32 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 24, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
politics
Peralta gets county endorsement, but opponent Reyes questions loyalty
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/@jenna_bagcal
State Senator Jose Peralta received
an endorsement from Queens County
Democratic Party (QD) for his re-election
campaign on May 21 — but his opponent
claims that the senator has “betrayed” his
party in the past.
Michael Reich, the executive secretary
of the QD confi rmed that the District 13
Senator is the candidate whom the organization
would support during the 2018
races in November.
“New Yorkers want to see their public
offi cials fi ghting to advance progressive
values and enact measures that will create
good-paying jobs, expand access to health
care, protect immigrants, and keep guns
out of our schools and communities. Th e
only way these goals will be accomplished
is by working together to elect Democrats
at every level of government. For this
reason, the Queens County Democratic
Party believes Jose Peralta is the right
choice for District 13 and endorses his
re-election,” said Reich in an offi cial statement
on Monday.
Peralta, whose district represents communities
in Jackson Heights, Corona
and Elmhurst, said that he is “immensely
proud to have received the support
of Queens County.” He added that he
has had the privilege of serving his constituents
with “the steadfast leadership
they deserve” for the eight years he has
been in offi ce. Th e senator was part of
the Independent Democratic Conference
(IDC) for 14 months. Th e IDC is a group
of Democratic senators that caucused
separately from other Democrats in the
senate.
“With the support from Queens
County, I once again reaffi rm my commitment
to champion progressive values
and issues that move our state forward.
Working with my Queens colleagues, I
have fought tirelessly for working men
and women by successfully raising the
minimum wage and passing paid family
leave, bettering our schools, securing
historic levels of legal aid funding for
immigrants, and protecting tenants and
homeowners. Our work is not over, but
this endorsement signals to the people of
Queens that we are united in fi ghting for
them,” Peralta said.
In addition to the Queens County
Democratic Party, the senator has
received the endorsements of several
organizations and individuals, including
RWDSU, Plumbers Local 1, Uniformed
Fire Offi cers Association, Uniformed
Firefi ghters Association, CWA Local
1180, Teamsters Local 831, Steamfi tters
Local 638, Assemblyman Jeff Aubry,
DC37 Local 1407, DC37 Local 372, and
DC 9 Painters.
Meanwhile, Jessica Ramos, the senator’s
main opponent in the District 13 Senate
race, accused him of supporting Donald
Trump and scorned ex-senator Hiram
Monserrate. She implied that the senator
was not loyal to the Democratic Party.
“First Jose Peralta embraced the party
of Trump. Th en he sought support from
domestic abuser Hiram Monserrate. Now
that it’s an election year, he has conveniently
decided to join the Democratic
Party once again. Comptroller Stringer,
Council members Constantinides and
Van Bramer, the Working Families Party,
and thousands of grassroots supporters
are supporting our campaign — because
they know that unlike Peralta, I will never
betray our district or our party,” Ramos
said.
Peralta’s press offi ce responded to
Ramos’ comments against the senator,
calling her statements “false.”
“Senator Peralta has never embraced
the policies of President Trump and has
not sought out the support of fellow
Democrat Hiram Monserrate. Jessica
Ramos has delivered false information
to defl ect from the fact that Queens
Democrats have united and are moving
forward together for the betterment of the
borough,” said Jennifer Blatus, a spokesperson
for Peralta’s campaign.
Photo courtesy of the offi ce of Senator Jose Peralta
Senator Peralta was endorsed by the Queens County Democratic Party on May 21
Just three incumbents challenged in Queens Congressional primary
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Only three of the seven sitting members
of Congress representing Queens
are facing challengers in June’s
Congressional primary, according to
the New York City Board of Elections.
Th e most intriguing of the three
Democratic primary contests scheduled
for June 26 involves the 14th
Congressional District seat held
by incumbent Joe Crowley — who’s
also the chair of the Queens County
Democratic Party and one of the highest
ranking members of the House
Democratic Caucus. Th e 14th District
covers much of northwest Queens and
crosses over the East River into the
Bronx.
In June, Crowley — who has served
in Congress since 1998 — is facing his
fi rst primary challenger in more than
a decade: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of
the Bronx, who’s making her fi rst run
for public offi ce aft er years of civic
involvement.
Another longtime incumbent
who holds the neighboring 12th
Congressional District seat, Carolyn
Maloney, is facing Manhattan attorney
and professor Suraj Patel. In April, Patel
— who had once worked on Barack
Obama’s presidential campaign —
announced that he’s raised more than
a million dollars toward his upstart bid.
Th e 12th District covers Manhattan
as well as parts of Astoria and Long
Island City.
Two candidates are challenging
Congressman Gregory Meeks for his
5th Congressional District seat: Mizan
Choudhury, a Bellerose business owner,
and Carl Achille, a civic activist from
Elmont. Th e 5th District covers much
of southeast Queens and the Rockaway
Peninsula.
Polls will be open on June 26 from 6
a.m. to 9 p.m.; only registered Democrats
can participate in the Democratic primary.
No GOP primaries, but party has eyes
on November
All of Queens’ representatives on
Capitol Hill are Democrats — not a
surprising statistic considering that registered
Democrats in Queens (785,866)
far outnumber registered Republicans
(134,602) in the borough at about a 6
to 1 ratio. Two years ago, Democratic
presidential nominee Hillary Rodham
Clinton carried Queens — President
Donald Trump’s birthplace — with 75
percent of the vote.
Th ere are no Republican primaries for
Congressional seats scheduled for June,
as party leaders have already selected
their nominees to run in the November
general election. But three of the four
incumbent members of Congress representing
Queens who aren’t facing a
challenger in the June primary also lack
a Republican opponent in November.
Th ey are Congresswoman Grace Meng
of the all-Queens 6th District, which
covers the central and northeast areas
of the borough; Congresswoman Nydia
Velazquez of the 7th District, which covers
Manhattan, Brooklyn and parts of
Ridgewood, Glendale and Woodhaven;
and Congressman Hakeem Jeff ries of
the 8th District, which includes central
Brooklyn and the Queens neighborhoods
of Ozone Park, Lindenwood and
Howard Beach.
Congressman Tom Suozzi of the
3rd District, which includes northeast
Queens, northern Nassau and northwestern
Suff olk counties, can also relax
for the June primary, as he is unopposed.
Suozzi, however, is facing a challenge
in November from Republican
businessman Dan DeBono of Suff olk
County.
Th e winners of the 5th, 12th and
14th District Democratic primaries will
have to contend with Republican opponents
in the November general election.
Th ey are Michael O’Reilly (5th District),
who unsuccessfully challenged Public
Advocate Letitia James last year on the
Conservative Party line; Eliot Rubin
(12th District), a Manhattan small business
owner; and Anthony Pappas (14th
District), an economics professor.
Joann Ariola, chairperson of the
Queens County Republican Party, told
QNS that the party made the decision
to concentrate their resources on races
they believe they have the best chance of
winning in November, rather than running
a full slate of challengers with little
chance of success.
Before the Nov. 6 general election,
voters of all parties will head back to
the polls in September for primaries to
decide the candidates in statewide races.
Photo via Shutterstock
All of Queens’ members of Congress are
Democrats, and just three of them are being
challenged in the June 26 primary.
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