Hello, everyone!

Wow, what a wonderful, diverse group we have assembled here. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for being here with me today. I want to especially thank Qubilah Shabazz,

My name is Eddie Egriu. I am a businessman, an immigrant, and a progressive. Today, I am excited and humbled to announce our campaign for the Democratic nomination in the race to represent New York’s 26th congressional district!

Now, most of you probably don’t even know this, but this isn’t exactly my first crack at this! But hey - just like our Buffalo Bills, the words “giving up” just aren’t in my vocabulary. And you know what they say…“If at first you don’t succeed, try…try…try again!” “I never give up”

And I want to take a moment to reflect on the time that has passed since our last try in 2020. There are some things in our country and community that have changed in that time, some things that have stayed the same, and today, I believe there is a widely shared understanding amongst the people of Western New York that the time is now to start expecting more from our political leaders at every level.

First, the things that have changed. I have to start with what has transpired in the past few days with respect to the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine. I send strength, love, and prayers to the nation and people of Ukraine. Those who know anything about me know that I am staunchly anti-war, and it absolutely breaks my heart that the proud and peaceful people of Ukraine are now under attack from a violent tyrant. I also want the proud Ukrainian-American community here in Western New York to know that you are also in my thoughts and prayers.

I support President Biden’s promise of support to the Ukrainian people and his imposition of severe economic sanctions against President Putin and the Russian Federation. I also strongly support his promise that no American military personnel will enter into this conflict, and when elected I plan on holding his administration to that promise.

As a proud Albanian-American, I know deep in my bones all too well the devastation wrought by war, and as we enter into a frightening new phase of international relations, this is a perspective I will bring to our Congress. I am also proud to be an immigrant to our great country. As a district on an international border that is home to strong immigrant and refugee communities from across the world, I think it is only fitting for our congressional representation to reflect this experience.

Another big thing that has changed since 2020 is that we’ve now spent two years dealing with an ever-shifting COVID-19 pandemic that has turned our world completely upside-down. Perhaps a lot of you are feeling the way I am, which is this: tired with the lack of leadership and creativity from all sides of the political spectrum, exasperated by the finger-pointing, and ready for fresh ideas on how we can finally turn the page to figuring out how we’re going to live with a new endemic disease.

This has been an incredibly difficult couple of years for so many working families, and the psychological storm we have all weathered has left deep scars. This is why I intend to advocate for increased funding and access to mental health resources for our families.

The pandemic has also led many people to think long and hard about their jobs and in some cases, quit those jobs, in what many are calling “the Great Resignation.” I believe our federal government should be much more proactive in meeting our workers where they’re at, with greater investment in workforce training opportunities for people interested in switching careers.

The American Rescue Plan passed in the early days of the Biden administration helped families make it through during the time when it was passed, but we are at a different point in the pandemic now where we need to provide new leadership in how our country will move forward out of the shadow of the red-state-versus-blue-state fight that has gone on for far too long.

The Democratic Party in 2022 needs to turn the page to acknowledge what the American people already know, which is that despite our best efforts, COVID is unfortunately here to stay. And we need to come to the table with fresh ideas on how to ease the country’s transition into a new normal. We need to put forward a vision on how to move from merely surviving—to thriving again. I believe that ideas like mine—investing in mental health resources and programs to help Americans find new careers—can and should win bipartisan support, as long as we can leave the finger-pointing in the past and unite over progressive solutions in the name of renewed American strength, competitiveness, and common sense, and widespread American prosperity that reaches working families every bit as much as the top 1%.

Certainly, there are more things that have changed in the last two years, but I want to talk as well about what has stayed the same. For two more years, we have seen the perpetuation of a political status quo here in Western New York that continues to very poorly serve the people. And not coincidentally, our economic renaissance continues to disproportionately benefit developers and the top 1% of folks. But not nearly enough everyday Western New Yorkers are seeing the same levels of benefits. Our district is served mostly by Democrats at all levels, and yet I see far too much willingness to take a “trickle-down” approach to this resurgence, which has largely been led by the private sector with little or bumbling support from the public sector—we all know how the Buffalo Billion went.

I am a businessman, with deep roots in Buffalo and this district. I know the types of challenges small and medium-sized businesses face, and I have a perspective on how the federal government ought to work with and support job creation. But another thing that has stayed the same since 2020 is that this perspective continues to be extremely difficult to bring into all levels of elected office in Western New York. The usual suspects in the political establishment continue to be very effective at insulating entrenched incumbents against the accountability of voters. Actually…(previous and existing politicians have been bullies and brutes!), you could be forgiven for thinking our political leaders are completely inept…until you realize that they actually are extremely effective at one very important thing, which is clinging onto their jobs.

This brings us to our main opponent in this election. Now, I intend to run a campaign that is all about building bridges, instead of walls. At the same time, in seeking to earn the votes of Democrats in this primary election, I understand that I need to make a case for change from the incumbent, who is running for his tenth term in office. With respect to my opponent’s seventeen years of service in Congress, I struggle to think of any significant achievements he has brought home with him in those seventeen years.

In fact, the one area he has been consistent in pushing and where we have seen recent progress is in new infrastructure investment—and yet, he proposes using this once-in-a-generation investment not in projects that will maximize the positive impact on the health and economic prosperity of the everyday people of this district—like replacing lead water pipes and other critical improvements—but rather he pushes for those funds to go to “nice-to-have” investments in the Buffalo waterfront. I want to send a very clear message to the voters of this district: I believe in investing in water pipes, not the waterfront. Let the private sector handle making the waterfront a fun destination, while the public sector focuses on providing the greatest possible public good to residents. Again, with respect for his career of public service, I believe that this is something that we see very commonly when someone has spent so much time in the Washington bubble—they gradually lose touch with the community they serve.

Not only has my opponent lost touch with the priorities of this district, he also fails to provide the district any meaningful leadership. He has been wishy-washy throughout his career in many of his stances, particularly in his support for abortion rights, and he has in the past been proud to call himself New York’s most conservative Democrat in Congress. Call me crazy, but I believe that our district deserves consistent, honest—and yes, progressive—representation in Congress.

Finally, with respect to my opponent, not only does he fail to show leadership, but he is more and more frequently the last to realize what is most important to the rest of us. Has anyone else noticed this? For example, he spent years crusading for the removal of the Skyway that even when the community had shifted to talking about how to heal the damage and injustice done to our communities and environment by the Kensington and Scajaquada Expressways, he was the very last one to realize it. Secondly, the Canadian border closure inflicted damage on our local economy that dragged on for far too long before we heard him speak up with other border representatives to ask the United States and Canada to loosen travel restrictions across our bridges.

Simply put, these are the embarrassing failures of a Washingtonian who has lost touch with the Western New York community he is supposed to represent and lead, and it could not be clearer that the time is now for change!

And finally, the last thing that has not changed since 2020 is that I am still here raising my hand to fight for the representation and leadership that we deserve. Yes, this is not my first time raising my hand in this way. Yes, our past attempts to provide an alternative at the ballot box have fallen short. But as I said at the top, I never, ever, ever give up. And I believe that is a quality all Western New Yorkers appreciate deeply, a quality they want to see in their leaders.

My name is Eddie Egriu. I am a businessman, an immigrant, and a progressive, with a lifetime characterized by persistence and perseverance, befitting a district characterized by persistence and perseverance. I could not be more excited about the journey ahead to earn your vote in June 28th’s Democratic primary for the race to represent New York’s 26th congressional district.