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Alessandra Biaggi

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Alessandra Biaggi
Member of the New York Senate
from the 34th district
In office
January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2022
Preceded byJeff Klein
Succeeded byNathalia Fernandez
Personal details
Born
Alessandra Rose Biaggi

(1986-05-20) May 20, 1986 (age 38)
Mount Vernon, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Nathaniel Koloc
​
(m. 2019)​
RelativesMario Biaggi (grandfather)
EducationNew York University (BA)
Fordham University (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website

Alessandra Rose Biaggi (born May 20, 1986) is an American politician from the state of New York. Biaggi is the granddaughter of former U.S. Congressman Mario Biaggi.[1]

A progressive Democrat,[2][3] Biaggi served as a member of the New York State Senate from 2019 to 2022, representing the 34th district. The district included portions of Bronx and Westchester Counties. Biaggi was first elected to the State Senate in 2018 after she defeated incumbent Sen. Jeffrey D. Klein in the Democratic primary. She chaired the New York State Senate Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance. Biaggi is notable for her advocacy for survivors of sexual misconduct.

In February 2022, Biaggi announced her candidacy for New York's 3rd congressional district after incumbent Democratic Rep. Thomas Suozzi announced his candidacy for governor of New York. After court-ordered redistricting removed Westchester County and the Bronx from the 3rd congressional district, Biaggi ended her candidacy there;[citation needed] she then announced her candidacy for New York's 17th congressional district, where she was defeated by incumbent Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney in the Democratic primary.[3]

Early life and education

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Biaggi was born in Mount Vernon, New York, and is Italian-American.[4][5] Her great-grandparents had immigrated to the United States from Italy, and she is the fourth generation of her family to live in her district.[6][7] Biaggi's grandfather, Mario Biaggi, served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York from 1969 to 1988.[8] She grew up first in Fort Lee, New Jersey, and when she was eight years old she moved with her family to Pelham, New York.[9][10] When she was a child, she was sexually abused for over a year.[11][12]

Biaggi graduated from Pelham Memorial High School ('04), where Biaggi was a cheerleader.[13] After attending Loyola College, Biaggi transferred to and ultimately graduated from New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2008.[14][15][16][10]

Biaggi then first attended St. John's University School of Law.[10] She subsequently transferred to and graduated from Fordham Law School in 2012, where she was a member of the Fordham Law Review. She was the first woman from her family to graduate from law school.[17][18][19][20] In 2014, she attended the Women's Campaign School at Yale University.[21]

Career

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Early years

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Biaggi interned in the office of U.S. Congressman Joseph Crowley after college, and while in law school with the Brooklyn District Attorney Rackets Bureau and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York Public Corruption and Appellate Bureaus.[21][15] She then worked from 2014 to 2015 at her first job as a lawyer, as Assistant General Counsel for New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Office of Storm Recovery.[22][10][15]

From May 2015 to December 2016, during the campaign for the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Biaggi served as Deputy National Operations Director for the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign.[21][10] She oversaw a staff of 200, and a budget of $500 million.[10] She said: "Everything was urgent in the moment. It was total chaos and I loved it. We played very hard, and it was very hard to lose."[23]

From April to December 2017, Biaggi served as counsel in Governor Cuomo's Counsel's Office, and as a member of the governor's executive clemency team.[21][24] She also created the Take Action Guide for Activism.[25][21]

New York State Senate (2019–2022)

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Biaggi served as chair of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance.[2]

Combating sexual abuse was one of Biaggi's policy issues.[26][27][28] She led the first public hearings in the New York State Senate on workplace sexual harassment in 27 years, and fought for tougher sexual harassment laws.[10] Susan Kang, Associate Professor of political science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said: "She is definitely making a name for herself as someone who is an advocate for victims of sexual violence."[29]

Biaggi also focused on institutional reform of Congress, of the Supreme Court, and institutions. Specifically, Biaggi also focused on banning trading stocks among members.[30]

Campaigns

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"I'm not going to wait for somebody to anoint me or choose me. I have got to step up."[31]

— Biaggi

Biaggi ran in 2018 in the primary for the Democratic nomination for New York State Senate in District 34. She ran against powerful longtime incumbent Jeffrey D. Klein, the number two Democrat in the NY Senate and the leader of the Independent Democratic Conference. Klein had held the seat for 14 years.[32][33][13][34] Klein outspent Biaggi by a rate of 9-to-1, spending $2.7 million to her $333,000.[13][35] Biaggi said: "The more people told me I couldn’t win, the more obsessed I became."[10]

In a major upset, Biaggi defeated Klein in the primary, 54%–46%.[2][36] She remarked: "It was a tough fight. And, I should also say, we should thank [Senator Klein] for his service. But his time is up."[37] Biaggi's victory was attributed by some to anger with the former members of the Independent Democratic Conference.[38][39]

As New York's electoral fusion laws allow candidates to appear on multiple ballot lines in an election, Klein still appeared in the November 6, 2018, general election on the third-party Independence Party of New York ballot line.[40] On November 6, 2018, Biaggi defeated Klein[41] and Republican Richard Ribustello and was elected to the New York State Senate.[2][42][43] At 32 years of age, she became one of the youngest women ever elected to the New York State Senate.[44]

In 2020, Biaggi was re-elected to the Senate with 74% of the vote.[45]

Tenure

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In June 2019, the New York legislature passed sweeping anti-sexual-harassment legislation that Biaggi had sponsored.[46] Among other things, the bills reduced employers' ability to avoid liability for their employees' behavior, provided for attorney fees and punitive damages, and lengthened the time frame within which to file complaints.[46] In her first six months in office, Biaggi introduced 80 bills, 17 of which were passed.[47]

In February 2021, Biaggi wrote on Twitter: "@NYGovCuomo, you are a monster, and it is time for you to go. Now."[48] At the time, her call for his resignation was what The New York Times described as: "something of an outlier in the Democrat-controlled Legislature."[48] On August 10, 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation.[49]

In May 2021 journalist Matthew Kassel opined: "Biaggi ... has gained a reputation, on her own merits, as an upstate force — an influential lawmaker with a growing list of legislative accomplishments who has carved out a space for herself as an outspoken and independent voice in Albany’s cutthroat political sphere."[29]

On September 24, 2021, Biaggi co-wrote a letter to US Senator Maria Cantwell with eight other New York State Senators, requesting that the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation engage in oversight of the United States Center for SafeSport, and step in to ensure that SafeSport is adequately conducting investigations.[50] They referred to what they called SafeSport's failure to carry out impartial and thorough investigations, and ensure the safety of athletes it is charged with protecting.[2] They highlighted the fact that despite serious outstanding allegations of sexual misconduct, sexual coercion, and other violent behaviors by former friends, peers, and current teammates, and an ongoing investigation, fencer Alen Hadzic was allowed to travel to Tokyo as an alternate for the 2021 Team USA Olympic fencing team.[2]

Biaggi was a vocal advocate for defunding the police.[51]

In 2022, Biaggi received criticism over her treatment of her staff.[52]

2022 congressional campaign

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On June 7, 2022, Biaggi announced that she would be running for New York's 17th congressional district in a primary challenge against DCCC chair Sean Patrick Maloney.[53] Upon her announcement, she was endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[54] On August 23, 2022, Biaggi lost to Maloney in the primary election.[55]

Recognition

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In 2019, Crain's New York Business named Biaggi to its annual "40 Under 40" list.[56]

In June 2021, she was named to the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center annual 40 Under 40: The Rising Stars in NYC Food Policy. She was noted for working "to transform and improve the food system."[57] In November 2021, Biaggi was named to the City & State New York "Women 100", as one of the prominent women wielding power in New York State.[58] She was noted especially for having long pushed for legislation addressing sexual assault and sexual abuse.[58]

Personal life

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On July 22, 2019, in Tarrytown, New York, Biaggi married Nathaniel Koloc. He is a management consultant whom she met in 2015, and who also worked on the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign.[59][60][61]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Biaggi running for Westchester, Long Island US House seat". AP NEWS. February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Alessandra Biaggi". Ballotpedia.
  3. ^ a b Solender, Andrew (August 23, 2022). "Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney soundly defeats progressive challenger". Axios. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  4. ^ Zak Kastro (September 9, 2018). "Insurgent candidate learned politics at the family table". The Riverdale Press.
  5. ^ Alessandra Biaggi (October 25, 2019). "Senator Biaggi issues statement on the Closure of Mount Vernon Hospital". NY State Senate. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  6. ^ "2018 General Election Endorsements". New York Amsterdam News. November 1, 2018.
  7. ^ "Immigration MIC: NYS Senator Alessandra Biaggi on her Italian immigrant roots & the underdog story to the NYS Senate! on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts.
  8. ^ "Insurgent candidate learned politics at the family table". The Riverdale Press. September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  9. ^ "Meet Senator Biaggi". Alessandra Biaggi. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Ramaswamy, Swapna Venugopal (July 15, 2019). "Alessandra Biaggi: A losing streak, then unseating a political kingpin". The Journal News.
  11. ^ Bernadette Hogan (August 14, 2019). "Four New York lawmakers open up about childhood sexual abuse". The New York Post.
  12. ^ "State Sen. Biaggi shares painful chapter in childhood involving underage sex abuse". News 12 The Bronx. August 19, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Biaggi upsets state Sen. Klein in 34th District primary". News 12 - Westchester. September 13, 2018.
  14. ^ Eric M. Appleman. "Hillary for America Organization-2016 General Election". Democracy in Action.
  15. ^ a b c Alessandra Biaggi (January 23, 2017). "True Story: I Worked For Hillary". Yes and Yes.
  16. ^ Alessandra Biaggi (May 9, 2019). "When I Graduated, I Wish I Had Known...; Accomplished NYU alumni offer advice to the Class of 2019," New York University.
  17. ^ Alessandra Biaggi (2018). "Candidate Questionnaire; Local Candidates Committee; NYS Legislative Elections 2018" (PDF). Citizens Union of the City of New York.
  18. ^ Alessandra Biaggi (May 15, 2018). "my alma mater, Pelham Memorial High School ...", Twitter.
  19. ^ Leonard, Sr., Zach (October 22, 2018). "Pelham Alumna Alessandra Biaggi Secures Nomination for State Senate". The Pel Mel.
  20. ^ Tom Sinclair (Fall 2019). "Alessandra Biaggi (Steinhardt ’08); A New York State Senator," New York University.
  21. ^ a b c d e "Candidate - Alessandra Biaggi". Our Campaigns.
  22. ^ "Homepage — Arena". arena.run. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  23. ^ Radomsky, Rosalie R. (July 27, 2019). "Team Players in Politics and Love". The New York Times.
  24. ^ "Sen. Biaggi: Working for Cuomo led to depression, anxiety". March 16, 2021.
  25. ^ "Rituals of Democracy - Alessandra Biaggi: Guide". Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  26. ^ Ethan Stark-Miller (June 6, 2021). "Biaggi: Drinking or no, rape is still rape: Legislation aims to better protect sexual abuse victims 'voluntarily intoxicated'". The Riverdale Press.
  27. ^ Kirstyn Brendlen (June 20, 2020). "Victories in hand, Biaggi is ready for more". The Riverdale Press.
  28. ^ Lennard, Natasha (June 21, 2019). "The Sexual Harassment Bills Passed in New York Are the Structural #MeToo Victories We Need". The Intercept.
  29. ^ a b Matthew Kassel (May 11, 2021). "Alessandra Biaggi is carving her own path; The outspoken New York State senator is already being floated as a potential successor to embattled Gov. Andrew Cuomo". Jewish Insider.
  30. ^ Lavery, Matthew A. (2004). "Vox Populi?". International Journal of Applied Philosophy. 18 (1): 53–68. doi:10.5840/ijap20041815. ISSN 0739-098X.
  31. ^ Marianna Schnall (2019). Dare to Be You; Inspirational Advice for Girls on Finding Your Voice, Leading Fearlessly, and Making a Difference. Tiller Press. ISBN 9781982133504.
  32. ^ McKinley, Jesse (July 11, 2018). "Rivals of Democratic Renegades Pick Up Endorsements and Momentum". The New York Times.
  33. ^ Wang, Vivian (April 11, 2019). "A Shouting Match, Nasty Personal Attacks and a Growing Rift Among N.Y. Democrats". The New York Times.
  34. ^ "Pelhamite Alessandra Biaggi Challenging State Sen. Jeff Klein for Democratic Nomination". The Pelham Plus. Retrieved January 24, 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  35. ^ Lungariello, Mark. "Jeff Klein spent more than $3M in NYS Senate primary loss". The Journal News.
  36. ^ Edward Schneier (2019). Putting People Back in Politics; The Revival of American Democracy
  37. ^ Wang, Vivian (September 14, 2018). "Democratic Insurgents Topple 6 New York Senate Incumbents". The New York Times.
  38. ^ Carl Campanile (September 14, 2018). "Jeff Klein spent $3M in stunning loss to newcomer Biaggi". New York Post. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  39. ^ Lisa W. Foderaro (September 11, 2018). "He Led a Group of Disloyal New York Democrats. Will It Cost Him His Seat?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  40. ^ Mahoney, Bill (September 17, 2018). "Life after defeat? Questions remain about plans for Democratic primary losers". Politico. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  41. ^ "Alessandra Biaggi victory in state Senate race puts 'nail in the IDC coffin'". The Journal News.
  42. ^ Alison Durkee (November 7, 2018). "Progressive challenger Alessandra Biaggi defeats Richard Ribustello in New York state Senate race". Mic.
  43. ^ "Alessandra Biaggi victory in state Senate race puts 'nail in the IDC coffin'". Rockland/Westchester Journal News. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  44. ^ Claire Wasserman (2021). Ladies Get Paid; The Ultimate Guide to Breaking Barriers, Owning Your Worth, and Taking Command of Your Career
  45. ^ "2020 New York State Senate Election Results". www.democratandchronicle.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
  46. ^ a b Wang, Vivian (June 20, 2019). "Sex Harassment Laws Toughened in New York: 'Finally, This Is Happening'". The New York Times.
  47. ^ Courtney Emerson (2021). After You Vote; A Woman's Guide to Making an Impact, from Town Hall to Capitol Hill
  48. ^ a b McKinley, Jesse; Rubinstein, Dana (February 28, 2021). "Under Siege Over Sex Harassment Claims, Cuomo Offers Apology". The New York Times.
  49. ^ Ferré-Sadurní, Luis; Goodman, J. David (August 10, 2021). "Cuomo Resigns Amid Scandals, Ending Decade-Long Run in Disgrace". The New York Times.
  50. ^ "Letter to U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell Requesting that the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation engage in oversight of the United States Center for SafeSport" (PDF). NY State Senate. September 24, 2021.
  51. ^ "Bronx cop-stopper wants LI nod for DC". The Jewish Star. February 16, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  52. ^ Gronewold, Anna (August 14, 2022). "Biaggi wants to defeat the DCCC boss in New York. Her ex-staff has a story to tell". Politico. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  53. ^ Alessandra Biaggi [@Biaggi4NY] (June 7, 2022). "I'm running for Congress to challenge inaction and political cowardice. New Yorkers deserve fierce champions in Washington, and that's why I'm so proud to receive the endorsement of one of the bravest fighters I know: @AOC" (Tweet). Retrieved June 7, 2022 – via Twitter.
  54. ^ Metzger, Bryan; Lahut, Jake (June 7, 2022). "AOC is backing a primary challenger to Sean Patrick Maloney, a fellow New York Democrat and the head of the party's House campaign arm". Business Insider. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  55. ^ Prater, Nia (August 23, 2022). "Sean Patrick Maloney". New York Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  56. ^ "40 Under 40 - Alessandra Biaggi". Crain's New York Business. March 19, 2019.
  57. ^ "40 Under 40: The Rising Stars in NYC Food Policy (Class of 2021)". NYC Food Policy Center (Hunter College). June 17, 2021.
  58. ^ a b "The Power of Diversity: Women 100; The female leaders evening out the balance of power in New York". City & State NY. November 8, 2021.
  59. ^ Radomsky, Rosalie R. (July 27, 2019). "Team Players in Politics and Love". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  60. ^ Michael Hinman (August 2, 2019). "Hillary Clinton attends Sen. Biaggi wedding". The Riverdale Press.
  61. ^ "NY Times Styles". The New York Times. July 28, 2019.
[edit]
New York State Senate
Preceded by New York State Senate, 34th District
2019–2022 		Succeeded by
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