04/06/2026
Today, I want to share an important update with everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. After months of working on a campaign predicated on standing up for the Middle Class and giving voice to the voiceless, I was ultimately unsuccessful in securing a place on the ballot for New York’s 7th Congressional District. While that outcome is not what I had hoped for, I want to be clear about something: this campaign was never defined solely by whether my name appeared on a ballot. It was defined by the people I met, the conversations I had, and the ideas we built together and still live within us.
Over a short period of time, I personally spoke with hundreds of New Yorkers and gathered roughly 1,000 signatures. I stood on street corners, outside train stations, in parks, and along busy avenues, engaging directly with working people, listening far more than I spoke. That experience alone has changed me. It has made me a better citizen, a better listener, and a stronger advocate for the values I believe in. This campaign was built with very limited resources. The overwhelming majority of our support came from friends, people who believed in me enough to contribute what they could. I am deeply grateful for that. I also want to acknowledge the support we received from organized labor, including a meaningful contribution that reinforced what I have always believed: that this country was built on labor, and the path forward for America runs through the strength of its workers and its Middle Class. At the same time, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the reality of the process itself. New York’s election system imposes stringent requirements that can be difficult for first-time, grassroots candidates to overcome without significant infrastructure and funding. That is not an excuse, it is simply part of the landscape. And navigating it has given me a clearer understanding of both the challenges and the opportunities that exist within our democratic system.
What matters most to me is that the core of this campaign does not end here. I ran on the belief that government should be grounded in empathy, integrity, and common sense. That we must stop treating people as abstractions and start recognizing their lived experiences. That we should be focused not just on diagnosing problems, but on offering real, forward-looking solutions, solutions that improve the daily lives of working families. Ideas like a four-day workweek, restoring balance between work and life, strengthening labor, and building an economy that works from the middle out and the bottom up resonated deeply with the people I met. That tells me something important: these ideas matter and they deserve to be part of the conversation moving forward. So while I may not be on the ballot, I am not stepping away. I remain committed to finding ways to contribute, whether that means working with candidates who are willing to embrace real solutions, continuing to advocate for policies that uplift working people, or exploring new avenues to bring these ideas to life.
To everyone who signed a petition, stopped to talk, offered encouragement, donated, or simply wished me well, thank you. A special thank you goes out to Laura Taylor O’Boyle, Ivanhoe Gadpaille, and Bob MacGowan who were willing to outside their comfort zone and donated a commodity far more valuable than money: Time. My campaign was powered by all of you. This is not the end. It is simply the next step. Edwin Osorio
