State Assembly Member - District 70
Jordan J.G. Wright
Assembly member for District 70 in Harlem since Jan. 1, 2025, when he succeeded Inez Dickens.
Issues Jordan is raising
Housing conditions and building safety
Sponsored the 2026 law requiring biannual certification of cooling towers, with higher penalties for reporting violations. Sponsors a bill setting repair and maintenance standards for mixed-income buildings of 20 or more units so repairs cannot be used to harass tenants. His campaign credits him with helping secure $1 billion in investments to improve, preserve and build affordable housing across Harlem and New York City.
Schools, school libraries and child care
Voted for the Freedom to Read Act when it passed the Assembly in June 2025; the governor vetoed it in December 2025. Sponsors bills setting membership rules for school and district leadership teams, creating a citywide leadership team and putting district leadership teams under the open meetings law. His campaign credits him with helping secure $2.2 billion to expand child care and $340 million for universal school meals.
Medical aid in dying and health care
Voted for the Medical Aid in Dying Act, on a terminally ill patient's request for and use of medication for medical aid in dying, when it passed the Assembly in April 2025, and for a February 2026 bill on requirements for providing that medication; both were signed into law on Feb. 6, 2026. Sponsors a bill adding doula awareness to the state Health Department's education and outreach.
Prosecution, policing and prisons
Sponsors a bill requiring race-blind charging guidelines for prosecution agencies. Voted for the Keep Police Radio Public Act, which the governor vetoed in December 2025, and for a 2026 law implementing changes to the 2025 omnibus law on correctional services. Sponsors bills barring interference with medical help for incarcerated people and requiring intervention in incidents involving them.
State budget and taxes
Voted for the budget bill enacting major parts of the state fiscal plan for the 2026-27 fiscal year, signed into law on May 28, 2026. His campaign credits him with helping net $30 million for local nonprofits, with help from the Black Task Force.
Background
Based in Central Harlem · Age 31
A Syracuse University psychology graduate, he worked as an educator in Manhattan schools, served on Community Board 11 and was chief of staff to City Council Member Yusef Salaam. A fourth-generation Harlem resident, he is the son of former Assembly Member Keith L.T. Wright.
- Member of the New York State Assembly for District 70 since Jan. 1, 2025, succeeding Inez Dickens
- Member of the Assembly committees on Aging; Banks; Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry; Libraries and Education Technology; Racing and Wagering; and Transportation
- Member of the Assembly's Black Task Force and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus
- President of the Manhattan Young Democrats (as of July 2026)
- Former campaign manager and chief of staff for New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam; resigned as chief of staff to take his Assembly seat in January 2025
- Served for several years on Community Board 11, focusing on parks, open spaces and licenses
- Worked as an educator in several Manhattan schools; has taught and coached at a local school
- Bachelor's degree in psychology from Syracuse University, 2017
- Lifelong New Yorker and fourth-generation Harlem resident; lives in Central Harlem; member of St. Phillip's Episcopal Church
- Son of Keith L.T. Wright, who held the District 70 Assembly seat for two decades and leads the Manhattan Democratic Party; grandson of the late New York Supreme Court Judge Bruce Wright
- Won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary over Conrad Blackburn, a challenger endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America
- Attended rallies organized by the Democratic Socialists of America in 2026, including events calling for higher taxes on the wealthy
- Endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the 2025 Democratic primary for mayor and then supported Zohran Mamdani in the general election
- In April 2026, while he faced a June 23 primary challenge, an independent expenditure committee called Moving Harlem Forward registered with the state Board of Elections to support him; political consultant Charlie King had been involved in efforts to organize a super PAC supporting him
- First elected in 2024: won the June 25, 2024 Democratic primary against Maria Ordonez, Shana Harmongoff and Craig Schley with 48.3 percent of the vote, and the Nov. 5, 2024 general election against Republican Seson Adams with 90.9 percent
Support
Cordell Cleare
State Senator
Yusef Salaam
New York City Council Member
Al Taylor
Assembly Member
Keith L.T. Wright
Former Assembly Member for District 70
New York State AFL-CIO
Statewide federation of labor unions
Money
$293K
raised
Top donors: Transport Workers Union Local 100, GP Construction LLC, The Durst Organization LP