Charlie Ramos, a Bronx Democrat who has been dithering between a primary challenge to Assemblyman Marcus Crespo and Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. has finally chosen his target.

And the winner is…

Body Shot

“This September I will run for the State Senate and take on Reverend Ruben Diaz, Sr. in the Democratic primary,” Ramos wrote in a “Dear Friend” e-mail he is poised to blast out this evening.

“I’m running because the people of the Bronx are hurting and our State government is not helping our community, but making living conditions worsen.”

“…The people of the Bronx deserve better than this. I would go a step further and say the people of the Bronx are at risk because of the failure of our State government. If I become your State Senator – I will be accountable only to you. My very first priority will be to protect our children and bring jobs to our community.”

“But I’m going to need your help. The incumbent has the backing of the entrenched interests, the Landlord Lobby, and the corrupt powers that have mismanaged the Bronx for years. But I have something much more important – I have you, my closest friends, supporters and colleagues.”

“Together, we can create a State government that will protect our children, bring jobs to those who desperately need them, and protect our civil liberties – including the right to marriage. That is my firm conviction and that is why I am running for office.


(The boldface type is not added by me. It appears in Ramos’ e-mail).

I reached Diaz Sr. on his cell phone late this afternoon. He was very upset about being called a “homophobe” on the radio by his Senate Democratic colleague, Kevin Parker, whom Diaz Sr. chastised following his latest angry outburst at the Capitol.

Diaz Sr. said he expected Parker was trying to rally the gay community support him, but speculated this wouldn’t work because “the gay community are very intelligent people and they know he was wrong.”

When I tried to ask Diaz Sr. about Ramos, who has been reaching out to the LGBT community in hopes of gaining their support againt the senator – the chamber’s most outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage – he clamed right up.

“I don’t want to talk about him,” Diaz Sr. said. “Why should I? Forget it.”

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