New York state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, chairman of the powerful Senate Codes Committee, has served his Brooklyn area district in Albany since 2019. But the Cornell-educated attorney and affordable housing advocate has higher aspirations. He’s running against Eric Adams for mayor of New York City and has captured the endorsements of U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman and former gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout.  

Myrie, who was a co-sponsor of the original 2019 Green Light Law that prompted a lawsuit this week against the state by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, told Capital Tonight that Bondi’s actions are based in politics.

“What the federal government is proposing is a publicity stunt. It is not based in law or based in fact,” Myrie said. “I was happy to see the governor stand up against it.”

The state senator is also challenging incumbent Adams to answer a series of questions about his meeting on Thursday with President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan.

“New Yorkers have no idea what Mayor Eric Adams was willing to sell out to save his own skin,” he said. “We have no idea which students, which families, which parents, which schools, which hospitals he was willing to exchange to do the bidding of Donald Trump. He no longer works for New York City. He works for Donald Trump.”

At the same time, Myrie is challenging the liberal establishment by introducing legislation with state Assemblyman Micah Lasher to reform the state’s discovery laws. The legislation they carry would give prosecutors direct access to police records and other electronic databases to help them gather evidence faster.

“I think most people are going to be open to having that discussion and I’m looking forward to hearing from all the stakeholders so we can come to the right decision for public safety for everyone,” he said of the bill.