June 28, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer has endorsed Cynthia Nixon in her bid to be the next governor of New York–the first council member to do so from the borough.

The two made a joint announcement this morning at Bliss Plaza, under the 7 line’s 46th St station.

Van Bramer said the time is right to “wholeheartedly and unequivocally” support Nixon, the former actress who announced her run for New York governor in March.

“We have the opportunity to elect a strong, powerful, passionate, and qualified woman to be the next governor of the state of New York,” he said. “We have the opportunity to elect someone that we can all be proud of now. That’s why I’m taking a stand—we can’t support the wait any longer.”

The Council Member noted his admiration for Nixon’s work in education advocacy, the arts, and in denouncing the state of the subway system and holding Governor Cuomo accountable as some of his reasons for supporting her.

He added that he first considered endorsing Nixon at the state Democratic convention last month.

The news of the Council Member’s intention to support Nixon came late last night, one day after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stunned the Democratic establishment by beating Rep. Joe Crowley in the 14th District primary.

Van Bramer, who endorsed Crowley in that race, admitted that his support for Nixon was partly inspired by Ocasio-Cortez’s win.

“Two days ago, we saw an epic, transformational moment in the political history of Queens, the city, and maybe even the country with the election of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” he said.

He added that voters on Tuesday spoke to a desire for “strong, bold” Democrats free from the grasp of machine politics, and said Nixon had the foresight to endorse Ocasio-Cortez.

“Alexandria’s epic and monumental victory is certainly one that all Democrats who are in office, or want to be in office, should respond to,” he said. “…When someone else is able to show you a direction that maybe you thought wasn’t possible, if you want all of those voices to be empowered, then you should follow and react to that in a way that further empowers that movement.”

Nixon said Van Bramer’s endorsement demonstrates how to oppose and defeat “a machine.”

“This campaign is a movement,” she said. “This is a campaign about people coming together across New York State. We are talking to New Yorkers…about the issues they care most about.”

She spoke to some of the issues she’s hoping to address as governor in her progressive campaign, including instituting a single-payer healthcare plan, fixing the subway, and passing legislation to protect undocumented New Yorkers and women’s reproductive health.

“We can show the country, particularly at this dire moment in our history, that New York has a better way to lead this country and to protect all of our people here at a time when New Yorkers of all stripes are so under attack from the federal government,” she said.

Van Bramer is the second City Council Member to publicly endorse Cynthia Nixon in her primary campaign, with the first being Council Member Carlos Menchaca.