Ex-Gillibrand staff Hofflich launches senate campaign

Lisa Hofflich, a former staffer for U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, is taking her first stab at running for political office after she launched her candidacy earlier this month for the 36th District state senate seat being vacated by Alessandra Biaggi.

Biaggi  is running for the congressional district 3, which now includes her part of the Bronx after the redistricting, to fill the seat of fellow Democrat U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who is running for governor.

Even though this is her first time running for office, Hofflich is a familiar face in political circles — albeit in a more behind-the-scenes fashion. Prior to working under Gillibrand, Holfflich helped draft legislation for two state assembly members, which she says earned her a bit of notoriety in Albany. “I was the only staffer in the Assembly at the time to work for more than one simultaneously,” she said. “That was my claim to fame.”

Yes, Hofflich is a policy wonk. She’s written or helped draft over two dozen bills that were later signed into law. “Maybe that’s my biggest strength and my biggest weakness because sometimes I can go too far into the weeds,” she said. “but that’s because I really do care about the process — about getting to those democratic ideals.”

Hofflich was a member of a coalition that spearheaded the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, which allows the court to resentence a prisoner who survived domestic violence if their conviction was related to their history of abuse.  She also worked on the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act, a law that she has a personal stake in. “My eldest happens to be a member of the LGBTQ community, so that really resonated with me,” she said.

In fact, Hofflich says that’s why she entered the race — for her five children. “I’m running to create a better future for my kids. And I believe that New York, our state, can do better for them.”

That’s why public safety is her number one legislative priority. “Our state needs to do everything it can to address the rise in violent crime,” she said. “And also to get guns off the street.”

In an interview, Hofflich voiced reservations about the state’s 2019 bail reform laws — which prevent judges from assigning cash bail in most non-violent and misdemeanor cases — that critics say have led to a rise in crime. Proponents of bail reform say that cash bail unfairly punished poor people.

“New York passed bail reform for a very important reason. And that’s because it’s wrong to criminalize poverty. It’s wrong to have a system that disproportionately targets vulnerable communities. But we need to continue to refine the new law so that it balances public safety and social justice.”

Hofflich added that addressing climate change and pushing for environmental justice were other top concerns. “As a mom, those two things are very, very important to me,” she said.

Yet, she isn’t basing all of her legislative priorities on her kids. Hofflich’s own history is also providing some guidance. During the Fall of Saigon, she and her parents fled Vietnam for the United States, eventually settling in North Dakota. Her father — who had been a lieutenant in the South Vietnamese Air Force — struggled to provide for his family, working several jobs while trying to pick up and reassemble the broken pieces of their lives.

That experience — as a refugee and immigrant who grew up with modest means —  is just another feather in her campaign cap, she said. “I understand a lot of the issues that the working-class families in this district are facing right now.”

Now 49, Hofflich has called Fleetwood in Mount Vernon her home for the past two decades, but she has strong ties to other parts of the district, particularly Riverdale, where she and her family attend the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale. “Every single morning, I drop off my son at school in the Bronx. They go to summer camp in the Bronx” she said. “So for the past 22 years, our lives have been all throughout the entire district.”

Despite never holding an elected seat, Hofflich considers herself a public servant, and says she is relying on the public — not endorsements or political machines — to put her into office. “Endorsements don’t matter. What matters is the endorsement of voters,” she said.

Despite that, both the Pelham Democratic Committee and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow have put their weight behind the Mount Vernon Democrat. “Lisa has devoted her career to public service,” the assemblyman said. “She knows how government works and is focused on the issues that matter to the people of this district like public safety, environmental justice and economic progress.”

And with the Democratic primary set for June 28, Hofflich is already hard at work getting her name out there, appearing alongside Democratic challenger Christian Amato for a meet-and-greet at the Kingsbridge Social Club last Monday.