Manhattan Times
New York
Last week Assembly Member Adriano Espaillat picked up two more endorsements in his campaign to succeed state Senator Eric Schneiderman.
On Aug. 23 the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), an education union conglomerate representing more than 1,200 unions including New York City’s United Federation of Teachers (UFT), officially backed his candidacy on the steps of City Hall.
“During his time in the Assembly he fought for fair funding for our public schools, smaller classes for our kids and giving parents and teachers a stronger voice in our city,” said UFT President Michael Mulgrew.
Then on Aug. 26, Espaillat received the support of Citizen Action of New York, a statewide, grassroots organization with a progressive agenda on social, racial and economic justice for nearly 30 years.
“Adriano has a distinguished record fighting for these justices in the Assembly and we know he will continue to be a forward-thinking advocate for equality in the Senate, who will work to protect our communities, before protecting big money interests and their lobbyists,” said executive director Karen Scharff in a statement.
The other candidates vying for the open Senate seat are Mark Levine, Anna Lewis and Miosotis Muñoz.
Levine snags online “All-Star” endorsement
The “people-powered” political action committee founded by Howard Dean in 2004 called Democracy for American (DFA) awarded state Senate candidate Mark Levine its Grassroots All-Star endorsement on Aug. 25 after he garnered the most online votes on its Web site of any New York State candidate participating in the competition.
Some candidates running for office encouraged supporters to vote for them during a two-week period last month. Endorsed candidates receive volunteer support from local DFA groups and a contribution from the DFA PAC.
“DFA supports candidates in these important local races to build the progressive bench of the Democratic Party and we are working in all 50 states,” said the PAC’s political director Charles Chamberlain.
Teachers union backs Linares for Assembly
New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) threw its weight behind former City Council Member Guillermo Linares in his bid to return to elected office by replacing the departing Adriano Espaillat in the 72nd District.
“NYSUT is supporting Guillermo Linares for state Assembly because he has a record of
supporting students and their schools,” said NYSUT President Richard Iannuzzi in an Aug. 22 statement. “As a former teacher and school board member, he understands the important role education plays in advancing our state and we are confident he will bring that same understanding and commitment to Albany.”
The other candidates are Nelson Denis, Miguel Estrella, Julissa Gomez and Gabriela Rosa.
Gomez announces endorsements of Pulitzer Prize winner and women leaders
The Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Junot Díaz and a growing list of over 25 community leaders who are women and have signed on to support the candidacy of attorney Julissa Gomez for the 72nd Assembly seat being vacated by Adriano Espaillat.
Díaz, whose novel “The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Literature, said in an Aug. 25 statement: “Julissa is fierce, knowledgeable, far-sighted – no one will fight harder for the district and no one is more ethical.”
Gomez, in her first campaign for elected office, has also recruited a grassroots bloc of women, including community activists, business owners and women’s rights advocates.
“I am humbled and honored to have the support of these amazing women, who everyday make a difference in the lives of so many people,” Gomez said in a statement. “These women know first hand that as a community we can achieve anything. I thank them for their encouragement and belief in me and the vision I have.”
