimagining New York City requires experienced leadership,” said Clarke. “Maya has innovative plans to create more than 100,000 new jobs, support care workers, save small businesses and build a better New York City for everyone. She will bring competence and compassion to City Hall and has the experience to bring people together to facilitate substantive change. It’s time for a Black woman to be Mayor, and I am proud to support Maya.”
“I am honored to have the endorsement of my Congresswoman, Yvette Clarke,” said Wiley. “Congresswoman Clarke has been a strong leader for central Brooklyn for more than a decade and embodies the ‘unbought and unbossed’ spirit of her predecessor and my shero, Shirley Chisholm. I look forward to partnering with her to bring equitable COVID recovery to New York City by creating well-paying jobs, building more affordable housing, and putting the public back in public safety so that all New Yorkers can live with dignity.”
The endorsement comes as Yang and Adams – two moderates – continue to lead the polls while the far-left progressive wing appears split between Wiley, Comptroller Scott Stringer and Dianne Morales.
According to the New York Times, several key leftist organizations including Our City, the Democratic Socialists of America, the Sunrise Movement met last week with the consensus thinking that the left needs to urgently mobilize around the city elections.
Several key endorsements yet to come could determine which way the progressives move forward. This includes endorsements from the Working Families Party, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
