Brooklyn State Sen. Zellnor Myrie on Sunday delivered an impassioned speech at a historic Harlem church 10 miles away from his district, adding fuel to speculation he’s gearing up to run for mayor in 2025.
“We are at a perilous time, and all of us have a responsibility to save our democracy,” Myrie told a packed Abyssinian Baptist Church, one of the oldest and most influential Black Baptist churches in the nation.
Myrie, 37, who represents parts of central Brooklyn, was referencing New York’s John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, which was signed into law in 2022, adding voting protections for members of protected classes, such as Black and Latino voters. It also provides assistance for voters who are “language minorities,” those whose first language is not English, and allows those claiming voter intimidation to file lawsuits in civil court.
“Right here in New York, they move polling sites outside of the places for us. Right here in New York, they make fake phone calls telling us not to vote under the protection of the law,” Myrie said, as some in the pews called out in agreement. “But not anymore.”
Gothamist previously reported Myrie was considering a run for mayor. And Bloomberg reported he had secured $1 million in donor commitments by the end of November he could use if he decided to launch a campaign.
Myrie’s speech at the church on West 138th Street came the same day Mayor Eric Adams gave his own pulpit address at Union Baptist Church in Harlem — and days after FBI agents searched the home of one the mayor’s top advisers, Winnie Greco. Adams’ 2021 campaign has been under federal public corruption investigation for months.
Neither the mayor nor anyone with his campaign has been charged with a crime and Adams has denied any wrongdoing.
Myrie’s speech on Sunday came at a church that’s long acted as a political springboard.
The church is more than two centuries old and has over the years hosted civil rights icons like the Rev. Martin Luther…
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