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Pedro Espada
Endorsements – Gustavo Rivera Edition
Sep 3rd - 4:05 pm
Gustavo Rivera continues to wrack up endorsements for his bid to oust Senate Majority Leader Pedro Epsda Jr. with just 12 days remaining (including today) until the Sept. 14 primary.
The Rev. Al Sharpton said he has known the former aide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and SEIU 1199 worker for seven years, adding: “I have always fought for victims whether its police brutality, immigration, or poverty. Gustavo has been there with me in this fight.”
“The community needs someone who has the heart of the people and is practical enough to fight in Albany,” Sharpton continued in a statement released by the Rivera campaign.
“Rivera has a balance of both and I intend to campaign with him. Pedro Espada can feed the people but he cannot deliver loaves back to the community. Gustavo Rivera can go and deliver and he has earned the respect in Albany. He has been in the trenches with me and I plan to campaign and fight in the trenches with him.”
‘We Must Stand Together’
Sep 1st - 5:14 pm
Technically speaking, this is a public service announcement for the Sept. 9 immigration forum being co-hosted by Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson and Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr.
But it looks awfully like an endorsement to me – especially that smiley handshake at the 20-second mark.
And, as a reader pointed out, it was produced and posted by the Senate Democrat-controlled (and taxpayer-funded) media services unit just two weeks before Espada faces off against his two primary opponents: Gustavo Rivera (who is being backed by a number of the majority leader’s colleagues and labor unions) and Dan Padernacht.
Partying Against Espada
Sep 1st - 4:19 pm
Tonight is the first in a series of house party fundraisers the Working Families Party is throwing as part of its campaign to oust Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr.
As you can see from the invite below, these are low-dollar affairs that are being held as much to whip up grassroots support as they are to raise cash to help the labor-backed party’s effort on behalf of its preferred Democratic primary candidate against Espada, Gustavo Rivera.
WFP spokesman Dan Levitan informs me organizers have been on the ground for weeks and have already knocked on over 10,000 doors. The goal is to double that by primary day.
32BJ Mails For Gustavo Rivera: ‘There Is Another Choice’
Aug 30th - 2:30 pm
The latest independent expenditure on behalf of Senate hopeful Gustavo Rivera and his quest to oust Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. on Sept. 14 is SEIU 32BJ, which has dropped the first of four mailers in what will be a $30,000 independent expenditure.
It’s a positive piece of campaign lit to introduce the little-known political newcomer to Bronx voters. There’s one section on fixing Albany and restoring “trust” that could be construed as anti-Espada. It’s curiously worded, however, and includes the following line:
“Gustavo knows the more control the people have, the less control special interests will have.”
Remember: This is a mailer sent by a union. And it features a list of people/entities who have endorsed Rivera, which includes SEIU 1199, the AFL-CIO, the CWA, the Working Families Party…etc and so on.
In addition to the mail, 32BJ is doing a big member-to-member outreach in the district, with volunteers knocking on 1,500 doors and making 6,500 calls to date. The union is still recruiting volunteers. So far, some 150 have stepped up to help Rivera, and another 150 are expected to sign on to the effort.
Sampson, Espada To Hold ‘Immigration Forum’
Aug 30th - 8:28 am
As Senate Democrats and their allies continue to line up against Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. in hopes of ousting him on primary day, their leader, John Sampson, remains staunchly in the controversial Bronx lawmaker’s corner and his even hosting an “immigration forum” less than one week before the Sept. 14 election.
Espada’s office announced this morning that the majority leader and Sampson will co-host the even to address a “developing crisis” evident in “an alarming rash of bias attacks against immigrants, particularly Hispanics, in the Bronx, Staten Island and Long Island, and a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment across the country and state.
The two Democrats will hold a press conference tomorrow Wednesday, Sept. 1, along with community and religious leaders, to discuss details of the forum and legislation proposed by the majority to protect immigrants in New York. The forum will take place on Sept. 9 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Bronx Community College.
Espada Gets Biblical
Aug 24th - 3:44 pm
Here’s the latest ad from Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr., compliments of Gerson Borrero, in which the scandal-scarred Bronx Democrat quotes the following passage from the Scripture: “No weapon formed against us shall prosper.”
According to Borrero, who sees Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. at work here, that’s from the Book of Isaiah (54:17).
The senator again condemns the “wealthy outsiders” who are waging what he calls a “dishonest campaign” against him.
I’m not entirely certain where this ad and the last one, which portrayed supporters of Espada’s primary opponent, Gustavo Rivera, as puppet masters, are running, since they’re not being formally released by his campaign – to the extent that he has one.
Schneiderman For Rivera Against Espada
Aug 22nd - 3:00 pm
Sen. Eric Schneiderman has split with the Senate leadership and thrown his support behind Gustavo Rivera’s effort to oust Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. in the Democratic primary next month.
“Today, I’m not just endorsing Gustavo Rivera for State Senate – I’m endorsing reform, I’m endorsing leadership, and I’m endorsing integrity,” Schneiderman said in a statement released by his campaign, which, as per usual, describes the candidate as a “lifelong progressive” in a slight to those AG contenders (ahem, Nassau County DA Kathleen Rice) whose party affiliations have been fungible.
“For far too long, New Yorkers have lost confidence in their representatives in government. But for the voters of the Bronx, that’s about to change. Gustavo will help restore dignity to the office, bringing fresh, new leadership to Albany. I’m proud to stand with him to support his campaign.”
This is being billed by the Schneiderman campaign as a “cross-endorsement,” with Rivera, who released a statement calling the senator a “true reformer” who will clean up Albany.
But the reality is that the news is on Schneiderman’s side, not the other way around.
Air Espada Slams ‘Puppet’ Opponent Rivera (Updated)
Aug 20th - 5:23 pm
Gerson Borrero got ahold of Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr.’s first TV ad in which the scandal-scarred Bronx Democrat casts his primary opponent, Gustavo Rivera, as controlled by outsiders who “want to take out power away from us.”
“Us” in this case refers to the Latino community. Espada, referred to in the ad as “our voice in the Senate,” likes to remind people of the fact that he is the first Hispanic to ever hold a legislative leadership post and accuse anyone who attacks him as being prejudiced.
The ad production is very low budget, but it gets the point across. Singled out for criticism are a handful of “outsiders”: 32BJ’s Mike Fishman (“sued for racketeering”), WFP Executive Director Dan Cantor (“under investigation by the FBI for voter fraud” – not anymore, as of today), Sen. Liz Krueger and Bill Samuels (“millionaire puppet masters who don’t care about our community”).
UPDATE: Rivera’s Espada’s campaign strategist Horacio Gutierrez sent the following response:
This election is about Pedro Espada’s failure to represent our community in Albany and his numerous ethical problems and criminal investigations.”
“He is desperate to change the subject by lying about Gustavo Rivera, but the Bronx is too smart to fall for it. On September 14th, they will vote for a real change in Albany – someone who will never forget that he works for them.”
Rivera Mail: ‘A Leader With Integrity’
Aug 18th - 4:05 pm
The New Roosevelt Initiative has dropped its first mailer on behalf of Gustavo Rivera, one of two Democrats seeking to oust Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. in the Sept. 14 primary.
It’s a positive piece that seeks to boost Rivera’s name recognition in the wake of a Red Horse Strategies poll that found a majority of voters in the 33rd SD have no idea who he is. Among those who recognized his name, Rivera had a 22-7 approval rating, which isn’t too bad, considering.
That same poll found Espada and Rivera neck and neck in a hypothetical two-man match-up, 32-32, with 35 undecided.
But the numbers tilt in Espada’s favor when the third primary candidate, Dan Padernacht, is added to the mix, 30-20-8 with 42 percent undecided. Rivera’s backers, including NRI’s Bill Samuels, the WFP, labor leaders and state Democratic Party officials are trying to get Padernacht to bow out. But so far, no dice.
The mailer does take some not-so-subtle digs at Espada by labeling Rivera “a leader with integrity” and “an honorable person” who will “make sure that money that’s meant for our community goes to our community – to not cronies or dirty politicians.”
That, of course, indicates someone out there – Espada, perhaps? – is not so honorable.
Plus, Bronx voters have seen their share of elected officials charged with bilking the taxpayers in corruption scandals (former Sen. Guy Velella comes to mind, as does NYC Councilman Larry Seabrook and ex-Sen. Efrain Gonzalez, whom Espada defeated in the ’08 primary).
Labor Raising For Rivera
Aug 17th - 3:13 pm
…That would be Gustavo Rivera, one of two Democrats mounting a primary challenge against Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr.
Rivera, a former aide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand who worked on SEIU 1199′s field operation during President Obama’s 2008 campaign, has long-standing ties to the labor community.
This event, for which tickets are running from $500 to $6,000, is taking place at Sanford Rubenstein’s Upper East Side penthouse tomorrow night. It’s being co-hosted by 1199, 32BJ, CWA, HTC, UFCW Local 1500 and Tenants PAC.
“Gustavo Rivera has dedicated his career to fighting for working people and that’s why we’ll be fighting for him,” said HTC political director Neal Kwatra. “This district deserves honest and accountable leadership and we will be making Gustavo’s campaign one of our top priorities.”
Rivera had $64,296 on hand as of the 32-day pre-primary filing. He out-raised Espada over the past six months – $61,320 to $9,000 – but Espada has $317,028 on hand.
Oddly, the majority leader reported spending just $14,875 over the past four weeks, which seems awfully low.
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