The daughter of former Rep. Carolyn Maloney is riding her mother’s coattails in a “shameless” bid to reclaim the 78-year-old Democrat’s old City Council seat, insiders told The Post.
Virginia Maloney, a product manager at Meta, has flaunted her political pedigree in campaign material to potential voters since announcing her bid last month to replace term-limited Democratic Councilman Keith Powers, whose district comprises much of the Upper East Side and Midtown.
On her campaign website, the 37-year-old UES native lays out her concerns about the need for more affordable housing, combating extremism and improving healthcare access — but also leans into family lore of her mother going into labor with her while debating legislation on the City Council floor.
“My mother — a teacher, City Councilwoman and Member of Congress — taught me to believe in myself as a woman and that when I do, I can get great things done,” the website reads.
A new 30-second introductory campaign ad, which briefly touched on Virginia Maloney’s work for the city Economic Development Corp. and later the private tech sector, was similarly ham-fisted in touting the candidate’s lineage, lingering on a clear, striking portrait of her mother as she reminded people that she’s “the daughter of two public servants.” Her late father, Clifton Maloney, was a former US Navy vet and investment banker.
The elder Maloney, who regularly appears in Instagram posts on Virginia Maloney’s campaign account, also is being trotted out as a host for her daughter’s campaign fundraisers both in Washington DC and the Big Apple.
“Most candidates I’ve worked with who have that sort of dynasty are never this shameless,” one veteran Democratic strategist told The Post.
“There is a time and a place to evoke your mom, but from Day One, in such an aggressive way, strikes me as obscenely lazy.”
As of the latest campaign filings in October, Virginia Maloney had yet to document any contributions, according to campaign records.
A second Democratic strategist, meanwhile, suggested Virginia Maloney’s bid for City Council is ultimately a “proxy” for her mother to eventually reclaim her old congressional seat after being trounced by fellow Manhattan Rep. Jerry Nadler in the bitter 2022 Democratic House primary.
“Carolyn Maloney has been as visible at events, if not more, than the candidate,” the insider said. “Everyone knows she wants her seat back.”
Carolyn Maloney, who had an estimated net worth of $13 million in 2018, previously held the City Council District 4 seat representing the Upper East Side from 1982 to 1992. Virginia attended the posh Spence School, where tuition is an eye-watering $65,846 a year.
Carolyn Maloney went on to represent the nabe in Congress for another two decades, where she became a totemic figure in her district for her dogged advocacy to secure funding for the $4.4 billion 2nd Avenue subway line as well as billions to finance health programs for 9/11 first responders and the victim’s compensation fund.
“Virginia is lucky to have learned a lot from her mother’s trailblazing career and she will use those lessons to serve her community and the City she loves so much,” said Shelby Garner, a campaign spokesman for Virginia Maloney and her mother’s former district chief of staff.
While the Maloney name is a “great name that fits the district,” the family legacy will only take her so far in what is shaping up to be a sharply competitive race, warned Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf.
“At some point in the future she’s going to have to be her own person,” he said. “Being her mother’s daughter won’t be sufficient.”
Carolyn Maloney did not respond to requests for comment.
