BP Diaz, Jr is out. Bronx County Chair Crespo is out. So who's in?

Never has the name of our blog being more precise than today.

As we all know by now, two of the borough’s most prominent officials – Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and County Chair Marcos Crespo – will no longer be in Bronx politics. In January, Rubencito announced he will finish his term in 2021 and no longer run for any political post. A month later, Crespo followed by announcing he will not seek re-election to his Assembly seat.

Yes, this was a shock to many here in the Bronx. Rubencito was expected to run for Comptroller in 2021 (since his Mayoral prospects seemed to disappear for several reasons). Crespo was expected to follow him into Bronx Borough Hall. All of a sudden, those plans came down crumbling, catching everyone by surprise.

On Friday, Crespo abruptly announced that he was resigning from his Assembly seat AND as Chair of the Bronx Democratic Party. Why not wait it out until end of the year? This is a question everyone is asking. This is a question that has gone unanswered.

Last week’s Congressional elections in the 15^th district also put the party apparatus and leadership in question. The presumptive winner is Ritchie Torres, who is not known to be a soldier of the Bronx machine. Michael Blake, who came in second, and refuses to concede until all votes are counted, also is not soldier. Reverend Ruben Diaz – The Rev – came in a surprising third, getting a mere 15% of the votes. This was a bit surprising since all the politicos were saying that the race was between Ritchie and the Rev. It could not be clearer that the voters of the 15^th sent a strong message that the Reverend’s position (pro-Trump, anti-gay, anti-women) was not the direction they wanted to go. While the Reverend remains Councilman, he will have a very tough primary next year with his opponent: progressive and charismatic Amanda Farias.

But what everyone knows but are not speaking about in public is that the Diaz kingdom has fallen. But not only the Diaz. The Bronx party establishment has proved what many have been saying for some time now: it’s slowly losing their ability to be united and elect their candidates.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

With Crespo’s resignation from the party, there’s a power struggle for that position. Several have been rumored to be interested while others are rumored to be pushed by Assembly Speaker (and former Bronx Party Chair) Carl Heastie.

First, there’s Northwest Bronx Assemblyman Victor Pichardo who last week went on Twitter to say that he is pursuing the post. This was a surprise to many since it has long being rumored that Pichardo has been looking for a new gig, outside of elective politics. In his Twitter exchange with political commentator Gerson Borrero, he seemed to back-tracked and now is interested in staying in office.

We also hear that Assemblyman Karines Reyes is also a very possible choice to lead the Bronx Democrats. While Reyes was elected in 2019, she has been one of the most active members of the Assembly. During the pandemic, she put on her uniform as a nurse and went back to the hospital and helping to save lives. Reyes, offers a very unique opportunity for the party. It has never been run by a woman and in a borough with majority Latino population, Reyes would seem the logical choice. But, that’s only the opinion of some. Others may think differently.

Another Bronx Democrat out there is Latoya Joyner, who, as it has been reported in some outlets, is Heastie’s favorite. While Joyner has more time in the Assembly than Reyes, this would be a slap in the face for Latinos in the Bronx.

One thing is clear: the Bronx is lagging behind other boroughs in having women in leadership roles. This an opportunity to change that.

With the 2021 municipal elections around the corner, where the majority of the Bronx City Council delegation is term-limited and new Councilmembers will be elected, the Bronx Democratic Party stand to be a powerhouse or simply become irrelevant.

The voters are changing. Bronx politics is changing.

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.