Eli Northrup

Eli Northrup was born in Washington, D.C. Northrup earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 2007 and a J.D. from New York University in 2011. He also graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2015. His career experience includes working as a public defender. Northrup has been affiliated with the Bronx Defenders.[1]

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased January 8, 2024

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Eli Northrup is a public defender and policy advocate who has spent his career fighting for equity and social justice in New York.For over a decade, he has worked as a public defender in criminal court. As Policy Director for the Criminal Defense Practice at the Bronx Defenders, Eli leads a team of advocates advancing policies to bring fairness and dignity to our criminal legal system.

Eli has played a central role in legislative campaigns to protect due process, guarantee transparency, ensure that people with criminal records can find jobs and housing, and reduce the population of Rikers Island. After working on the campaign for marijuana justice in New York State, he helped launch the Bronx Cannabis Hub, a resource aiding those impacted by the War on Drugs in securing cannabis licenses.

Prior to the Bronx Defenders, Eli was a clinical fellow at Georgetown Law and worked as a clerk for federal judges on the Third Circuit and SDNY. In law school, he worked with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem and the Legal Aid Society. He received his J.D. from NYU Law and a B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University.

Eli cares deeply about the environment, values impressed upon him by his late father, who was a conservationist. His mother, a poet and teacher, encouraged his lifelong love of the arts. In his spare time, Eli enjoys attending concerts, playing flag football and pickleball, and taking advantage of the neighborhood’s beautiful parks.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I’m running for Assembly to bring a new perspective to politics and to fight for a New York where everyone feels safe, recognized, and supported. I envision a political system that prioritizes people over politics. My work as an advocate has been focused on working with legislators in Albany. In my current role, I lead grassroots coalitions to advocate for change in our state legislature. I have successfully worked with our representatives to pass critical reforms to strengthen due process, make police records more transparent, legalize cannabis with the goal of addressing past harms, ensure that people with criminal records can find jobs, and reduce the population of Rikers Island. What I’ve achieved in Albany — from the outside — has required building effective, diverse coalitions across differences.I have spent my entire career helping people. For over a decade, I have represented people who cannot afford representation. As a public defender, my job is to be there for others in a time of need, to pick up emergency calls late at night, to talk them through difficult situations, and to negotiate, advocate, and tenaciously fight on their behalf. I became a policy advocate because the systemic injustice and inequity I witnessed disturbed me. The same desire to change these systems has driven me to take this leap to run for office. I have spent my career living my values, and I have never wavered in the policies that I support.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My vision extends from criminal legal reform to critical issues such as affordable housing, accessible mental health care, and universal child care. I will fight to protect our environment, community gathering spaces, and to ensure that older New Yorkers can stay in their homes and have access to the services that they need.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My late father, Brad Northrup. He was a conservationist–he worked for the Nature Conservancy for almost 40 years. He had a huge influence on me. He cared deeply about the environment and community and being helpful to others. When he died, it was a wake up call for me. It has been a motivating factor in my decision to run.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

NY Working Families Party; AM Amanda Septimo; AM Latrice Walker; AM Anna Kelles

What committees interest you?

Codes