By Alexander Ramirez
MANHATTAN, NY – U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has announced his endorsement of civil rights attorney and progressive frontrunner Tahanie Aboushi in her campaign for Manhattan District Attorney.
Senator Sanders has been a sought-after endorser because of his prominent work in progressive politics and as a voice for progressive voters around the country.
With his endorsement, not only is Aboushi’s position as the left progressive candidate almost solidified, but is representative of the growing progressive movement that candidates like Aboushi are taking on to reform the criminal justice system.
Otherwise an ignored position, Sen. Sanders instead said he sees the importance of these district attorney races in the fight against a criminal justice system that perpetuates minority violence, criminalizes property, and wages a failed war against drugs that heavily affects people of color.
“Tahanie is running as a strong progressive in this race. She’s a civil rights attorney with the right experience to transform the most powerful district attorney’s office in the country. This office is responsible for prosecuting Wall Street and white-collar criminals, and we can’t afford to have another DA beholden to millionaires and billionaires.
“On June 22, we can make Tahanie the next in a wave of progressive prosecutors working to end mass incarceration and changing the face of criminal justice in this country,” the former 
Democratic Party presidential candidate said.
Bernie may have related to the issues that Aboushi aims to tackle if she were to become district attorney.
Sanders has spent his whole life focusing on issues faced by the American working class and the disparities caused by the big money interests. Meanwhile, Aboushi hopes to help the communities of color and the poor communities that have both been affected by the Manhattan DA’s office.
“I am humbled and proud to earn the support of Senator Bernie Sanders. Bernie has been on the front lines fighting for the exact same communities I’m running to defend. As a civil rights attorney, I have spent my career fighting for impacted communities and holding institutions like the NYPD accountable,” said Aboushi.
“The previous administration rubbed shoulders with Wall Street and the NYPD, at the expense of communities of color,” she charged.
Aboushi’s strongest competition in this race is a Wall Street-made billionaire with monied interests that Bernie vocalizes against.
The race for Manhattan District Attorney has had heavy competition, with other progressive candidates receiving endorsements from the Working Families Party, Congressmember Jamaal Bowman, Cynthia Nixon, and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
Meanwhile, Aboushi has notched other endorsements from Citizen Action of New York, NY State Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, former Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), NYC Councilmember Justin Brannan, Linda Sarsour, 2018 candidate for Governor of Michigan Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, AFSCME DC 37, UNITE HERE Local 100, the Alliance of South Asian American Labor, the Muslim Democratic Club of New York, a Coalition for a District Alternative, over seven NYCHA Resident Council leaders, and other people in the directly impacted communities like the Real Justice PAC and the Incarcerated Nation Network — two grassroots organizations led by members of the impacted community — and Akeem Browder, brother of Kalief Browder.
The Democratic primary for the race is to take place on June 22.
“I am running to ensure no badge or bank account is above the law, and to ensure we bring real transformational change to the DA’s office. I could not be prouder to have the support of Senator Sanders in this fight and I’m ready to bring the Bern to the DA’s office,” said Aboushi.
Alexander Ramirez is a third-year Political Science major at the University of California, Davis. He hopes to hone his writing skills in preparation for the inevitable time of graduation.
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