FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brooklyn, NY — The unprecedented victory of Zohran Mamdani in New York City sends a clear and powerful message. Voters are demanding affordability, dignity, and a government that treats basic needs as human rights, not privileges reserved for the few.
Across our city, too many New Yorkers are struggling just to survive, let alone live with stability and security. Rising grocery prices, crushing housing costs, and stagnant wages have pushed working people, seniors, and families to the edge. The Mamdani campaign resonated because it unapologetically centered affordability and economic justice, reflecting the lived reality of everyday New Yorkers.
Affordability must remain a priority at every level of government, including Congress. Healthcare is a human right. The federal government must continue to fund and strengthen subsidies that make healthcare affordable and accessible. No one should be forced to choose between medical care and paying rent or buying food.
Housing is also a human right. Yet housing costs have reached crisis levels, with many families spending an unsustainable share of their income just to stay housed. We must take bold federal action to expand deeply affordable housing, protect tenants, and ensure that everyone has a safe and stable place to call home.
We must also address immigration with honesty and balance. Immigration policy in this country has swung like a pendulum from one extreme to another, from communities being overwhelmed by an unmanaged influx of asylum seekers to cruel mass deportation policies. Neither approach works, and neither reflects our values. We need a balanced, humane immigration policy that welcomes immigrants, protects workers, and does not overwhelm local communities. Immigrants are essential to our economy and can strengthen and supplement our workforce, but the process must be orderly and fair.
That means taking the time to properly vet immigrants and fundamentally revamping the asylum system so people are not left in limbo for months or years waiting for their cases to be heard. A broken system helps no one. Compassion and competence must go hand in hand.
These crises are interconnected, and they demand federal leadership rooted in solidarity, fairness, and justice. That is why I am running for Congress in New York’s 10th District: to bring a democratic socialist vision to Washington that puts people over profits, guarantees healthcare and housing as human rights, and builds an immigration system that is humane, fair, and functional.
The message from voters is clear. It is time to listen, and it is time to act.
Respectfully,
Nickie Kane
Candidate for Congress, NY District 10