STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- While Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis is running an uphill campaign for mayor, a challenger has emerged to run for her Assembly seat when the Republican's term is up next year.
Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn) hasn't responded in the past when asked whether she'll run for re-election next year if she loses the mayoral race.
A recent NBC 4 New York/Marist Poll found 68 percent polled would vote for incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio, while 18 percent support Malliotakis.
The assemblywoman has said her internal polling shows her support is higher.
Democrat Adam Baumel has filed with the state Board of Elections to challenge Malliotakis for the 64th Assembly District, alleging the Republican has been neglecting the constituents who elected her as she runs for citywide office.
"She is currently prioritizing her mayoral race above her district," Baumel told the Advance.
But he said Malliotakis being the incumbent isn't his biggest reason for running.
"I feel that a change in leadership is due," he said. "The current representative has been conservative her last seven years in office, until more recently shifting toward the center ... I have taken into consideration that Malliotakis is the incumbent, but her identity has nothing to do with my pursuit to run. The representative needs to serve the community, and I intend to earn that seat."
The 29-year-old has lived in Bay Ridge for about a year and a half, having grown up in Florida.
A Navy veteran, he served from 2009 to 2013 and interned for Assemblyman Michael Benedetto in 2016.
He never ran for public elected office before, having run last year for the Brooklyn Democratic County Committee.
A liberal Democrat, Baumel voted for Jill Stein in last year's presidential election, and has volunteered on the campaigns for Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato and the City Council campaigns for Justin Brannan in Bay Ridge and Dylan Schwartz on the South Shore.
He is currently a for-hire driver for several companies.
Baumel said he wants to tackle the heroin epidemic and protect small businesses and union members.
Asked how a Brooklyn resident can appeal to Staten Island residents, Baumel said, "My values inherited from the Navy include a tireless work ethic, an attention to detail necessary for addressing issues, and the ability to understand people's various perspectives, something vital for executing anything in government. I have the opportunity to effectively serve both sides of the constituency, having spent a great deal of time in Staten Island, talking to the citizens about their concerns and needs."
Asked for comment about Malliotakis' Assembly challenger, her mayoral campaign spokesman Rob Ryan said, "That's nice."