Epstein Sworn into Council Seat, Endorses Powers in 4-Way Race for Assembly

The race among four candidates seeking to land the Democratic party endorsement in a special election for the 74th Assembly district may have taken a pivotal turn when outgoing Assembly member Harvey Epstein endorsed Keith Powers as the person he’d like to succeed him.

Epstein officially vacated the Assembly seat at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 3 and was sworn in to the City Council seat he won by a landslide in the November election on Dec. 4. Because his predecessor, Carlina Rivera, resigned from the council in late August, Epstein can take the seat immediately.

In a throwback to the Tammany Hall politics from a bygone era, in the race for the Assembly seat, the Democratic standard bearer won’t be decided by popular vote but will instead by picked by several hundred Democratic party delegates.

But the outcome won’t be known for sure until 205 eligible voters who are members of four downtown Democratic Clubs vote at Sirovich Center at 131 E. 12th St. on Dec. 10. The balloting to determine which of the four candidates will be designated the official Democratic candidate can only be done in person.

The 74th Assembly district spans the East Village, parts of the Lower East Side (north of Chinatown) the eastern portion of Greenwich Village, and parts of mid-town East including Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village, Union Square, Gramercy Park, Murray Hill and Kips Bay.

The eligible delegates include 52 members of a combined Part A group that includes members of two political clubs: the Coalition for District Alternatives and the Three Bridges Democratic Club; the Eleanor Roosevelt Independent Democratic Club, which is the product of two merged clubs, has 104 votes and the Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club has 52 members. The four clubs held a candidate forum back on Sept. 17th to hear what the candidates had to say.

Powers, a term limited City Council member is squaring off against Sarah Batchu, Kevin O’Keefe and Marquis Jenkins, all seeking to be the official designee of the Democratic party in a special election expected to be held early next year. Only one can be the official Dem candidate. The others could gather petitions and get on the ballot as independents should they so desire.

Epstein in his endorsement said, “Keith Powers has been a consistent champion for tenants–protecting affordability, fighting displacement and supporting a rent freeze to keep families in their homes. Having represented AD 74, I know how critical strong tenant leadership is. Keith is exactly the person we need in Albany to carry that work forward.”

In the heavily Democratic district, the Democratic candidate is usually the winner in the general election. In the 2024 Assembly contest, the Republicans did not field a contest. In the City Council race, Epstein defeated Republican candidate Jason Murillo in the general election on Nov. 4, pulling in nearly 80 percent of the vote. But to get there, he had to hold off four other challengers in the primary, in which he eventually topped a surprisingly strong effort by runner up first time candidate Sarah Batchu who finished with 43 percent of the vote to Epstein’s 57 percent.

Epstein gets a small bump up in salary by joining the city council. As a NYS Assembly member in 2024, he was paid $145,000. Rivera, in her last full year on the council in 2023, pulled in $148,093.

Powers on the other hand will be making less than he earned on the city council if he wins the Assembly seat. He was term limited and the seat he held will be held by Virginia Maloney who won the November election and will be officially sworn in on Jan. 1.

After the Epstein endorsement, Powers would have to be regarded as the favorite as Dem club members huddle on Dec. 10 to designate the party’s official candidate. The special election, however won’t be held until early next year. Governor Kathy Hochul has yet to set a date for the special election, but most observers expect it to be in February.