Catalina Cruz received another endorsement for her State Assembly bid on Monday morning, this time from City Comptroller Scott Stringer (D-New York).
At Jackson Heights’ Diversity Plaza, Cruz, who is challenging both State Assemblymember Ari Espinal (D-Jackson Heights, Corona, Elmhurst) and Yonel Letellier Sosa in next month’s primary, valued Stringer’s endorsement and spoke of the official’s efforts in the political arena.
“He has been at the front of the fight making sure we have more progressives getting elected,” she said.
She elaborated that he did not just protect the pensions of New Yorkers, but also provided valuable information on the rights of small business owners and immigrants too.
“He’ll continue to push to make sure that whoever gets to represent their community is who the people wants, not special interests or the powerful,”
Catalina Cruz and Scott Stringer celebrate the endorsement while surrounded by Cruz supporters. (Photo by Brandon Jordan)
While surrounded by several of Cruz’s supporters, Stringer reflected on his 13 years in the State Assembly. He recalled that “special interests” dominate the legislative body “from the first day you arrive.”
However, he felt confident that Cruz would overcome this obstacle and be a responsible lawmaker for constituents. In fact, he pledged to make sure she would be elected this September.
“For me, this endorsement is about giving back to the community. To the constituents who always are struggling but seem never to have a voice,” he said.
The public official also spoke about the potential of electing Cruz, who came to the United States from Colombia as an undocumented youth. If she wins this in the Democratic primary and the subsequent general election, Cruz would be the first DREAMer to be elected in New York State.
“When you learn about Catalina Cruz, she’s been a DREAMer all her life,” Stringer said. “She dreams about a community that is affordable to everybody.”
The Democratic primary is set for Thursday, September 13th.
