New York Democratic candidate Suraj Patel said on "America’s Newsroom" he believes he's going to win Tuesday's House primary against longtime Reps. Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney. The three are battling it out in the redrawn 12th district of New York City. The 38-year-old attorney told Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer he's the only one focusing on crime and inflation.
HOCHUL TARGETS TOY GUNS IN BID TO REDUCE NEW YORK CRIME
SURAJ PATEL: Look, age is not the issue in this race. I'm the only candidate that never mentions age in this race. My opponents consistently mentioning my age in this race -- as if a 38-year-old male, the median age of an American adult male, is somehow unqualified for office that the Constitution prescribes 25 for -- is in my opinion, ageist. First off, I'm a lawyer. I teach at NYU. I've got a family. I'm not a child here in this race. But look, the reason our race is working is simple: I'm the only candidate that has public safety mentioned on his website that has a comprehensive plan for it for New York. I'm the only candidate who has the word economy on his website and talks about inflation and talking about the cost of living in New York. To your point, Manhattan has lost about 5.9% of its population since the pandemic started, but the population of people under 18 has dropped by 7%. The population of people under the age of five has dropped by 9.6%. People of my generation are trying to decide whether they can have a family in the city that they love or they have to move out because it's unaffordable.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW: