Citing an inability to balance his responsibilities as a lawmaker with his duties to his family, New York State Assemblyman Victor Pichardo Jr., announced Friday that he would be stepping down.
The 36-year-old Democrat’s resignation will take effect next month.
“Eight years ago, I was a young man completely dedicated to my work … Today, I am blessed with a fantastic partner and wife, and two beautiful, intelligent, curious daughters,” he said in a message posted on Twitter. “Like many, I have struggled to balance spending time with them and focusing on the incredible work that needs to be done to improve our community. Unfortunately, I can no longer do both. Therefore, it is with a very heavy heart that I am stepping down from the New York State Assembly effective September 10th.”
Pichardo, a west Bronx lawmaker who currently chairs the Assembly’s Banks Committee, first joined the statehouse in 2014, winning a special election in November 2013. He won successive reelections in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020.