Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer pulls out of Queens borough president race
Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer announced Tuesday that he is ending his campaign for Queens borough president, citing family reasons.
“Family circumstances have been weighing on me for some time, causing me to reconsider the timing and feasibility of this campaign,” the Queens Democrat said in a statement.
“Prioritizing my responsibilities as a son and brother is where my attention needs to be right now. While this is a difficult decision, this is the right one for me and my family at this time.”
A special election will be held March 24 after former Borough President Melinda Katz was elected Queens district attorney.
Van Bramer helped lead the controversial fight against Amazon building a new headquarters in Long Island City — a deal that was ultimately scuttled due to the backlash.
The Queens pol had previously complained about getting threatening texts over his opposition, but told The Post that his decision to pull out of the race “has nothing to do with anything other than my mom and our family.”
Van Bramer was a front-runner and had already scored some key endorsements, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and actor-turned progressive darling Cynthia Nixon.
Others still vying for the beep job include fellow term-limited Councilmen Donovan Richards and Costa Constantinides, and former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley. The Queens Democratic Party is backing Richards.
Van Bramer as of last week had raised $463,701 for his campaign and had $203,185 on hand. His fundraising efforts have exceeded both Richards and Constantinides, but slightly trailed Crowley, the cousin of longtime Queens power broker and former Rep. Joe Crowley.
Richards, who has repeatedly attacked Van Bramer’s opposition of the Amazon HQ2 plan, wished him well.
“@JimmyVanBramer has always added breadth to the discourse on the future of Queens and I know that he will continue to do so,” Richards Tweeted Tuesday. “Family should always be a priority. My thoughts are with him and his family at this difficult time.”
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