Françoise Olivas, a Greenpoint resident who has been involved in various community groups, announced on Twitter that she has decided to end her campaign for State Senate. In the process, she also announced that she will endorse Elizabeth Crowley.
“Elizabeth and I are mothers. We are F.I.T grads. We are builders, creators who know we have a lot of work to do to course correct the direction of our city and state. Today, I am stepping out of this race and I proudly endorse @ElizCrowleyNYC for NYS Senate District 59,” said Olivas.
Olivas made issues related to working mothers and families, such as Universal Childcare and lowering the cost of healthcare, a focal point of her campaign. She garnered some national attention after a Washington Post article ran about a sexist question she was asked during a forum, concerning her ability to balance being a mom and holding office.
Olivas’ endorsement of Crowley is a rare moment of camaraderie in a race that has turned contentious within the past few months. When left-backed candidate Kristen Gonzalez accused challenger Nomiki Konst of dog-whistle racism, Konst and her team then countered with allegations that Gonzalez’s supporters have been harassing Konst’s supporters (even attempting to link a random belligerent protestor to Gonzalez’s campaign, though no clear connection could be established by this journalist). The whole thing prompted a Twitter discussion among the district 59 candidates about how to run a “clean campaign.”
The primary is August 23, but you have until July 29 to register to vote, if you’re not already.