Jerry Nadler: “I am honored to represent most of the district once represented by the late Bella Abzug in Congress, and as such I come…”

“I am honored to represent most of the district once represented by the late Bella Abzug in Congress, and as such I come forward today together with my friend from the District of Columbia and with the Congressional Women's Caucus to say a few words about a departed legend. Not only was she driven to do the right thing, but she demanded the same of everyone she came in contact with. She was not expected to win her 1970 campaign for the House. I remember when she ran the first time, I campaigned for her. I just graduated from college; we had run against the same incumbent every 2 years since 1962, and we lost in 1962, and we lost in 1964. We lost in 1966; we lost in 1968; and no one expected any different in 1970. But Bella changed the mode. Bella didn't just try to get out her vote and up the percentage a few percentage points and hope that more of our vote would come out than theirs. Bella went into the opposition stronghold and cracked it, and made them vote for her and changed the whole tone and the whole model of politics in lower Manhattan. I remember the astonishment when she won that June day in 1970. She changed the mode and the model of how New York politics was looked at. Then she got here, and, of course, she made an immediate impression. It is hard to realize, she was such an inspiration to an entire generation.…”