Carolyn Maloney To Seek Re-Election, Setting Up Patel Rematch

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Carolyn Maloney will seek another term in Congress next year, the veteran lawmaker announced Wednesday, tamping down speculation that she would retire after a few tough primary challenges and nearly three decades representing Manhattan's East Side.

Maloney, a 75-year-old Democrat, would reach the 30-year mark in Congress if she is re-elected in 2022 and serves another two-year term. Her 12th congressional district includes the Upper East Side, Midtown, East Village and Roosevelt Island, as well as parts of western Queens and Greenpoint in Brooklyn.

But her competition is already shaping up: Suraj Patel, an attorney who challenged Maloney in the 2018 and 2020 Democratic primaries, told Patch Wednesday that "I fully expect to be a candidate in this race later this year."

"Everywhere I go right now the mood is for new energy and optimism for a new New York after the pandemic," he said.

Patel, 37, lost to Maloney by only about 3,200 votes in last year's primary after a drawn-out absentee ballot-counting process. That was a narrower margin than his 2018 challenge, which Maloney brushed back by nearly 20 percentage points.

When I first ran for office, they said I was too young. They told me I’d never win because I was a woman.

$10 billion dollars to NYC and 70 bills signed into law later, I say never take no for an answer and: pic.twitter.com/eWfiezJn9y
— Carolyn B. Maloney (@CarolynBMaloney) March 31, 2021

Patel, an East Village resident, knocked Maloney during the campaigns for previously supporting "tough-on-crime" laws, and for past comments in which she questioned the safety of vaccines. (Maloney later backed off the claims.)

"Sixty percent of the votes that were actually counted in this race last time voted for change," Patel said Wednesday, referring to Maloney's earning about 43 percent of the 2020 primary vote. Two other Democratic challengers earned about 17 percent combined.

Meanwhile, Reshma Saujani, a nonprofit founder who mounted a well-funded challenge to Maloney in 2010, stepped down from her job in February, prompting speculation that she would run again. Saujani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a news release, Maloney's campaign touted her "unmatched record for delivering federal money to her district," including $5.6 billion for the city in this month's federal stimulus.

"Now more than ever, our city needs innovative leaders to spearhead our rebuilding from the COVID-19 crisis, and I am proud to say that I have started rolling up my sleeves," Maloney said. "We will bounce back and defeat this virus, and I will continue to do what I have always done: fight for the people of my district who I am privileged to represent."

Maloney was first elected to Congress in 1992, defeating incumbent Republican Bill Green. She previously represented Manhattan's East Side in the New York City Council for a decade.

Previous coverage:

• Suraj Patel Concedes Defeat To Maloney In Congressional Race
• Carolyn Maloney Declared Winner In New York Congressional Primary
• Trump Suggests Do-Over In NYC Congressional Race Due To Delays