Rebecca Seawright has represented the 76th Assembly District since her election in 2015; she is the Secretary of the Majority Conference. As a lawmaker, she has been a leading voice advocating for women’s rights: sponsoring the first pass of New York’s Equal Rights Amendment, as well as legislation to create a public database on female representation in public policy roles. Seawright also sponsored several bills that simplified the campaign finance system which were signed into law. In this race, her campaign focuses on ensuring the health and livelihood of her constituents, and she commits to keeping a high level of constituent service at the forefront of her work. Due to a petition filing error, Seawright was removed from the Democratic and Working Families lines, leading her to run as an independent in this election under the Rise and Unite party line. During her interview, she described how this experience has inspired her to become more involved in the election process, and indicated that she will be pursuing appointment to the Election Committee should she be re-elected. The Assembly Member supports all of the items on Citizens Union’s questionnaire, and stressed she would like to focus on budget reform, allowing the Legislature to play an equal role with the Governor in shaping the state budget. Citizens Union found her to be a strong and admirable candidate, and noted that her experience of being removed from the ballot seems to have inspired her to be a better representative overall. Given the high level of constituent services she provides her district, as well as her strong legislative reform record, Citizens Union endorses Rebecca Seawright in this race.

Patrick Bobilin is an executive at a digital marketing company and a former public school teacher who is running as an independent under the Blue Wave line. A former Vice President of the East River Democratic Club who ran for City Council in 2017, Bobilin has been organizing nightly vigils for George Floyd and other victims of police violence outside of Gracie Mansion in recent months. He is running on a progressive platform that includes passing the NY Health Act, extending the right to vote to permanent resident Green Card holders, implementing universal rent control, and creating a program for free childcare and housing vouchers for CUNY and SUNY students. He supports all items on Citizens Union’s reform agenda, and mentioned a particular interest in reforming the budget process and exploring a “Democracy Voucher” type of campaign finance system. Citizens Union found him to be an empathetic organizer with a strong understanding of the issues, and appreciates his dedication to the political process.