Reps. Nydia Velzquez and Yvette Clarke back Crystal Hudson for City Council speaker

Brooklyn Democratic Party Leader Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn may not be racing to endorse Crystal Hudson in the City Council speaker race, but two other leaders in Hudson’s home borough are.

Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Yvette Clarke are backing Hudson in the speaker race, the members exclusively told City & State. The race is decided by an internal vote of the council’s 51 members but routinely attracts interest from influential outside parties. Rep. Greg Meeks, who also leads the Queens County Democratic Party, has been vocal in his support for front-runner Council Member Julie Menin. On Friday, Meeks told NY1 “She’s the appropriate person to be the complement and the partner of the mayor.” (Unlike Velázquez and Clarke, Meeks did not endorse Mamdani in the general election.)

In a statement, Velázquez praised Hudson’s work on a direct cash assistance program for low-income New Yorkers, as well as local housing projects. “Crystal Hudson is a prolific legislator and tested leader within the Council,” Velázquez said. “As the next Speaker of the City Council, Crystal will ensure the Council remains a co-equal and independent branch of government that always puts the needs of our communities first,” she added, a potential nod to the pressure speaker candidates face to both work with the incoming Zohran Mamdani administration and hold it accountable. Hudson, a member of the council’s Progressive Caucus, is seen as someone who would work with Mamdani on many of his policy priorities, though she’s also said she would uphold the body’s independent authority and oversight role.

In a separate statement shared with City & State, Clarke characterized Hudson as someone who can unite the body. “Crystal Hudson's story is New York's story: she’s a daughter of immigrants who turned her experience caring for her mother into a career fighting for dignity for all New Yorkers,” she said, citing work on police accountability legislation and fighting for funding for older adults. “At this critical moment, we need a Speaker who will unite the Council and build the consensus we need in government, working with us in Washington to stand up to Trump and deliver for working families.”




https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/11/reps-nydia-velazquez-and-yvette-clarke-back-crystal-hudson-city-council-speaker/409585/?oref=csny-homepage-river