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.

Who will take over Congressman Serrano's seat?

BLAKE, DIAZ, SR., LOPEZ, MARK-VIVERITO, RODRIGUEZ & TORRES 

(in alphabetical order) Part 1 of 2

We are starting off with what seems to be the most contested race in the Bronx right now: who will be the next Congressmember representing the 15th District in 2020? 

After Congressman Jose Serrano announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2020, many candidates jumped in right away. Councilman (and Reverend) Ruben Diaz Sr., Assemblyman Michael Blake, Councilman Ritchie Torres,  Manhattan Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, Bronx activist & Co-Founder of Bronx Progressives Samelys Lopez, Tomas Ramos and former Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito are just a few. 

It is clear that the top three candidates are Reverend Diaz Sr., Torres and Blake. We could also add Samelys Lopez, who has close ties to Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) who, as we all know, has more political muscle than many if not all Bronx electeds put together. Should AOC throw her support for this young, passionate and clean activist, the scenario could be very different. 

In its first financial filing, Torres raised over $500K. Yes, over half a million dollars for a race where Serrano barely ever raised more than $10,000. Torres also has strong support from the LGBTQ community, probably given that he is the first and only gay elected official from the Bronx (that we know of). Most recently, Torres received the support of Bold PAC, "the fastest growing Democratic Political Action Committee dedicated to increasing the diversity of our leadership in the House and Senate. It champions progressive Democrats fighting for change." Important to note that Congressman Serrano is on the leadership of BOLD PAC, as well as Brooklyn Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. 

Torres definitely has an upper hand in the race and if he, like Blake, is able to build a strong team of activists - from the district - we could be looking at the next Member of Congress. 

Assemblyman Blake, who is known for his many appearances and speeches around the country, as Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), seems to be behind Torres in terms of fundraising. He lacks support from the community and with a district that is predominantly Latino, his chances are not as good as Torres. However, if he's able to put together a strong team and use his money wisely, he could give Torres and Reverend Diaz a run for their money. 

Reverend Diaz is one who lacks in fundraising. However, everyone knows he already has what money will buy: name recognition. His anti-gay comments (repeatedly) is definitely something that has fueled the gay community to go all out for Torres. Diaz, Sr. has good support from local activists, primarily from Dominican livery drivers, which could be a problem for Ydanis Rodriguez (more on that in the next post). Worth noting that the Reverend does not have the support of his son, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, JR. Will the Reverend's "a votar, a votar, a votar" vans deliver for him the seat and be in Congress come 2020 remains to be seen. 

We will continue with this post later this week with the other candidates. Remember, your comments are welcomed. We will delete any comments with profanity language. 

CBxP is Back!

Dear Readers,

Our sincere apologies for the short absence but, we are back. 

Changing Bronx Politics (CBxP) will now be publishing more on what is happening in Bronx politics. Please note that we are not affiliated with any elected official, media outlet or political organization/club. We are simply an independent forum of ideas. 

We always encourage our followers/readers to leave us their comments. Unlike other platforms, we do not screen nor delete any of the comments. 

Yours truly,

CBxP

Ruben Diaz, Jr. For Mayor in 2021

Bronx BP Diaz, possible mayoral contender, does Staten Island homework

Diaz said that the Bronx and the Island have a lot in common.

“We do have that certain kinship,” Diaz said. “We’re two of the smaller boroughs, we always feel like we are the forgotten boroughs.”

And like the Island, the Bronx is looking to re-brand itself, tout its economic development successes and to draw tourists in by highlighting its parks, beaches and cultural attractions.

That “Bronx renaissance” will no doubt be a key part of the campaign platform should Diaz run for mayor.

Seems like Bronx Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda's Speech was BOOOORRRIIINNNNGG for Bronx Colleague

You be the judge of how, ummm, not-so-exciting Assemblyman Luis Sepuvelda's (87th Assembly District) speech seemed to be for his Bronx colleague Victor Pichardo (86th Assembly District).

This was last week (March 25th, 2014) when Assemblyman Sepulveda was speaking in favor of the National Public Vote.

Since Assemblyman Pichardo is the new kid on the block, maybe someone should let him know that the cameras in the Assembly chambers are always running. Let us not forget how he 'won' that September 2013 primary where Bronx Times reporter Bob Kappstatter dubbed him Assemblyman 'Levergate'. Hope this serves as a learning experience for the young Assemblyman.

Check out the video here and look how much fun Pichardo is having at the 40 seconds mark.

Yudelka Tapia Joining Forces with Victor Pichardo?

Victor Pichardo and Yudelka Tapia @ Bronx Centennial KickOff - January 9, 2014
Picture by www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com

Word on the street is that Yudelka Tapia, Female District Leader for the 86th Assembly District in the NW Bronx, is joining her former political rival and eventual winner Victor Pichardo in the upcoming September 2014 primaries as she seeks to keep her District Leader seat.

Yocasta Polanco

One of her potential challengers is Yocasta Polanco, former State Committeewoman under former disgraced Assemblyman Nelson Castro. Polanco has been rallying up troops from Castro's camp, which for better or worse, remain active in community issues. Recently, Congressman Rangel was the guest speaker at the William Jefferson Clinton Democratic Club, which she serves as one of its leaders. Polanco is also part of the team led by Male District Leader Steve Santana and potential candidate for State Senate (33rd District) Manny Tavarez.

When asked about Tapia's decision to join with Assemblyman Pichardo's slate, one of the former candidates for State Assembly stated that "she [Tapia] will do whatever she needs to do to stay as District Leader and/or be elected into office, even if that includes selling her soul to the devil."  A Bronx political operative with knowledge of this scenario stated that "Tapia and Pichardo are talking" and further added that "Tapia knows what's best for her."

We tried reaching out to Hector Ramirez and Haile Rivera, two of the other candidates who ran in last year's Democratic primaries against Pichardo. Ramirez did not respond to our email and Rivera simply stated that "I'm focused in my family and whatever Yudelka decides to do is her decision to live with."

Ramirez has been reaching out to folks in his effort to challenge Pichardo while Rivera has been rumored to be potentially seeking the District Leader. There are also several names floating around for this position (more on that later).

As far as who will County Chairman Carl Heastie support (Tapia or Polanco) remains to be seen but we suspect that they will rather have nothing to do with anyone who is tied to Nelson Castro. On the other hand, Tapia still has that $108,000 fine pending with the New York City Campaign Finance Board for failure to account for $60,000 in matching funds received from her unsuccessful 2009 City Council run. Not sure how Heastie is able to back Tapia with this heavy baggage (we confirmed with the NYCCFB last week that this matter remains pending).

Politics, particularly in the Bronx, is unpredictable and yes, interesting. Stay tuned for more updates on this race!

Rangel Seeks Support in NW Bronx

This past Saturday, Congressman Charles Rangel was in the Bronx, meeting and seeking the support of the William Jefferson Clinton Democratic Club, relatively unknown political club that once was led by disgraced Bronx (former) Assemblyman Nelson Castro and his associates.

Rangel was accompanied by Councilwoman Inez Dickens, which leads us to believe that maybe the Congressman is prepping Dickens to take over the seat when he retires, assuming he wins the upcoming June primary against his strongest challenger, State Senator Adriano Espaillat.

The meeting was held at the residence of community activist David Williams on Creston Avenue and was led by former Castro staffers, current NW Bronx District Leader Steve Santana and former district leader Yocasta Polanco. Castro's former Chief of Staff, Krystal Nieves was also one of the coordinators. Many political operatives we talked to, said that it would be of no surprise if Castro himself is playing an active, yet behind-the-scences role in the district. Some have seen the former Assemblyman holding bi-weekly meetings in an undisclosed location on the Grand Concourse.

Congressman Charles Rangel with District Leader
Steve Santana and Manny Tavarez

It caught our attention the presence of Manny Tavarez, who challenged State Senator Gustavo Rivera in 2012 and despite coming up short, many were surprised he obtained over 35 percent of the votes. Word in the street is that Tavarez is eyeing another run against Rivera. This could prove to be an uphill battle as NW Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera is seriously considering challenging Rivera. Another possibility for Tavarez would be running for State Assembly and challenging Victor 'Levergate' Pichardo. This would put Tavarez on a collision course with Hector Ramirez, who came in a close second in last year's election. We also hear that former Obama campaign staffer and candidate himself, Haile Rivera (no relation to Senator Rivera) will be supporting Ramirez in September and will run as District Leader.  No word on Yudelka Tapia and her political ambitions but when we consulted with the City's Campaign Finance Board, Tapia's $108,000 debt remains unresolved.

While only a group of 15-20 residents were on hand for the meeting, it is clear that Congressman Rangel is seeking support from anyone and everyone who can help him in his re-election efforts. Without Castro, it is questionable how much influence or political muscle this club has in the district.

No official word on what Espaillat's Bronx outreach efforts may be. Our 'consultants' do tell us that it is highly unlikely, and a major mistake for Espaillat to be involved with this group given their close ties to Castro (who remains to be sentenced for perjury charges).

CBP will remain vigilant and post any updates as we receive information. Stay tuned ...