Van Bramer Files Petitions, Calls on Richards/County to Lay Off Dirty Tricks

QUEENS, NY (03/23/2021) (readMedia)-- Today Jimmy Van Bramer announced his campaign has collected 4,364 signatures to make the ballot for Queens Borough President -- nearly four times the required 1,200 signatures. Van Bramer contracted COVID-19 while petitioning for signatures because the Governor refused to cancel the signature requirement, despite a lawsuit from candidates including Van Bramer.

In response, Van Bramer pledged not to challenge his opponents' signatures and called on them to do the same. Although Donovan Richards agreed not to personally challenge signatures, the Queens County machine backing him has refused to do so. Typically anti-machine candidates have to collect 4-6 times as many signatures than the minimum required, to overcome the inevitable attempts by the machine to knock them off the ballot.

"The Governor has cravenly and consistently put politics over public health: from protecting his corporate backers and covering up nursing home deaths, to protecting the Queens machine by making progressive volunteers and staff petition in-person. That's why I and others contracted COVID-19, and Richards needs to show some leadership and direct the machine backing him to lay off their dirty tricks," Van Bramer said.

The campaign collected the signatures in just two weeks. Van Bramer suspended all volunteer petitioning after testing positive for COVID-19.