[11th District Politics]

Topic: Politics

So it turns out that Congressman Major R. Owens of the 11th District (i.e., mine) is retiring at the end of his current term, and the district is very much in play. Of course, it’s not a contest between a Republican and a Democrat — you can be sure that come November 7, the 11th will go overwhelmingly for the Democratic candidate — but among Democrats at the primary election on September 12th.

I don’t know too much about the situation yet, but it’s still some ways away. There’s a useful, if slanted, Amsterdam News article. I expect that things will heat up in the coming months, especially considering how big a role race plays in this election. The 11th District was created in 1965 as part of the Voting Rights Act, and it has been held by African-Americans ever since. Councilman David Yassky, the candidate with the most money, is white, and possibly cozy with real estate developers who are driving the process of gentrification that is turning the 11th whiter. The other three candidates are African-American, but the question is whether they will split the African-American vote such that Yassky comes out the winner.

And who do I support? I have no idea at this point.

Here are the candidates’ websites: