Attorney and former Obama staffer Suraj Patel, a 38-year-old progressive, is also running on a generational argument against the two septuagenarians.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, center, and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, right, speak to a Nadler supporter while campaigning outside Zabar's on the Upper West Side of New York, Aug. 20, 2022.The Democratic primary battle between Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler in New York City is heading to a bitterly personal finish that'll see one of the senior House members leave Congress.
"The loser in this is New York. New York voters have been forced into this messy situation of being forced to make a choice that they never planned to and never intended. These are two members in good standing with the electorate," said New York City-based Democratic strategist Jon Reinish. "If you're a New York City voter, it really sucks to have to make this choice."Nadler and Maloney, both elected in 1992, have longstanding ties to different parts of Manhattan.
Maloney, meanwhile, has seemingly gone after Nadler's age. While Nadler, 75, is one year Maloney's junior, she appeared to pour jet fuel on chatter about his stamina, particularly after he sat at a primary debate while Maloney and Patel stood. "My thought was that Patel could benefit from that being from a new and younger generation. However, maybe it has benefited Nadler and to an extent Maloney that Washington Democrats over the past couple of weeks have some wind at their backs, seem to have opened up their eyes, realized that they're in the majority and have delivered.