Four West Harlem leaders have announced their candidacy in the most competitive race the 70th Assembly district has seen since Inez Dickens succeeded Keith Wright in 2017.
District 70 includes Manhattanville, West Harlem, and Central Harlem, spanning from West 110th Street to West 145th Street. The district encompasses Columbia’s Manhattanville campus, City College of New York, Morningside Park, St. Nicholas Park, and a part of Riverside Park.
The declared candidates—Maria Ordoñez, CC ’23, Shana Harmongoff, Joshua Clennon, and Jordan Wright, the son of Keith Wright—are vying for the contested seat previously held by Dickens. Ordoñez was the first to announce her campaign for the office and Jordan Wright, who announced his candidacy on Feb. 24, was the last to join the race.
All candidates in the District 70 race said that they are participating or planning to participate in the New York State Public Campaign Finance Program, a new initiative in which the state matches small donations—between $5 and $250—made by district residents to local political campaigns. The primaries will be held on June 25.