Matthew Morgan was born in Princeton, New Jersey. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University in 2015. Morgan’s career experience includes working as a store manager.[1] As of 2025, Morgan was affiliated with Rotary International and the Brooklyn Libertarian Party.[2]
Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.
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Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
Total votes: 46,517
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Conservative Party primary election
Conservative Primary for New York City Council District 39
Democratic Primary for New York City Council District 39
The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Shahana Hanif in round 6 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.
Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.
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There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
Total votes: 36,095
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Conservative Party primary election
The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Brett Wynkoop advanced from the Conservative Party primary for New York City Council District 39.
Matthew Morgan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Morgan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
My name is Matthew Morgan, the Libertarian Party candidate for NYC council district 39. My campaign is all about repealing draconian laws and regulations in order to turn NYC into a modern city that can be enjoyed by all and not just the financially privileged. We can do this by abolishing zoning and producing more housing which leads to lower rent and more savings for renters. We can streamline the permit and licensing process for small businesses who will employ citizens in our communities and those citizens will keep the money in the community. We can increase modes of transportation in the city so people are not financially burden by needing to have an automobile. My goal is to make the city affordable not by using tax money to fill financial gaps of the people, but by getting rid of the government burdens that cause the city to be expensive. Finally we need to rethink about policing in this city, and first we will start by kicking ICE out of the city indefinitely. Than we will work on building trust between the police and the people they serve by creating a police department who are about conflict resolution and looking to help and get to know the people in the community they serve instead of being antagonistic towards them.
New York City is experiencing a lot of changes, but that’s always been the nature of the city, I’m the politician built for the next chapter.
Abolish Zoning and Build More. Build More Housing, Build More Parks, Build More Commercial Space For Small Businesses, Build More Schools, Build More Community Centers, Build More.
Save Small Business. We need to create a system that makes it easy to understand the process to start a new business and also we need to do everything we can do reduce startup costs.
Reforming NYPD, the criminal justice system, and kicking out ICE.
I believe that the most important characteristics are transparency. If you are elected by the people to represent them then it is the responsibility of the elected official to be open and receptive to those people to prove that you are doing your duty and representing them and putting them before yourself. Not many politicians do this and that is why I believe we have such widespread contempt for government.
My best quality is relationship building and problem solving. I am skilled at analyzing problems and finding solutions by asking for the help of others and by a group effort finding a way to succeed. That is what government is all about, identifying issues in the city, using the resources and expertise of different people to create a solution, and working with others to implement that solution to improve the city.
The key responsibilities are to make sure they are listening to all the constituents in their district and doing their best to help make their lives easier.
My goal is to reduce the role of government in people’s lives and business. If I am successful at this than I believe the city will be better off and quality of life will improve. But it won’t be due to anything I do, it will be due to unleashing the power of the citizens of this great city. So what I am trying to say is that if people don’t remember me or anything I did, but the city got better, than that will be a success.
The government needs to be more transparent and held accountable from the federal level down to the local level. If I am elected I will make sure information about how every penny is being spent is easy accessible to everyone.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2021
Matthew Morgan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Morgan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
I am a blue-collar worker in Brooklyn who wants to make a difference in NYC. I am a candidate who will stand up for New Yorkers and push forward the city against the stagnant status-quo Democrats who have taken advantage of the citizens votes and approval.
Housing and homelessness are an issue that I am very passionate about. Abolish zoning is my solution. The city has not been building to meet demand in decades and the result is lack of housing and "The Rent Is Too Damn High". The city has been taken hostage by Community Boards and outdated regulations that chokehold the city from building the units needed.
Criminal Justice System Reform is another policy that is very important to me. The marches in the streets against police brutality did not spring up because of the murder of George Floyd, that murder was a last straw, an anger against decades and decades of brutality suffered by minority communities at the hands of not only the police but also the criminal justice system as a whole. We need to change laws, punish bad cops, and rethink what communities need to feel safe.
Save NYC Small Businesses is a policy that is more important now than it ever has been. Small Businesses in the city have been suffering for years due to high rent, high barriers to entry, and other costs. The result is the loss of small mom-and-pop shops. Businesses owned by local residents. We need to reduce regulations, provide rent relief, provide fine and fee relief, tax relief, and get them access to capital. If we do not do this we will NEVER have a full comeback in New York City.
The City Council is an incredibly important part of NYC government. They introduce and vote on the laws for the city. They negotiate the budget for NYC with the Mayor. They review land use decisions. Finally they monitor the city`s agencies.
I admire anyone who stands up for a cause that is important to them, and even when nobody else seems to care about it. I admire anybody who fights, marches, protests, etc for something that they feel passionate about. I admire everyone who marched in the protests against Police Brutality and stood toe-to-toe against the armed police departments who in some cases were violent towards them. I admire people who make videos and spread the message online about injustices happening around the world, most get no attention, nobody watches their videos, ReTweets, or shares their content, but unaffected they march on, because they care so much. Its not the politicians and those in power that I admire, its those who are unpaid, with little to no power, who still fight, who still stand-up for others even though they have little or nothing to gain, those are people I admire and look up to.
The Libertarian Party platform: https://www.lp.org/platform/
I am a member of the Libertarian Party and I am the chair of the Brooklyn Libertarian Party. Libertarian ideals are at the core of my policies, and those are liberty and freedom for all. We believe in all citizens having the freedom to live and lead their lives in any way that they please, with little to no interference from the government, and as long as they do not hurt others, use force against others, or are fraudulent against others.
I do not want to destroy or get rid of government, but I feel it is too large and it works against the freedom of its citizens. In NYC small businesses are strangled by fines, fees, and regulations. Developers spend years jumping through hoops in order to build just one small apartment building. Our criminal justice system destroys lives and communities due to archaic laws. We need a government that gives its citizens the freedom to build the communities that fit their needs and their wants and not the ones that the government dictates.
I believe my best qualities are my ability to listen and understand the troubles and issues that others are facing in their lives with open ears and an open heart and without trying to insert myself into these situations. When people are expressing things that they struggle with in the city, I do not immediately try to insert solutions, I listen to them and let them tell me what they would like to see done.
I am also great at working with others, I am good at recognizing what others are trying to accomplish and knowing how to curate a solution that meets both parties needs.
Finally, I am good at being a representative and a leader. I am good at setting an example for others and carrying myself in away that others respect. But a good leader is more than image, a leader does, and does things that they expects from others and more. I am willing to do what it takes to perform the duties of this office to the highest possible standard and put in the time necessary.
The first historical even that happened that I remember, like most of my generation, is 9/11, I was 10 years old. We were called into the gym and the principal gave us a vague description of an event that took place today in New York, it was not until I returned home that I found out the terrible and heartbreaking event that had taken place.
My first job was a dishwasher at a local restaurant that I worked at part-time in high school. I worked there until I graduated. It taught me hard-work, working with a team, punctuality, and the importance of saving my money.
I do not know about the last song stuck in my head, but if you see me in the neighborhood with headphones in I will be listening to my personally curated "New York City Hip-Hop Golden Years" playlist. Especially on a beautiful day, biking around Prospect Park, there is nothing better than Salt-N-Pepa, Notorious BIG, Jay-Z, DMX, Puff Daddy, and 50 Cent playing in my ears to create a real good vibe.
As someone who has little to no experience in government and politics, I would not be running for this position if I believed that. At my blue-collar job I am in the game of customer service, and politics is no different, except I will be in constituent service instead. I know my constituents will expect me to do a service on their behalf, the one that they paid me with their votes to do. If I am unable to do what they expect or perform those tasks at the level and quality that they expect, they will take their money/votes elsewhere when the next election comes around.
I have been working jobs since I was 16, I know the importance of being able to work with others and that is what government is all about. I know that you have to make compromise and you cannot always have everything your way otherwise things ground to halt and nothing ends up getting down and nobody ends up happy.
I am not concerned about my lack of government experience, I do not see it as a weakness or a fault of mine, I am confident that my other skills and competencies will easily allow me to adapt to this position, and if anyone has their reservations due to my lack of previous experience, dont.
Great public speaking, charisma, and charm are the skills and expertise that make anyone a fantastic candidate. Being able to impress people with your words and the way you present yourself is a great way to get attention when running for political office. But all of that means absolutely nothing if you are not an even better listener. Being able to listen to the people of your community and the voters and truly understand and empathize with the issues that they present you. A City Council member is a representative, they represent their district, they should be there to do just that and nothing more. If you are motivated by self-interest and doing what you think will help you move up to more powerful positions then you do not deserve this office.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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