Harvey Epstein Guns for Manhattan Democratic Party Leadership

“We don’t have enough people out doing the work,” he said. “For a progressive borough, I think we just don’t do enough.”

The assemblymember’s announcement comes as the current top two Manhattan Democrats find themselves embroiled in controversy. Last month, 18 district leaders proposed a policy that would have ousted Wright from the county leadership. The district leaders sought to ban working in lobbying while in the top position — and Wright oversees strategy at a powerful lobbying firm.

Last week, a party committee refused to take up the proposal.

“This issue was already discussed at great length and voted down,” Chung Seto, the chair of the committee, wrote in an email obtained by New York Focus. In 2019, with an assist from Minerva, Wright quashed a similar attempted overthrow.

Wright has since come to Minerva’s aid: Over the summer, he stepped in — unsuccessfully — to circumvent a revolt against Minerva’s attempt to nullify the party’s judicial nomination process. Manhattan Democrats lashed out after Minerva tried to override the selection process for a powerful judicial nomination: A screening panel had declined to recommend his wife for the job.

“There’s a real opportunity to move past some of the controversy we’ve seen over the past few months and bring someone to office for the county whose goal it is to make the Democrats [stronger],” said Epstein, explaining his candidacy for county chair. “My wife’s not trying to be a judge.”

Epstein will be running from the left of current leadership, but he has a politically eclectic coalition behind him.

Among them are fellow liberal-progressives, as well as good government advocates, who criticize Wright and Minerva’s reign as compromised.