Local politics was the last thing on Crystal Hudson’s mind after a career in marketing and advertising,

Then, much of it became part of her life.

"My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and that's what got me into public service,” said Hudson, running for reelection in District 35. “I moved back home to take care of my mother, and it was through my own caregiving experience for her that I realized how incredibly difficult it is to navigate bureaucracy."

Ever since, she says she's been dedicated to serving aging New Yorkers and making sure other families have access to help.

"I've been chair of the aging committee the whole time that I've been serving in the New York City Council," said Hudson. “Expanding access to free legal representation and housing court for anybody age 65 and older. I've also passed legislation to make securing doula services more accessible to any New Yorker giving birth. We know that Black women die at far greater rates than their white counterparts while giving birth, and so making sure that we did something to address the black maternal mortality crisis was of utmost importance to me.”

At the forefront of her reelection campaign is affordability.

"That includes free universal child care," said Hudson. I want to make sure that we're building as much housing and affordable housing and deeply affordable housing."

The Prospect Heights native is counting on voters to help her finish getting that done.

"I proudly represent the district that I've been born and raised in,” said Hudson. “That I'm raising my own daughter in, that my family still lives in. So I want to make sure that every resident of this district and of New York City can also stay in the communities that they grew up in."