Michael Blake is a son of the South Bronx and the child of Jamaican immigrants. He grew up in a working-class family in the Bronx—his mother was a 40-year manufacturer who raised four boys, and his late father, a member of the labor union 1199SEIU, worked as a maintenance supervisor at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. Michael’s public and political service began in 2006 working for then Senator Barack Obama, and later serving in leadership within the Obama White House and on his 2012 campaign. 

 A community organizer and ordained minister, Michael is deeply involved with neighborhood churches, youth mentorship, reentry and tenants’ groups, and he’s a small-business owner who has created local jobs. As a South Bronx Assembly Member, he fought to ensure small businesses contracting with the state are paid on time and won $20 million for New York to launch the first statewide My Brother’s Keeper program, securing grants that help boys and young men of color start school strong, graduate, and move into college and career training. Michael is a devoted husband and proud bonus father, bringing the same love, empathy, and commitment to his family that he brings to his fight for The Bronx.

Michael is running for Congress to fight for jobs and justice for everyone in the Bronx, focused on making our borough more affordable, safer, and fairer. He believes in a New York City that is stronger and more just—especially for communities ignored for too long—and he will organize and fight alongside his constituents to make that real. A consistent progressive, Michael also served as a Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, helping Democrats retake the U.S. House of Representatives. In Washington, he’ll bring the same Bronx-tested grit to lower costs, improve public safety without over-policing, and build clear pathways to good jobs so longtime residents can stay, thrive, and lead.