Alessandra Biaggi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theNew York Senate from the34th district | |
| In office January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Jeff Klein |
| Succeeded by | Nathalia Fernandez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alessandra Rose Biaggi (1986-05-20)May 20, 1986 (age 39) Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Mario Biaggi (grandfather) |
| Education | New York University (BA) Fordham University (JD) Harvard University (MRPL)[1] |
| Website | Campaign website |
Alessandra Rose Biaggi (born May 20, 1986) is an American politician from the state of New York. Biaggi is the granddaughter of former U.S. CongressmanMario Biaggi.[2]
A progressive Democrat,[3][4] Biaggi served as a member of theNew York State Senate from 2019 to 2022, representing the34th district. The district included portions ofBronx andWestchester Counties. Biaggi was first elected to the State Senate in 2018 after she upset longtime SenatorJeffrey D. Klein in the Democratic primary. She chaired the New York State Senate Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance. Biaggi is notable for her advocacy for survivors of sexual misconduct.
In 2022, Biaggiran for Congress inNew York's 17th congressional district, where she was defeated by incumbent Rep.Sean Patrick Maloney in the Democratic primary.[4]
Biaggi was born inMount Vernon, New York, and isItalian-American.[5][6] Her great-grandparents had immigrated to the United States from Italy, and she is the fourth generation of her family to live in her district.[7][8] Biaggi's grandfather,Mario Biaggi, served as a Democratic member of theU.S. House of Representatives from New York from 1969 to 1988.[5] She grew up first inFort Lee, New Jersey, and when she was eight years old she moved with her family toPelham, New York.[9][10] When she was a child, she wassexually abused for over a year.[11][12]
Biaggi graduated fromPelham Memorial High School ('04), where she was a cheerleader.[13] In 2008, she graduated fromNew York University'sSteinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development[14] with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications.[15] Biaggi then attendedSt. John's University School of Law.[10] She subsequently graduated fromFordham Law School in 2012;[15] while there, she was a member of theFordham Law Review.[citation needed] She was the first woman from her family to graduate from law school.[13] In 2014, Biaggi attended the Women's Campaign School atYale University.[16]
Biaggiinterned in the office of U.S. CongressmanJoseph Crowley after college, and while in law school with theBrooklyn District Attorney Rackets Bureau and theU.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York Public Corruption and Appellate Bureaus.[16][17] She then worked from 2014 to 2015 at her first job as a lawyer, as Assistant General Counsel for New York State GovernorAndrew Cuomo’sOffice of Storm Recovery.[10][17]
From May 2015 to December 2016, during the campaign for the2016 U.S. presidential election, Biaggi served as Deputy National Operations Director for theHillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign.[16][10] She oversaw a staff of 200 and a budget of $500 million.[10] She said: "Everything was urgent in the moment. It was total chaos and I loved it. We played very hard, and it was very hard to lose."[18]
For a seven-month period in 2017, Biaggi worked in the executive chamber under Governor Andrew Cuomo.[19]
Biaggi served as chair of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance.[3]
Combating sexual abuse was one of Biaggi's policy issues.[20][21][22] She led the first public hearings in the New York State Senate onworkplace sexual harassment in 27 years, and fought for toughersexual harassment laws.[10] Susan Kang, Associate Professor of political science atJohn Jay College of Criminal Justice, said: "She is definitely making a name for herself as someone who is an advocate for victims of sexual violence."[23]
Biaggi also focused on institutional reform of Congress, of the Supreme Court, and institutions. Specifically, Biaggi also focused on banning trading stocks among members.[24]
"I'm not going to wait for somebody to anoint me or choose me. I have got to step up."[25]
Biaggi ran in 2018 in the primary for the Democratic nomination forNew York State Senate inDistrict 34. She ran against powerful longtime incumbentJeffrey D. Klein, the number two Democrat in the NY Senate and the leader of theIndependent Democratic Conference. Klein had held the seat for 14 years.[13][26][27][28] Klein outspent Biaggi by a rate of 9-to-1, spending $2.7 million to her $333,000.[13][29] Biaggi said: "The more people told me I couldn’t win, the more obsessed I became."[10]
In a major upset, Biaggi defeated Klein in the primary, 54%-46%.[3][30] She remarked: "It was a tough fight. And, I should also say, we should thank [Senator Klein] for his service. But his time is up."[31] Biaggi's victory was attributed by some to anger with the former members of the Independent Democratic Conference.[32][33]
As New York'selectoral fusion laws allow candidates to appear on multiple ballot lines in an election, Klein still appeared in the November 6, 2018, general election on the third-partyIndependence Party of New York ballot line.[34] On November 6, 2018, Biaggi defeated Klein andRepublican Richard Ribustello and was elected to the New York State Senate.[35][36] At 32 years of age, she became one of the youngest women ever elected to the New York State Senate.[37]
In 2020, Biaggi was re-elected to the Senate with 74% of the vote.[38]
In June 2019, the New York legislature passed sweeping anti-sexual-harassment legislation that Biaggi had sponsored.[39] Among other things, the bills reduced employers' ability to avoid liability for their employees' behavior, provided for attorney fees and punitive damages, and lengthened the time frame within which to file complaints.[39] In her first six months in office, Biaggi introduced 80 bills, 17 of which were passed.[40]
In February 2021, Biaggi wrote on Twitter: "@NYGovCuomo, you are a monster, and it is time for you to go. Now."[41] At the time, her call for his resignation was whatThe New York Times described as: "something of an outlier in the Democrat-controlled Legislature."[41] On August 10, 2021, GovernorAndrew Cuomo announced his resignation.[42]
In May 2021 journalist Matthew Kassel opined: "Biaggi ... has gained a reputation, on her own merits, as an upstate force — an influential lawmaker with a growing list of legislative accomplishments who has carved out a space for herself as an outspoken and independent voice in Albany’s cutthroat political sphere."[23]
On September 24, 2021, Biaggi co-wrote a letter to US SenatorMaria Cantwell with eight other New York State Senators, requesting that theUS Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation engage in oversight of theUnited States Center for SafeSport, and step in to ensure that SafeSport is adequately conducting investigations.[43] They referred to what they called SafeSport's failure to carry out impartial and thorough investigations, and ensure the safety of athletes it is charged with protecting.[3] They highlighted the fact that despite serious outstanding allegations ofsexual misconduct,sexual coercion, and other violent behaviors by former friends, peers, and current teammates, and an ongoing investigation, fencerAlen Hadzic was allowed to travel to Tokyo as an alternate for the 2021 Team USA Olympic fencing team.[3]
Biaggi was a vocal advocate for defunding the police.[44]
In 2022, Biaggi received criticism over her treatment of her staff.[45]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(February 2025) |
In February 2022, Biaggiannounced her candidacy forNew York's 3rd congressional district after incumbent Democratic Rep.Thomas Suozzi announced his candidacy for governor of New York. After court-ordered redistricting removed Westchester County and the Bronx from the 3rd congressional district, Biaggi ended her candidacy there.[citation needed]
On June 7, 2022, Biaggi announced that she would be running forNew York's 17th congressional district in a primary challenge againstDCCC chairSean Patrick Maloney.[46] Upon her announcement, she was endorsed byAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[47] On August 23, 2022, Biaggi lost to Maloney in the primary election.[48]
In 2019,Crain's New York Business named Biaggi to its annual "40 Under 40" list.[49]
In June 2021, she was named to theHunter College New York City Food Policy Center annual 40 Under 40: The Rising Stars in NYC Food Policy. She was noted for working "to transform and improve thefood system."[50] In November 2021, Biaggi was named to theCity & State New York "Women 100", as one of the prominent women wielding power in New York State.[51] She was noted especially for having long pushed for legislation addressingsexual assault andsexual abuse.[51]
On July 22, 2019, inTarrytown, New York, Biaggi married Nathaniel Koloc. He is a management consultant whom she met in 2015, and who also worked on theHillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign.[18][52][53]
In 2025, Biaggi obtained a master of religion and public life degree atHarvard Divinity School.[1]
| New York State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New York State Senate, 34th District 2019–2022 | Succeeded by |
