As a nurse, it is my honor and my privilege to care for my patients. As the President of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) and President of National Nurses United (NNU) — the largest union of registered nurses in the country — I am committed to speaking up for patients at the bedside, at the bargaining table, and in the halls of power. In doing so, I see firsthand which elected representatives stand by nurses and care for us as we care for our communities.

When I think of the people who take care of nurses, I think of Congressman Jamaal Bowman. When NYSNA nurses took to the streets to strike for patient safety, Congressman Bowman was right there alongside us on the strike line. He understood that nurses needed to strike in order to protect our patients and communities. It was the only way our hospital employers would hear our demands.

And, together with allies like Congressman Bowman, we won! We were able to force our hospital employers to provide safer working conditions for nurses, which means better care for our patients.

That strike was hard. It took strength, courage, and solidarity for our nurses to leave the bedside in order to fight for the best quality care for all patients and communities. When union nurses refuse to compromise the safety of our patients, we know we are doing the right thing.

Congressman Bowman didn’t just pay lip service to our fight — he literally stood with us. He had our backs.

Nurses need an advocate on Capitol Hill who fights for us. We need an advocate who won’t sell out our communities, the same way that we won’t accept compromises when it comes to our patients. Every day, our employers try to force us to do more with less. But as NYSNA nurses demand the best contracts at the bargaining table and on the picket line in order to protect nurses and patients, Congressman Bowman will never compromise when it comes to his constituents. He has proven that ever since he was first elected.

Real character means having the strength to do what is right. In this political environment, it takes courage to stand up for your principles, and Congressman Bowman has consistently done so. He fights courageously for the policies that will benefit working people, including guaranteed health care for all, climate justice, and labor rights.

Nurses know that Congressman Bowman is the only candidate with the courage to support Medicare for All. His opponent, George Latimer, proudly opposes Medicare for All. Latimer’s campaign is funded by the same billionaire donors who want to see Medicare privatized and the Affordable Care Act weakened. Congressman Bowman wants to strengthen Medicare and protect it from privatization.

Latimer criticized Congressman Bowman for holding the line on the Inflation Reduction Act. But because of Congressman Bowman’s courage, Congress capped insulin at $35 a month for seniors and gave Medicare the ability to negotiate drug prices. Jamaal Bowman refused to compromise for less.

The Congressman’s committed advocacy for addressing the climate crisis has also focused on confronting environmental dangers that worsen public health outcomes, such as lead in our drinking water and toxic air pollution that leads to asthma and heart issues for our patients and communities. His landmark Green New Deal for Public Schools legislation would upgrade and retrofit schools to protect children’s health and safety in the face of climate change. To be clear, Latimer has said that “there is not going to be a George Latimer climate change bill.”

As a former teacher and school principal, Congressman Bowman knows the struggles of working people. Just as union nurses do, he understands that strengthening the labor movement is key to addressing long-standing economic inequalities in our country. The Congressman has been a staunch supporter of the PRO Act and of strengthening the NLRB.

It takes real strength of character to hold the line for our patients as union nurses do every day at the bedside. It also takes real strength of character to stand up for working people in the world of politics.

In the face of extraordinary pressure from corporate interests, Jamaal Bowman has shown us time and time again that he will fight for working people. He has our strong and unequivocal endorsement. I urge you to support Jamaal Bowman on Tuesday, June 25th.