Representative Gary L. Ackerman, who unexpectedly announced in March that he would not seek re-election to Congress, is venturing into the primary contest to succeed him, backing the candidate he says best embodies his values: Assemblywoman Grace Meng.
Mr. Ackerman’s decision, to be announced Tuesday morning at the Pomonok Senior Center in Flushing, Queens, was hardly assured, given his reputation as an eccentric politician not known for regularly making endorsements. And while some political analysts assumed that Mr. Ackerman favored Ms. Meng, the choice of Representative Joseph Crowley and the Queens Democratic establishment, his pledge to campaign vigorously on her behalf could help sway constituents who have supported him during his nearly 30-year career.
Mr. Ackerman, in an interview, praised Ms. Meng’s chief competitors in the June 26 primary, Assemblyman Rory I. Lancman and City Councilwoman Elizabeth S. Crowley. Indeed, Mr. Ackerman said that all three were “philosophically close to the same place” on key issues like Israel and economic advocacy for the middle class.
But in what could be viewed as critiques of Mr. Lancman, an aggressive legislator who once mulled challenging Mr. Ackerman, and Ms. Crowley, whose candidacy has soured her relationship with her cousin, Congressman Crowley, Mr. Ackerman, 69, said that Ms. Meng’s self-effacing style and background as a fellow child of immigrants had won him over.
“Looking at the candidates, there was only one choice,” he said. “It’s not a matter of being the most flashy or the most self-promoting, but the ability to bring people together. She’s a very likable person and she’s a very quick study. She understands that it’s not about her, but the people who sent her there.”
Ms. Meng, 36, is vying to be the first Asian-American member of New York’s Congressional delegation. The primary (which also includes a libertarian-leaning long shot, Dr. Robert Mittman) will probably hinge on turnout in what is expected to be light voting.
Whoever prevails will most likely be favored, based on demographics, in the November general election against the Republican candidate, City Councilman Daniel J. Halloran III. The victor will represent eastern and central Queens in what will be known as the Sixth Congressional District, which is about 40 percent Asian-American.
Mr. Lancman, 43, has collected many key labor endorsements, including unions representing health care aides and municipal workers, and the vocal backing of former Mayor Edward I. Koch. He has also performed strongly in candidate forums.
Ms. Crowley, 34, chairwoman of the City Council’s Fire and Criminal Justice Services Committee, has the support of several police and fire unions.
Ms. Meng, whose father, Jimmy Meng, was an assemblyman in the early 2000s, has picked up crucial support from groups like teachers’ and hotel workers’ unions.
In an interview, Ms. Meng said that she was grateful for Mr. Ackerman’s support, and vowed, if elected, to continue his work on transportation, infrastructure and issues affecting older New Yorkers.
She said Mr. Ackerman had always been a presence in her home while she was growing up, in Corona, then Bayside and Flushing, because of the annual calendar he sent to constituents featuring tidbits about American history.
“He just gives the impression that he’s so patriotic and so proud of American history,” Ms. Meng said. “As a daughter of a first-generation, middle-class family, that was really special.”
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