Embattled Harlem socialist Councilwoman Kristin R. Jordan not seeking re-election
Embattled left-wing democratic socialist Harlem Councilwoman Kristin R. Jordan announced Tuesday she’s not seeking re-election — a stunning development just weeks before the June 27 primary election.
“Unfortunately I am writing this to inform you that I have decided not to seek re-election and not to commit to another 2 years,” Jordan said in a June 27 Instagram post.
“I want to thank all those who stood in solidarity and all volunteers for your time and hard work.”
Political insiders said Jordan saw the “writing on the wall” and realized she was going to lose her Democratic primary election against rivals who include Assembly members Inez Dickens and Al Taylor as well as Yusef Salaam, who was exonerated in the infamous Central Park Five rape case.
Jordan’s liabilities included her attendance and voting record. The Post recently reported she missed nearly half of her Council committee meetings.
She also blocked an ambitious housing project in Harlem that was to include space for a civil rights museum backed by the Rev. Al Sharpton.
A self-described democratic socialist, Jordan is an abolitionist who backs defunding the police and has provoked outrage with anti-cop screeds and other remarks.
She has called the NYPD “the biggest gang in New York City” and a “white supremacist institution.”
Her other infamous tweets include sending sympathy to the relatives of Lashawn McNeil, the man charged with murdering police officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora responding to a domestic violence call last year, as well as the officers’ families.
The councilwoman also blamed Ukraine and the US for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Her critics had mixed feelings about the announcement.
They welcomed her departure but relished defeating Jordan at the polls.
“The only sad thing about the news is we’re not going to be able to beat her in the primary. She saw the writing on the wall,” said Kevin Elkins, political director of the New York City District Council of Carpenters, a union that is backing Al Taylor.
Jordan’s election in 2021 was a bit of a fluke.
She defeated incumbent Bill Perkins, who was seriously ill at the time.
The council’s 51 seats are up for re-election this two-year cycle because of decennial redistricting.
They’re usually up every four years.
