Jessica Ramos beats Jose Peralta in NY-13 State Senate race
»»BY JENNA BAGCAL
Jessica Ramos emerged victorious
in the Sept. 13 primary for New
York’s 13th State Senate district,
beating incumbent Senator Jose Peralta
in his bid for re-election. According
to results from the New York Board of
Elections, Ramos gained 12,181 of the
votes while Peralta gained 10,021 votes
from district voters.
District 13 includes the neighborhoods
of Jackson Heights, Corona,
Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, Woodside
and Astoria.
Ms. Ramos told the Courier that
she was “excited” and “determined”
to accomplish the goals and do the
work that she set out to do from the
very beginning.
“It’s all about all of the work that
we need to do right now — about
building on the foundation of the
movement, the coalition that we
built, every corner of this district
that we touched, every neighborhood,
every ethnicity,” said Ms. Ramos.
“Making sure that we’re talking
for the working class, fighting to
make sure that the train works, that
rent reform makes it possible for us
to continue to make Queens a home,
putting our children first. That’s the
work that’s ahead.”
When asked what she would be
doing for her campaign between
now and the November general election,
her response was “stay tuned.”
Before entering the Senate race,
Ms. Ramos served as Mayor Bill de
Blasio’s aide from 2016 to 2017. Her
job as Director of Latino Media was
to inform the nearly 2 million Spanish
speaking individuals in New
York about government initiatives
and services. In her celebratory
speech, Ramos said that although
she enjoyed her time working at
City Hall with the Mayor, she felt
it was time for her to return to the
district in which she was born and
raised and do work for the people
there.
“I was having a ball at City Hall,
I was really enjoying my job. But
sometimes it’s time to come home
and make sure that your community
is taken care of,” she said.
Sen. Peralta confirmed his support
for Ramos and stated the importance
8 OCTOBER 2018 | WWW.QNS.COM | LEFRAK CITY COURIER
of achieving a Democratic
majority in the Senate.
“I’m committed to doing what
I’ve always said I wanted to accomplish
— achieving a working Democratic
Majority in the New York
State Senate, and just as important,
a Democratic majority in Congress
so that we can stand up to this White
House,” said Peralta. “If we want to
move New York forward, all Democrats
must work together. In that
spirit, I will be supporting Ms. Ramos
in the general election, and I
will assist her in whatever capacity
to ensure a smooth transition so that
our constituents do not go without
the vital services they depend on.”
The general elections are on Tuesday,
Nov. 6, when Ms. Ramos will be
running uncontested for the Senate
seat.
PHOTOS BY JENNA BAGCAL
Campaign 2018