Against the Odds

Losing in 2017 taught me plenty. Losing won't stop me. I’m running again in 2025

By Vanessa Aronson, Democratic Candidate for New York City Council District 4

“You are a fighter, you overcame the odds!” my mother will remind me for the two-millionth time. “First they told me I lost you in the womb, then they said you’d never walk, but you areresilient!”

Forty years later, my mother still tells the stories of my earliest days as if they were last week. There is great power in these kinds of stories, the ones we inherit and eventually start telling about ourselves. For me, the “legend” of surviving a harrowing birth and overcoming a cerebral palsy diagnosis has shaped my sense of self and my deep belief in resilience.

Maybe that’s what led me to the Foreign Service, launching a career that demanded flexibility and grit. It’s definitely what fueled my passion for teaching in the NYC public schools. And it’s almost certainly what’s driving me to run — again — for the City Council seat I lost in 2017.

That loss taught me more than I could’ve imagined about campaigns, about myself, and about what it really means to serve.

1. Don’t define yourself by endorsements

Before I got into politics, I trusted organizations I respected to point me toward the candidates aligned with their mission. But I’ve learned that endorsements are just as often about timing, relationships, and political calculus as they are about shared values. I’m honored by the support I’ve earned, but I try not to let the wins, or the misses, go to my head. Voters want to hear from you, not just who’s backing you.

2. Focus on your own mission

In competition, it’s easy to drive yourself crazy through comparison: who raised more, who has better graphic design, who has more social media followers? That’s all noise. The real work is staying focused on your own message, your own plan, your own path, and your own relationship within the community.

3. You can’t be everywhere or everything to everyone

Campaigns move fast, and it’s easy to feel like you’re constantly choosing between conflicting priorities. Add in the pressure to please everyone, and suddenly you’re twisting yourself into a policy pretzel. Voters don’t need a shapeshifter to tell them only what they want to hear. They need a leader with a clear vision who listens, learns, and leads with heart.

4. Joy matters

Despite the grueling schedule, campaigning energized me. I’d wake up before sunrise, head into 18-hour days filled with forums, voter conversations, and policy work and think, I love this. When you’re doing work that aligns with your purpose, time really does fly. That joy is a sign you’re right where you’re meant to be.

Finally: running for office is a rare privilege

Getting to pursue your purpose out loud, to try, fail, learn, and try again, that’s a gift. I don’t take it for granted.

Losing didn’t break me. It shaped me. And it gave me the clarity, strength, and resolve to run again—not to finish unfinished business, but to answer a calling.

Let’s go!