Nomiki Konst

Konst was born in Tucson, Arizona, and as a child she moved with her family to Buffalo, New York. Her mother was a legislator in Erie County, New York, and also served as a "Commissioner of Economic Development".{{Cite news |date=2016-03-18 |title=Nomiki Konst: the Face of 2016 Presidential Politics |url=https://www.thenationalherald.com/nomiki-konst-the-face-of-2016-presidential-politics/ |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=The National Herald |language=en-US}} All four of her grandparents were Greek. Her paternal grandfather (whose surname was {{lang|el|Κωνσταντάκης}} [{{transliteration|el|Konstantákis}}]) is from Cephalonia, her paternal grandmother was from Kalymnos and her maternal grandparents were members of the ethnic Greek minority in southern Albania.{{cite interview |last=Konst |first=Nomiki |interviewer-last=Fourlis |interviewer-first=Antonis |title= |script-title=el:Nομική Κονστ: Νέα, ασυμβίβαστη, Ελληνοαμερικανή υποψήφια συνήγορος του Πολίτη στη Νέα Υόρκη |trans-title=Nomiki Konst: Young, uncompromising, Greek-American candidate for public advocate in New York City |at=sec. NOMIKI KONST: ΒΟΡΕΙΟΗΠΕΙΡΩΤΙΣΑ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΛΥΜΝΙΑ...ΣΤΗ ΝΕΑ ΥΟΡΚΗ [NOMIKI KONST: NORTHERN EPIROTE AND KALYMNIAN...IN NEW YORK CITY] |type=text article with embedded video clips of interview, which was conducted in English, with Greek subtitles |work=HuffPost Greece |date=December 26, 2018 |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.gr/entry/nomike-konst-nea-asemvivaste-ellenoamerikane-epopsefia-seneyoros-toe-polite-ste-nea-eorke_gr_5c139bb6e4b0539b3213d5af |access-date=June 16, 2022}}

Konst served as a national co-chair on Barack Obama's 2012 presidential re-election campaign. In 2012, Konst announced her intention to run for Arizona's 2nd congressional district,{{Cite web|last=McCombs|first=Brady|date=February 14, 2012|title=Konst, civil discourse group founder, joins congressional race|url=https://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/konst-civil-discourse-group-founder-joins-congressional-race/article_82528998-5733-11e1-af4d-0019bb2963f4.html|website=Arizona Daily Star|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109023815/http://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/konst-civil-discourse-group-founder-joins-congressional-race/article_82528998-5733-11e1-af4d-0019bb2963f4.html|archive-date=November 9, 2019|url-status=live|access-date=January 16, 2020}} but withdrew prior to the primaries.{{Cite web |title=Nomiki Konst |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Nomiki_Konst |access-date=July 3, 2022 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}} In 2016, she was a national surrogate for Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Briahna |author-link=Briahna Joy Gray |date=2018-09-26 |title=Democratic Socialist Nomiki Konst Announces Campaign for New York City Public Advocate |url=https://theintercept.com/2018/09/26/nomiki-konst-new-york-city-public-advocate-election/ |access-date=2022-07-02 |work=The Intercept |language=en}} and she served on the Democratic National Convention's platform committee.{{Cite news |last=Weigel |first=David |date=July 31, 2016 |title=For one Sanders delegate, a long journey finally comes to an end in Philadelphia |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-one-sanders-delegate-a-long-journey-finally-comes-to-an-end-in-philadelphia/2016/07/31/f5eaf1d2-5725-11e6-9aee-8075993d73a2_story |access-date=July 3, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} After the 2016 Democratic National Convention, she served on the party's Unity Reform Commission,{{Cite web |title=Unity Reform Commission Members |url=https://democrats.org/unity-reform-commission-members/ |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=Democrats |language=en}} which reviewed the party's nominating process.{{Cite web |title=Unity Reform Commission |url=https://democrats.org/unity-reform-commission/ |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=Democrats |language=en}} Konst also worked for Our Revolution, a progressive political action organization and offshoot of the Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign.{{Cite web |last1=Rubinstein |first1=Dana |last2=Nahmias |first2=Laura |date=21 February 2019 |title=Who is Nomiki Konst? |url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2019/02/21/who-is-nomiki-konst-865219 |access-date=28 May 2022 |website=Politico |language=en}} She was also appointed as a national surrogate in Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign.{{Cite web |last=Gruskin |first=Abigail |title='This Is A Whole New Race' |url=https://www.ourtownny.com/news/this-is-a-whole-new-race-DA2112656 |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=www.ourtownny.com |language=en-US}}

In 2018, Konst announced her candidacy in the 2019 New York City Public Advocate special election.{{cite news|last=Chávez|first=Aída|date=December 19, 2018|title=Is Jumaane Williams a True Progressive? A Rising Star Makes His Case to Be New York City's Top Watchdog|url=https://theintercept.com/2018/12/19/jumaane-williams-nyc-public-advocate/|work=The Intercept|accessdate=February 20, 2020}} Politico described her campaign as ambitious; including her proposals to decentralize the role to a representative in every borough, integrate the New York City Department of Investigation into the Advocate's office, and remove the office from the mayoral line of succession.

In June 2022, she announced her intention to run in the Democratic primaries of the 2022 New York State Senate election, for the 59th district; scheduled on August 23, 2022.{{Cite news |last=Murray |first=Christian |date=2 June 2022 |title=Astoria Progressive Launches Campaign for State Senate Seat, Angers Many Left-Leaning Democrats |language=en |work=Astoria Post |url=https://astoriapost.com/astoria-progressive-launches-campaign-for-state-senate-seat-angers-many-left-leaning-democrats |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615042911/https://astoriapost.com/astoria-progressive-launches-campaign-for-state-senate-seat-angers-many-left-leaning-democrats |archive-date=June 15, 2022}} She eventually dropped out and endorsed her former opponent, Kristen Gonzalez.{{Cite news |last=Murray |first=Christian |date=August 15, 2022 |title=Nomiki Konst Drops Out of Race for Senate District 59, Endorses Kristen Gonzalez |work=Astoria Post |url=https://astoriapost.com/nomiki-konst-drops-out-of-race-for-senate-district-59-endorses-kristen-gonzalez |access-date=August 21, 2022}}

In 2011, Konst became an anti-fracking activist, and was involved in a successful campaign to ban fracking in New York.

Konst was a vocal opponent of the Independent Democratic Conference; a group of Democratic New York State senators who routinely sided with Republicans to block progressive agenda items.

In 2019, Konst co-founded Matriarch, a progressive advocacy group dedicated to getting working-class women elected to public office.{{Cite web |last=Al-Sibai |first=Noor |date=2020-12-22 |title=Nomiki Konst Lost Her Race—But is Winning the War |url=https://bluetent.us/api/content/7c5d7c16-344a-11eb-9333-1244d5f7c7c6/ |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=Blue Tent |language=en-us}} In 2020, Cori Bush, one of Matriarch's founding members, was elected to the United States House of Representatives.{{Cite web |author=Gregory Krieg |title=Lacy Clay defeated by progressive primary challenger Cori Bush, CNN projects |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/05/politics/cori-bush-defeats-lacy-clay-missouri-result/index.html |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=CNN|date=August 5, 2020 }}

During her 2019 campaign for New York's Public Advocate office, Konst joined efforts{{Cite web |last=McNichols |first=Joshua |date=2018-12-06 |title=Resistance may not be futile as New York politicians join effort against Amazon |url=https://www.kuow.org/stories/resistance-to-amazon-nyhq-goes-mainstream |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=www.kuow.org |language=en}} to sink a proposed deal between New York City and Amazon to establish the corporation's headquarters in Queens.

In 2012, Konst and journalist Wayne Barrett founded the Accountability Project, a nonprofit investigative journalism outlet.

Konst hosted The Filter, a show on SiriusXM Progress radio.{{Cite web|title=Nomiki Konst describes the 'frightening standoff' at Standing Rock|url=http://blog.siriusxm.com/nomiki-konst-describes-the-frightening-standoff-at-standing-rock/|work=SiriusXM|date=December 2, 2016|access-date=February 20, 2020}} In 2015, she started uploading videos of interviews on her YouTube channel.Nomiki Konst (December 31, 2014).{{YouTube|gE600cd8yEg|Fox News Channel O'Reilly Factor Nomiki Konst}}. She also worked for the liberal and progressive show The Young Turks{{cite web|last=Ellefson|first=Lindsey|date=January 20, 2017|title='She's Not a Journalist!': Cop Reportedly Yells At Reporter Covering Demonstration|url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/shes-not-a-journalist-cop-reportedly-yells-at-reporter-covering-demonstration/|website=Mediaite|access-date=February 21, 2020}} as an investigative reporter until 2018.{{cite web|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/crowded-nyc-public-advocate-race-could-change-nyc-politics.html|title=The obscure, overcrowded election that could change New York City politics|first=David|last=Freedlander|date=2019-02-19|accessdate=2020-02-24}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/young-turks-layoffs-nomiki-konst-hannah-cranston/|title=Young Turks Sheds Senior Employees in Staff Shakeup|date=2018-06-14|website=TheWrap|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-29}}

Konst was a co-host on Rising at The Hill, where she provided political analysis and commentary.{{Cite web|title=Rising: September 24, 2024|work=The Hill |date=September 24, 2024 |url=https://thehill.com/hilltv/4895879-rising-september-24-2024/|access-date=2024-09-24}}{{Cite web|title=Politico 2019 Nomiki Konst Remarkable Life|website=Politico |date=February 22, 2019 |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/new-york-playbook/2019/02/22/nomiki-konsts-remarkable-life-398299|access-date=2020-02-20}}

Konst is currently the host of her own political commentary program, The Nomiki Show,{{cite web|title=The Nomiki Show YouTube Channel|website=YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC-7cHr_hSHX5NUVe-t2r1g|access-date=October 31, 2020}} and has contributed to several news outlets, including CBS News and CNN. She is also a frequent guest on progressive political shows, such as The Majority Report with Sam Seder.{{Cite web|title=Nomiki Konst – SheSource Expert – Women's Media Center|url=https://womensmediacenter.com/shesource/expert/nomiki-konst|access-date=2022-07-02|website=womensmediacenter.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbs.com/shows/cbsn/|title=CBSN Political Analyst Nomiki Konst|access-date=2022-07-02|website=cbs.com}}

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Category:1984 births

Category:Living people

Category:American activist journalists

Category:American feminists

Category:American people of Greek descent

Category:The Young Turks people

Category:University of Arizona alumni

Category:21st-century American journalists

Category:21st-century American women politicians

Category:Candidates in the 2012 United States elections

Category:Candidates in the 2019 United States elections

Category:Politicians from Tucson, Arizona

Category:Politicians from Buffalo, New York

Category:Journalists from Arizona

Category:Journalists from New York (state)

Category:21st-century American women writers