➤ TORRES VS. DIAZ, from p.4
When asked during that interview
which LGBTQ rights initiatives
he would support as a councilmember,
Diaz threw his hands
in the air and asked, “Why do I
have to? Why? I mean, that is the
problem.”
He added, “I don’t believe in gay
marriage, I don’t believe in abortion,
I don’t believe in drinking,
I don’t believe in smoking, and I
don’t believe in dancing.”
Now, with time ticking in a race
where the homophobe holds the
advantage of being an entrenched
political fi gure for decades, Torres
is raising a sense of urgency, noting
that Diaz has the same name
as his well-known son, Bronx Borough
President Ruben Diaz, Jr.
“Diaz, Sr. could conceivably
win on the strength of name recognition
or name confusion,” Torres
said. “So we have to educate voters
about who he is and we have to
tell voters he is a Trump Republican
and we cannot afford to have a
Trump Republican masquerading
as a Democrat represent the most
Democratic district in America.”
Torres, 32, continued tearing
into Diaz, reminding folks that the
cowboy hat-wearing bigot endorsed
Republican gubernatorial candidate
Rob Astorino when Governor
Andrew Cuomo ran for re-election
in 2014 and welcomed Texas Senator
Ted Cruz to the Bronx instead
of endorsing Democratic nominee
Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“When I think of Ruben Diaz,
Sr., I think of him as the Donald
Trump of New York City politics.
He is every bit as bombastic and
buffoonish,” Torres said. “Even
➤ PROGRESSIVE UNITY, from p.4
women or LGBTQ.”
Alexis McGill Johnson, the acting
president of the Planned Parenthood
Action Fund, also spoke
out, saying Diaz is “the last thing
we need in Congress”
“As a New Yorker, I know how out
of step Diaz, Sr., is with the values
of our city,” McGill argued in
a written statement. “Our leaders
in Congress must be determined
to fi ght tirelessly for the rights of
every American, not just those who
share their ideology. Planned Parenthood
Action Fund is committed
though he calls himself a Democrat,
he has a long history of aiding
and abetting the Republican
Party.”
Torres, whose historic campaign
could propel him to become
the fi rst out gay congressmember
in New York City history and the
fi rst gay Afro-Latinx member of
Congress, is also facing numerous
other opponents beyond his homophobic
City Council colleague.
Other candidates include former
City Council Speaker Melissa
Mark-Viverito, Bronx State Assemblymember
Michael Blake, who is
also a vice chair of the Democratic
National Committee, and Manhattan
Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez.
Samelys López, who has the
support of Representative Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez of the Bronx
and Queens, is also in the mix,
along with a handful of other contenders.
Torres has amassed a signifi -
cant fundraising advantage over
his competition, raking in more
than $1 million, but he admits his
plans were thwarted by the devastating
impact of the coronavirus
pandemic. He has had to ditch his
fi eld operation and is focusing on
television advertisements, traditional
mail, and digital outreach.
“We were planning for a traditional
campaign,” Torres said.
“We were going to invest heavily in
the fi eld operation and knock on
100,000 doors, and then we saw
the outbreak of the coronavirus.”
Torres continued, “We’re entering
a vote-by-mail election. Even
though the primary is on the 23rd,
most of the electorate could conceivably
vote well before then absentee.”
to electing candidates who will
protect and expand abortion and
LGBTQ rights — and today that
means standing against Ruben
Diaz, Sr.”
The groups are ramping up their
criticism of Diaz as the race enters
the home stretch under unprecedented
circumstances precipitated
by the coronavirus crisis. While
there is still more than a month
until the election, many votes could
be cast much earlier because the
crisis has paved the way for mass
mail-in voting to protect voters
from exposure to the coronavirus.
STANDING STRONG
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