NYC’s Democrats forced to pick between Nadler and Maloney in primary

Some of Manhattan’s wealthy Democrats are being forced to pick sides between Reps. Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney, two of the party’s most powerful House lawmakers, in a primary race that is pitting the incumbents against each other in the city’s newly redrawn 12th district.

The lawmakers, longtime colleagues in the House, now have to fight each other to save their seats after a court ordered New York’s 12th congressional district to be redrawn. It now encompasses much of Nadler’s old district on the Upper West Side and Maloney’s on the Upper East Side.

Both are hosting fundraisers ahead of the Aug. 23 primary, forcing some of the wealthiest donors in the Big Apple, many of whom are used to supporting both candidates in prior elections, to declare their alliance in what could be one of the most expensive House campaigns in the 2022 midterms.

Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran New York Democratic strategist, estimates $5 million or more could be spent by, or on the behalf of, each candidate.

“By all measures, the kind of dough that buys political consultants houses in the Hamptons,” he said in an interview with CNBC. Maloney’s campaign came into April with over $1 million on hand, while Nadler’s political organization entered the second quarter with just under $850,000, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings. There are at least four Democratic candidates running for the new district, including Suraj Patel, who once worked on President Barack Obama’s advance team.

Maloney told CNBC in a statement that she’s been actively fundraising for the primary over the past 18 months and said her supporters are convinced she should represent the newly redrawn district. A representative for Nadler did not return a request for comment.

“They know that my record of proven accomplishment for NY-12 merits my return to the halls of Congress for another two years, and with their support, I will be able to communicate my message of accomplishment so that voters both new and old will know, too,” the veteran lawmaker said.

Nadler chairs the powerful House Judiciary Committee while Maloney is chair of the arguably equally powerful House Oversight and Reform Committee.

New York saw one of the most expensive House elections during the 2020 campaign, with spending in the race for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s seat totaling over $30 million, according to data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. More than $930 million came from donors based in the New York metro area during the 2020 election to candidates running for office across the country, the data shows.

Alan Rubin, a principal at law firm Blank Rome’s government affairs office, said in an interview that he is organizing a fundraiser for Nadler in late June at his company’s New York office. There are currently no plans for the firm to host Maloney. Charles Myers, the former vice chair at investment firm Evercore, said he’s hosting Maloney at his New York home in July.

A group of Blank Rome…