James Stout

Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news out of Maricopa County as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges.

Because for too long, City Hall had not just failed to meet expectations, it had lowered them.

After years of broken promises, no one in this city could be blamed for doubting that government held either the ability or the ambition to upend the status quo.

It is, I said on that freezing January afternoon to more than eight and a half million New Yorkers.

We will make no apology for what we believe.

I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist.

Since January 1st, we have won more than $34 million in settlements, judgments, and repairs for tenants.

New York City will no longer tolerate exploitation as a business model.

This is pothole politics, our 2026 answer to sewer socialism.

where government is not too busy, not too self-important, not too mired in paperwork to fix the problems of this city, no matter their size.

No longer will city government be afraid of its own shadow.

If anyone should be afraid, it is those who take advantage of working people.

If government can't do the small things, how could you ever trust it to do the big ones?

How can we promise to transform our city if we can't pave your street?

I know there are many who use socialist as a dirty word, something to be ashamed of.

They can try all they want, but we will not be ashamed of using government to fight for the many, not simply the few.

We will not be ashamed of adding more heat pumps to NYCHA buildings in the Rockaways or building more supportive housing in Harlem or standing steadfast alongside our trans neighbors.

We will not be ashamed of investing in youth mental health clinics or working to close Rikers or fighting for immigrants targeted by ICE.

To any New Yorker, whether you're under attack from the federal government's cruelty or suffocating under the affordability crisis, we will stand beside you.

Because government is a series of choices, and socialism is the choice to fight for every New Yorker.