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. 

Palma Betrayed by Her Own Party? King Left Out; Torres New Bronx Star

So, how did the Bronx Council delegation do with Speaker Mark-Viverito’s committee assignments? Not so good.

First, keep in mind that the Bronx Democratic Party, except freshman Councilmember Ritchie Torres, supported Mark-Viverito-s rival, Dan Garodnick.

The only two Councilmembers who did not get a piece of the pie were Andy King (Co-op City) and Annabel Palma, who also ran for Speaker.

After the assignments, Palma went on the offensive, bashing Speaker Mark-Viverito and called it “politics as usual” and stating “a blind man can see that this is political retribution.” This argument falls short as the Speaker even appointed her strongest rival (Garodnick) Chair of the powerful Economic Development Committee.  Palma further stated that “nothing has changed.” However, many political observers have commented that the new Speaker’s assignments demonstrate strong leadership on the part of Mark-Viverito.

When questioned by reporters about Palma’s comments, Speaker Mark-Viverito simply responded that “unfortunately, that’s the interpretation of our colleague. I respect the position but I differ with it.”

In his weekly appearance on NY 1’s Inside City Hall, political commentator Gerson Borrero said that Palma “was sold out by her own people” and challenged Palma to questioned “the deal” that Bronx Part Dem Chair Carl Heastie brokered with the Arroyo family. South Bronx Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo was selected to Chair the Community Development Committee.

It remains to be seen what political effect this may have on the leadership of Chairman Heastie, whose leadership has been put in question as a result of several recent political scandals in the Bronx.

Andy King, surprisingly, was also excluded from any committee chairmanship. This was a surprise to many since he was not publicly bashing Mark-Viverito during her race.

NW Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera was assigned Chair of Juvenile Justice. This came as a surprise given Cabrera’s opposition to Mark-Viverito’s race for Speaker. Further, minutes after Mark-Viverito’s historic election, Cabrera left a cloud of doubt when asked about Mark-Viverito’s election by Spanish newspaper (El Diario/La Prensa) and stated that “now let’s see if she really does what she said she would do and if the Council is really united under her leadership.” Seems like these comments were irrelevant to Mark-Viverito’s decision to designate Cabrera as Chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee.

The real winner in the Bronx is newly-elected Councilmember Ritchie Torres, who defied Chairman Heastie and supported Mark-Viverito early on. He will Chair the Public Housing Committee. Many observers say that Torres represents the future of Bronx politics, with a new era of progressives running for office. 

It remains to be seen how much ‘lulus’ each of the Bronx Councilmembers will receive when they are doled out in the new few months. Each Councilmember can receive from $200,000 to millions, depending of course, on their relationship with the Speaker.

As Assemblyman Jose Rivera, a staunch supporter of Mark-Viverito, wrote in his Facebook page that “If you were one of those who saw this train "Stop" at your local train station while the conductor was saying, "ALL ABOARD!" and did not jump on, don't blame Melissa blame yourself.”