U.S Rep. Jerrold Nadler also known as Jerry Nadler is running for New York‘s 12th Congressional District in the Democratic primary along with Carolyn Maloney, Suraj Patel and Ashmi Sheth. As a result of congressional redistricting, this is one of six primaries featuring two U.S. House incumbents. Maloney represents the old 12th congressional District, while Nadler represents the old 10th.

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Who is Jerrold Nadler?

Jerrold Lewis Nadler, born on June 13, 1947, is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the United States Representative for New York’s 10th congressional district since 2013. He is 75 years old. He is a Democrat in his 15th term in Congress. He was elected to represent the state’s 17th congressional district (1992-1993), which was renumbered the 8th congressional district (1993-2013) and is now the 10th congressional district. 

Nadler was born in Brooklyn to a Jewish family to Miriam and Emanuel  Nadler. He attended Crown Heights Yeshiva as a child, making him the only member of Congress with a yeshiva education. In 1965, he graduated from Stuyvesant High School.

Nadler graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in 1969. Nadler worked as a legal assistant and clerk after graduating from Columbia, first with Corporation Trust Company in 1970, and then with the Morris, Levin, and Shein law firm in 1971. Before becoming shift manager at the New York City Off-Track Betting Corporation, Nadler worked as a legislative assistant in the New York State Assembly in 1972. In 1976, Nadler was elected to the New York State Assembly. In 1978, he graduated from Fordham Law School.

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From 1977 to 1992, Nadler was a member of the New York State Assembly, serving in the 182nd, 183rd, 184th, 185th, 186th, 187th, 188th, and 189th New York State Legislatures. He ran for Manhattan Borough President in 1985. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by David Dinkins. In the general election, he ran as the New York Liberal Party’s nominee and was defeated yet again by Dinkins.

He ran for New York City Comptroller in 1989. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by Kings County District Attorney Elizabeth Holtzman. The Assembly Subcommittee on Mass Transit and Rail Freight was founded and chaired by Nadler.

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Ted Weiss died before running for reelection in 1992 in the 8th congressional district, which had been renumbered from the 17th following the 1990 U.S. Nadler was chosen to replace Weiss. On Election Day, he ran in two elections: a special election to finish Weiss’s eighth term in the old 17th district, and a regular election for a full two-year term in the new 8th district. He won both elections and has been re-elected 15 times with no significant opposition. 

Since 2019, Nadler has served as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.