Scarsdale's Jonathan Lewis to Run for Congress

Scarsdale's Jonathan Lewis will challenge Democratic incumbent Eliot Engel in the primary to represent New York's 16th Congressional district, which extends from the Bronx and Mt. Vernon to Yonkers, Scarsdale and Rye.

Lewis said, "I'm running for Congress because I believe our democracy is in trouble. We must all stand up and participate to ensure we have a full debate on the issues within the Democratic Party. I am running in the Democratic primary to ensure there is a complete discussion on issues such as campaign finance reform, healthcare and affordable prescription drugs, and equality of educational and economic opportunity."

"Now more than ever," Lewis explained, "we need candidates and elected officials who stand for democratic values and who haven't gone the way of Washington - which is fundamentally broken. Too many politicians take corporate money, do the bidding of lobbyists for big corporate interests that aren't even in the district, take perks, enjoy privileges, and go on privately funded trips, rather than working for the district. Instead, they come to work for themselves and their donors. If our Democracy is to survive, this needs to stop."

Getting corporate money out of our elections is especially important to Lewis. "Corporate money is undermining our democracy and silencing our representatives," Lewis explained. He will not accept corporate PAC donations to his campaign and he will not be beholden to special interests. "We must stand up to Donald Trump and the Republicans with a clean heart if we hope to deliver on priorities like good jobs, affordable health care for all, and major investments in education. We Democrats must strengthen our party from within if we are to be victorious in this struggle."

Born in Mount Vernon, Jonathan Lewis spent his early years in Eastchester, where his father was Town Democratic Chairman. He has lived and raised his family in the district for the past two decades. "I'm troubled that many of my neighbors have not benefited from the economic recovery since the Great Recession," Lewis explained. "We have large numbers of our neighbors in this district living in poverty, without access to opportunity, healthcare, or a great education. The hard-working people of Westchester and the Bronx need someone in Washington who is actually fighting for the folks back home and I will deliver on that commitment," said Lewis. "Anyone who goes to the drugstore to fill a prescription knows that the cost of staying healthy is spiraling out of control. This is unfair to working families, and a threat to the financial viability of our healthcare system," he explained.

A trustee of Yonkers Partners in Education and a former elected trustee of the Scarsdale Board of Education, Lewis is also a member of Business Executives for National Security. He will focus on areas where he has extensive experience including education, economic opportunity, healthcare and homeland security.

Lewis, 55, is a successful business executive and entrepreneur who co-founded a firm that invests in municipal bonds that finance roads, bridges, schools and universities. An active volunteer he has served as president and a board member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Westchester County Chapter. Both of his children have Type 1 Diabetes. Jonathan Lewis is a former trustee of the American Jewish Historical Society and a staunch supporter of the state of Israel. He is the author of two books on U.S. foreign policy and national security issues. A longtime member of Business Executives for National Security (BENS), in 2004 he received the CIA's Agency Seal Medal for his work on intelligence reform. Lewis holds a MA in history from New York University and an MBA in finance and management from Columbia University.

The seat is currently held by 15-term incumbent Eliot Engel. The Democratic primary is June 26th.

For more information on Jonathan Lewis' campaign visit www.JonathanLewisForCongress.com.