Self-described as a longtime Democratic Party volunteer and attorney, Ben Jackson announced his candidacy for the role of male Democratic district leader in the 81st Assembly District in December 2023.

 

According to information posted to the Bronx Democratic Party website, each assembly district in The Bronx elects two Democratic district leaders – one male and one female. According to his bio, Jackson is “a lawyer who works on behalf of unions, pension funds, and retirement systems to hold large corporations and corporate executives accountable when fraud and misconduct puts people’s retirement savings at risk.” He works at Cohen Milstein, “a law firm committed to fighting corporate wrongdoing that has also brought several lawsuits against Donald Trump both during and after his presidency.”

 

Jackson said he has been volunteering for Democratic Party campaigns for over twenty years. He said that in 2016, he ran the Democratic Party’s nationwide system of voter assistance and voter protection hotlines, working out of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign headquarters. He said he also served on the party’s national voter protection team in 2020. Through this work, Jackson said he has helped over 70,000 people across the nation protect and exercise their right to vote.

 

“I’m running for Democratic District Leader because we need to do more than just talk, Tweet, or post on Instagram about engaging voters,” Jackson said. “Some people talk about increasing voter turnout, but I’ve actually done it – on a national scale.”

He continued, “I’m also running for Democratic District Leader because I want to build a more inclusive Democratic Party – one that is welcoming to both moderates and progressives, and one that is focused on the future, and not the petty fights of the past. At this critical moment, we need to engage every last Democrat in our District to fight back against the Republican Party’s radical right-wing agenda.”

 

Jackson said his family has been in New York since the 1880s, when they came to the country to escape persecution against Jews in Eastern Europe. He said that several generations later, he and his wife, Anna, are raising their two children, Ruthie and Henry, in the Riverdale section of the borough.

 

The 81st Assembly District, which covers much of the Northwest Bronx includes some or all of the neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, Wakefield, Woodlawn, Kingsbridge, Fieldston, Riverdale, North Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil and the assemblyman representing the district is Assembyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.

 

Michael Heller announced on Jan. 10 that he is running for re-election as a member of the New York State Democratic Committee, representing the 81st Assembly District. Heller is a former president of the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club, located in Kingsbridge.

 

As also reported, incumbent Democratic female district leader (A.D. 81) and Unity Democratic Club member, Abigail Martin, is also running for election as district leader in the 81st assembly district, as is incumbent Democratic male district Leader (A.D. 81) and Unity Democratic Club member, Ramdat Singh.

 

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Primary Election Day for Congress, State and Party positions is Tuesday, June 25, and polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. To find your polling site, as well as additional information on the election and candidates, visit the New York City Board of Elections website at: www.vote.nyc/elections.