Jonathan Herzog, a former campaign coordinator for entrepreneur and presidential candidate Andrew Yang, said Monday he plans to compete for the congressional seat currently held by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
Mr. Herzog plans to challenge Mr. Nadler in New York’s Democratic primary election next year.
A former student of Harvard Law School, Mr. Herzog took an indefinite leave from the university last year to lead Mr. Yang’s presidential campaign in Iowa. Mr. Herzog is now running for Congress on some of the same platforms as the White House hopeful, including expanding Medicare to cover all Americans and offering a $1,000 monthly “Freedom Dividend” to every adult older than 18.
“We’re going through the greatest economic and technological shift in our history,” Mr. Herzog said in a video announcement. “We need to pass 21st-century solutions to these 21st-century problems now.”
“As the campaign took off, the question came up over and over again: How are we gonna get this agenda through Congress? This is my answer. So join the movement and let’s fix the system together.”
Mr. Nadler, 72, has represented New York’s 10th Congressional District since 2013. His office did not immediately return a message requesting comment.
New York is slated to hold Democratic and Republican primary contests in June to decide what candidates will compete in the 2020 general election. Lindsey Boylan, a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and Amanda Frankel, a former Wall Street investment analyst, previously announced plans to run in next year’s Democratic primary.
Mr. Yang, a 44-year-old tech industry entrepreneur, is among more than 20 candidates currently vying for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. He is currently polling in the single digits among likely voters.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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