Abdelazim Prepared for Short Binghamton Campaign

Tarik Abdelazim admits he's facing a tough challenge in his bid to unseat Binghamton Mayor Richard David in November.

Abdelazim, a Democrat, officially launched his campaign last week, less than four months before Election Day.

Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program Monday, Abdelazim said his effort to defeat an incumbent city mayor with so little time is "unprecedented."

Abdelazim unsuccessfully challenged Republican Broome County Executive Debra Preston in 2012. He said as recently as two months ago, he had no intention of running for mayor.

But Abdelazim ultimately decided to oppose the Republican mayor after city Democrats were unable to find someone willing to challenge him.

Abdelazim said Binghamton should be doing more to retain and attract young professionals. He also said as a progressive, he believes "we need to stand up for working families and, particularly, our local unions."

With 16 weeks before the election, Abdelazim said he still doesn't have a campaign manager. He said he hopes to name a manager by August 1. For now, his campaign is being directed by a committee of core people.

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