Erik Bottcher

Erik Bottcher
Bottcher in 2024
Member of the New York Senate
from the 47th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
February 4, 2026
Preceded byBrad Hoylman-Sigal
Member of the New York City Council
from the 3rd district
In office
January 1, 2022 – February 4, 2026
Preceded byCorey Johnson
Succeeded byTBD
Personal details
Born (1979-05-09) May 9, 1979
PartyDemocratic
EducationGeorge Washington University (BA)
WebsiteCity Council website
Campaign website

Erik Bottcher (born May 9, 1979)[1] is an American politician representing New York City. He has been a Democratic member of the New York State Senate since 2026, having previously served the 3rd district of the New York City Council from 2022-2026, which includes the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village, Chelsea, and Hell's Kitchen.[2]

In late December 2025, he announced he was going to run for the state senate seat held by Brad Hoylman-Sigal who was elected to be the Manhattan Borough President.[3] Bottcher abandoned his earlier plans to run to replace retiring Congressman Jerry Nadler in New York's 12th congressional district.[4]

Early life and education

Bottcher was raised in Wilmington, New York, a small town in the Adirondack Mountains located outside of Lake Placid. His parents, Jerry and Linda,[5] owned and operated a fly fishing motel called "The Hungry Trout".[6]

As an adolescent, Bottcher suffered from depression and struggled to come to terms with his sexual orientation.[7] At the age of 15 and following several suicide attempts, he was admitted to Four Winds Hospital, a mental health facility in Saratoga Springs, New York.

After graduating from Lake Placid High School, Bottcher wrote an open letter to the school board sharing his experiences with bullying he endured at the school and why the district needed to do more to protect its students.[8] Shortly thereafter, the school district added "sexual orientation" to its non-discrimination policy. Bottcher often credits these early experiences as the beginning of his political activism.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from George Washington University.

Career

After college, Bottcher moved to Manhattan and held several jobs in various industries throughout his 20s, including a traffic coordinator at an advertising firm, a production assistant in the packaging design department of Colgate Palmolive, and as a realtor at the Corcoran Group.[7]

Bottcher began his formal politics work in 2009, when he joined the staff of the New York City Council as the body's LGBT and HIV/AIDS community liaison.[8] At the Council, he worked on issues including hate crimes, transgender rights, bullying in schools, and the fight for marriage equality in New York State.

Bottcher soon joined the governor's office as the LGBTQ liaison. In that role, he assisted the successful 2011 effort to pass marriage equality in New York.[9] In 2015, Bottcher re-entered city politics as chief of staff to Council member (and soon-to-be City Council Speaker) Corey Johnson, where he remained until his own City Council campaign.[10]

2021 City Council campaign

In February 2020, Bottcher announced he would run to succeed the term-limited Johnson for the 3rd district of the City Council in 2021.[10][11] Running with Johnson's support, Bottcher quickly became the district's frontrunner, raising more money than all but four other candidates across the city and accruing endorsements from nearly every major union and local elected official.[12][13][14]

During the campaign, Bottcher released an extensive policy platform aimed at addressing the crisis of serious mental illness, New York City's sanitation concerns, and increasing employment opportunities for residents of public housing and those living in poverty.[15]

On election night on June 22, Bottcher resoundingly led the field with 47 percent of first-choice votes, and declared victory that night; when absentee ballots and ranked-choice votes were counted two weeks later, Bottcher officially defeated runner-up Arthur Schwartz 71-29%.[16][17][18] He faced no opposition in the November general election.

Residence protest

On December 17, 2023, Bottcher attended a Drag Story Hour event that was targeted by about 20 anti-LGBT protestors. On December 19, two protesters were arrested for entering Bottcher's building and refusing to leave, but eventually did so. The protestors also defaced the sidewalk outside of his apartment with graffiti calling him a pedophile and using slurs such as "OK Groomer" and "Child Predator". The group also entered and vandalized his nearby office building.[19][20][21]

2026 congressional and state senate elections

Main articles: 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in New York § District 12, and 2026 New York State Senate election § District 47

Bottcher announced his candidacy for Jerrold Nadler's open congressional seat in November 2025 and raised over a million dollars. The following month, he withdrew from the U.S. House race and announced his candidacy in the 47th NY Senate seat, which was having a special election in February.[22] Bottcher won the special election and assumed office on February 4, 2026.[23]

Personal life

Bottcher lives in Chelsea. He is gay and has been open about his struggles with suicide when he was a closeted high schooler.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ @ebottcher (May 9, 2021). "Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, especially my favorite human in the world, Linda Bottcher. When I was a little kid, I wasn't thrilled about sharing my birthday with Mother's Day - now I love it. Celebrate and rejoice in love". Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "District 3". Corey Johnson. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  3. ^ "Bottcher to run for N.Y. State Senate instead of Congress | Advocate.com". www.advocate.com.
  4. ^ Fandos, Nicholas (November 13, 2025). "Following a Kennedy, N.Y. Councilman Joins Packed Race to Succeed Nadler" – via NYTimes.com.
  5. ^ "Erik Bottcher's fight for equality".
  6. ^ "Hungry Trout Resort Video | Hungry Trout Resort - An Adirondack Escape". Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Vilensky, Mike (February 10, 2020). "Top Corey Johnson Aide Running for His Chelsea Council Seat". THE CITY. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Erik Bottcher's fight for equality". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Elizabeth Izzo (July 1, 2021). "UP CLOSE: Bottcher declares victory in NYC primary". Lake Placid News. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Mike Vilensky (February 10, 2020). "Top Corey Johnson Aide Running for His Chelsea Council Seat". The City. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  11. ^ Andy Towle (February 11, 2020). "Erik Bottcher, Top Aide to NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Running for His Seat". Towleroad.com. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  12. ^ Nuha Dolby (May 11, 2021). "Race heats up to fill Corey Johnson's council seat". City & State. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  13. ^ David Brand (June 21, 2021). "14 NYC Council Candidates Raised $100K or More. How'd They Do It?". City Limits. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  14. ^ Emily Higginbotham (May 10, 2021). "Nadler Endorses Erik Bottcher in District 3 Race". West Side Spirit. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  15. ^ "Policies". Erik Bottcher for City Council. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  16. ^ Gus Saltonstall (June 22, 2021). "Bottcher Holds Commanding Early Lead In District 3 Council Race". Patch.com. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  17. ^ "' We did it!' Bottcher celebrates City Council victory". The Village Sun. June 23, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  18. ^ "Unofficial Ranked Choice Rounds – DEM Council Member 3rd Council District". New York City Board of Elections. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  19. ^ Thomas, Jesse (January 4, 2023). "Proud Boys, far-right groups terrorize New York City drag event". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  20. ^ Davenport, Emily; Pozarycki, Robert (December 20, 2022). "Two women cuffed for vandalizing Councilman Erik Bottcher's office, apartment building with homophobic slurs". AMNY. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  21. ^ Owen, Tess (December 20, 2022). "Gay New York Councilman's Home Targeted by Anti-LGTBQ Mob". VICE News. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  22. ^ Rajamani, Maya (December 22, 2025). "Erik Bottcher to exit crowded NY-12 race, run for state Senate". NY1. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  23. ^ Tracy, Matt (February 4, 2026). "Democrats Erik Bottcher and Keith Powers easily win special elections for state Senate, Assembly seats in Manhattan". www.amny.com. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
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