Ryder Kessler

Ryder Kessler was born in New York, New York.[1] He earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard.[2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a child of the 66th Assembly District: a gay kid born at St. Vincent’s Hospital who played little league basketball at Tony Dapolito and got his Bar Mitzvah cake at Veniero’s. I’ve spent my life here—and my career working to expand opportunity, strengthen democracy, and help this city live up to its promise.

I'm running because the neighborhoods I played in as a child are at risk of becoming a playground for the ultra-rich, and because our fundamental rights are under attack. As a member of Community Board 2, I work with neighbors to tackle homelessness and improve quality of life. Last year, I started our district’s Hands Off NYC chapter, coordinating rapid response to protect immigrant New Yorkers from ICE attacks.

Nationally, I've led Democratic political campaigns up and down the ballot to fight back against the Trump agenda, specializing in voter protection to defend every citizen's right to vote. In 2024, I founded a local nonprofit, building a community of over 4,500 New Yorkers to deliver progress on housing, transit, climate, and electing progressive leaders. I have a record of making New York safer and more affordable, and of strengthening democracy.

Growing up, my mom taught me to turn values into action. She brought me to protests and the polls, volunteered overnight at my school’s homeless shelter, and organized its first AIDS Walk team. This campaign is rooted in those values—being a voice for the voiceless, and showing up where it counts.

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?

We must lower costs, particularly housing costs. When my parents moved to the Village, my dad was a cabbie and my mom was an artist. Now average rents in Manhattan are over $5,700/month. We must fight for lower rents, more affordable housing, and stronger tenant protections—as well as universal healthcare and childcare—so the neighborhoods I played in as a kid don’t end up as a playground for the super-rich.We must defend our democracy. It is deeply concerning to me that my nieces have fewer rights than their grandmother did, and that ICE is ravaging our communities—especially in the neighborhood where my drag queen great-uncle frequented the Stonewall Inn before the riots. I will always stand up to authoritarianism, defend the freedoms of all marginalized communities, and work to get ICE out of New York.Our neighborhoods are some of the best in the city, but our streets and subways don’t always feel safe or welcoming. Everyone should be able to get around safely—protected from crime, speeding cars and bike violence, and climate change—with reliable public transit and clean, well-managed public spaces free of trash and rats.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Housing. Skyrocketing costs are displacing New Yorkers and driving homelessness. I'll fight to build more affordable, integrated housing and shelters that get our neighbors off the street with dignity.

Democracy. Trump is cutting Medicaid and food assistance, attacking immigrants, and torching our democracy. We must be a firewall. I'll fight to backfill critical programs and ensure New York refuses to be complicit in federal cruelty.

Safety. Our streets are unsafe and unsustainable, with pedestrians and small businesses paying the price. Everyone should be able to get around safely—protected from crime, traffic violence, and climate change, with reliable public transit and clean, well-managed public space.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I’m endorsed by the Working Families Party, Stonewall Democratic Club, NY League of Conservation Voters, Hotel Trades and Gaming Council, 32BJ-SEIU, CWA, CSA, Steamfitters Local 638, CUFFH Action, Citizen Action of New York, Equality NY PAC, Advocates for Trans Equality, Caring Majority Rising, Citizens Union, Open NY, Abundance NY, Patriot PAC, and Run for Something. I received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood.

Further, I’m endorsed by elected leaders Comptroller Mark Levine, Congressman Pat Ryan, Assemblyman Keith Powers, Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, and Council Members Chi Ossé, Crystal Hudson, Justin Sanchez, Pierina Sanchez, and Shirley Aldebol.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Ryder Kessler is the Working Families Party–endorsed candidate for State Assembly in District 66. Ryder is a lifelong downtown Manhattanite and proud gay man. He was the founder and CEO of DipJar, a social impact technology company that has generated tens of millions of dollars in additional earnings and donations for low-wage service workers and nonprofits. Since 2016, he has worked to elect Democrats up and down the ballot, building a Fair Fight–funded state voter protection program in 2020 and leading a voter protection team for the Ossoff and Warnock runoff campaigns. On Community Board 2, which comprises most of AD66, Ryder advocates for more housing density for affordable, integrated communities; low-threshold, private shelters to bring neighbors off the street with dignity; reclamation of car space for bike lanes, bus ways, pedestrians, and dining; and non-police interventions for so-called “quality of life” issues.

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?

New York's rental market is the most expensive in America, with median rents in Manhattan now over $4,000. The consequences of skyrocketing rents include housing insecurity, displacement, homelessness, and sprawl. First, we must build abundant housing, including increasing density in high-opportunity, high-transit areas; legalize basement and garage apartments; convert unused hotels and office buildings; and develop fully affordable units wherever possible. Second, we need maximal renter empowerment, including Good Cause Eviction and statewide Right to Counsel. Third, it’s time to end the congregate shelter response to homelessness, via more supportive housing and private shelter rooms.Car dominance of our streets has adverse effects on safety and sustainability. We must prioritize improvements to bus, bike, and subway infrastructure, funded by congestion pricing and payment for parking; support outdoor dining that is a lifeline to small businesses and their employees; implement containerization of trash and expanded frequency of sanitation service; and make physical changes to the streetscape to reduce the frequency and severity of traffic violence.The violence and quality of life issues suffered citywide are failures of the status quo. We must expand non-policing approaches to service calls like mental-health-first responders, violence interrupters, and community-led crime prevention, which are more effective and humane than conventional policing. Additionally, we must decarcerate through parole reform, clemency, and ending needless arrests, e.g. sex work decriminalization. Finally, the surest route to safe communities for all New Yorkers is through investments in universal healthcare and childcare, better-paying jobs, affordable housing, and high-quality education.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Democracy:

New York must do much more to be a flourishing and inclusive democracy. Our lack of same-day voter registration and no-excuse absentee voting, and the requirement that elections in New York City take place in off years, are constitutional limits that must be ended. This requires zealous pro-democracy leadership and investments currently lacking from state Democrats.

We must also pursue professionalized and patronage-free election administration, steps that have found support in the Senate but are failing in the Assembly. All of the areas in which New York is lagging on providing expansive ballot access and professional election administration are failures of democracy — failures that hit marginalized community members the hardest.

LGBTQ+ Rights:

Assembly District 66 is the queer heart of NYC and the home of the movement for queer liberation; our representatives should be leading the fight for marginalized LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. I can thrive as a proud gay man only because of those who fought for acceptance in generations past – those we must honor by keeping the fight going.

Sex work is work, but too many marginalized queer New Yorkers are over-policed and incarcerated. They deserve the safety and dignity that comes with full decimalization and a broader imagining of public safety. LGBTQ++ kids make up 40% of youth experiencing homelessness, and a third of queer adults in New York are over 50. Lawmakers must prioritize access to affordable housing, good j