Part 2 of 2: Who will take over Congressman Serrano's seat?

Part 2  of 2: Who will take over Congressman Serrano's seat?

Not much has happened since our part 1 of this post so we'll just cut to the chase.

YDANIS RODRIGUEZ: Rodriguez, who is term-limited in 2021 from his current gig at the City Council (from neighboring Washington Heights), seems to THINK that he actually has a strong chance at winning the Congressional seat. However, there are a few obstacles that can prevent him from becoming the second member of Congress that is of Dominican descent. 

First, he's not from the Bronx, nor has he has a base of support. He's relying on the Dominican vote but he should know that unfortunately, the Dominican vote is too scattered and very unreliable during a Primary election. The district has been said to be heavy on Puertoricans, followed by African-Americans. Rodriguez is relying on the "support" of Congressman Adriano Espaillat and his troops who have been slowly dispatched to "help" his campaign. However, the political war of Rodriguez and Espaillat is one that everyone knows of and Rodriguez should not rely much on Espaillat as he may be led to believe. The truth of the matter is that Espaillat, as one source close to the Congressman said, is looking to 'take out' Rodriguez from the political arena and this is one way. No, not because they truly believe Rodriguez has a shot at the seat but by discrediting his ability to get elected (Rodriguez tried unsuccessfully for City Council Speaker, Manhattan Borough President and more recently, for Public Advocate). He has failed in all his attempts and this race will be no differently.

Lastly, Rodriguez has failed to get the support of any of the Bronx elected officials, particularly those of Dominican descent (Victor Pichardo and Karines Reyes) nor any influential community leaders that can move votes. He has been on the Spanish news outlets lately but many see it as pandering. Let's see if he can mobilize the Dominican community and become the first Dominican member of Congress from the Bronx.

SAMELYS LOPEZ: Samelys recently picked up the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which was the group that helped elect Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC). But this race is nothing like that of AOC, where she went up against a giant (Queens Democratic Party boss) Joe Crowley. Samelys is very bright, prides herself in her district roots and upbringing and has been gaining some traction.

It is the year where more women are running for office and challenging the status quo. Samelys, if she continues running a grassroots campaign, as we have seen in her social media, making it a point that she's not with the party establishment, combined that with some more media, she can pull off an upset. It is surprising she's not highlighting or taking advantage of the fact that she's a woman and this is a great time to send a woman to Congress. She's charismatic and can convince voters easily. If AOC comes out for her, sooner rather than later, we could be looking (or writing) about Congresswoman Samelys Lopez.

MELISSA MARK-VIVERITO: MMV was expected to be the front-runner in this race as it was speculated for some time that she was pursuing this seat, even before current Congressman Jose Serrano announced he was not running for re-election the year. Having served as the last Speaker of the City Council, she had clout.

However, as she became more focused on Puerto Rico, she also became too distant from the district. This is now catching up to her and unfortunately, with little to no traction nor any grassroots support, we shouldn't be surprised if Samelys gains more votes than MMV.

It is worth noting that the Bronx Democratic Party, nor any Bronx elected official for that matter, has come out in support of any candidate. We suspect that it will remain as such given that in the middle of all this, is the father of the Bronx Borough President who would like to be Mayor in 2021. So rather than to upset the Diaz dynasty, folks seems to be what any good soldier does: follow orders.