An Announcement from Josh Arnon
When I entered this race, I did so both to offer an alternative to the status quo and as away to build power in my community. We are now in a different political landscape than when I announced.
We no longer have a clear path forward in my district, but we do have more exciting opportunities for democratic socialist wins in Manhattan and citywide.
I am suspending my campaign today to best serve our shared movement by ensuring all of our resources and remaining funds will be going to winnable races.
I am proud of the work we have done and will continue to do together to help working New Yorkers. Thank you so much to every person who participated in this campaign and will continue to organize to build power across New York.
Our work doesn’t end today; it just changes.
In Solidarity,
Josh Arnon
Who is
Josh Arnon?
Josh is a Jewish autistic democratic socialist and lifelong New Yorker. He has lived at Waterside Plaza for his entire life and remembers when his formerly-Mitchell-Lama apartment complex was affordable. He had his Bar Mitzvah celebration at the Water Club by the East River and is intimately familiar with walking through Tompkins Square Park and Stuyvesant Square Park, eating at Rosemary’s and Gnocco, shopping for groceries at Gristedes and Trader Joe’s, and frequenting his local AMC movie theater in Kips Bay.
Josh didn’t come from a political background—he studied film and worked for Scott Rudin, the most powerful producer on the East Coast and perhaps the most abusive. He spoke out as part of an exposé by the New York Times, leading to Rudin being exiled from the industry. Josh’s breadth of political activism came to include:
Legislative Advocacy
Standing up to then-Governor Andrew Cuomo’s potentially devastating budget cuts at the height of the pandemic as a leader of the successful Tax the Rich Campaign
Leading House the Future, an organization focused on creating a Social Housing Development Authority in NY
Pushing for the Workplace Psychological Safety Act as State Bill Director, which would make workplace harassment illegal across the board
Community Activism
Fighting against construction containing harmful cancer-causing forever chemicals on behalf of the Waterside Tenants Association
Securing a union contract for 5 board game cafes in NYC as part of the Tabletop Solidarity Committee
Political Campaigns
Electing a Democrat to Congress in Michigan as a community organizer by .34% of the vote during the 2024 General Election
Canvassing in Chicago, New York, and New Hampshire for Bernie Sanders’ campaigns for president
Volunteering for Zohran Mamandi’s mayoral campaign as a fundraising and field lead as soon as he announced he was running
Nonprofit Work
Working for Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) and the Working Families Party (WFP)
Cleaning shorelines from debris as part of Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Coastal Cleanup program
