WASHINGTON, D.C.—Latino Victory Fund today announced the endorsement of New York Senator Adriano Espaillat for New York’s Congressional District 13. Espaillat is a seasoned public official who is the first Dominican-American elected to the New York State Assembly.
“If we want equality for Latinos in Congress, we must continue to support dedicated and hard-working candidates of Senator Espaillat’s caliber. We have made significant strides over the past decades, but we cannot let our guard down. There is a lot at stake for our community and for the nation,” said César Blanco, Interim Director of Latino Victory Fund. We are proud to endorse Senator Espaillat and look forward to investing in an experienced and dedicated Latino candidate who supports issues that Latinos care about. Espaillat’s extraordinary trajectory in public service is the voice we need in Congress.”
“I am the son of factory workers who sat in the back of my class for two years because I didn’t know a word of English after coming to New York from the Dominican Republic. We didn’t have a lot of money, so I had to work two jobs to pay my way through college. In this great country, I became the first Dominican elected to a state legislature, and now I seek to do the same in the U.S. Congress. My story is a reminder that the American Dream is alive and well, and I couldn’t be prouder to have the support of the Latino Victory Fund in this campaign, so we can break down old barriers and build a new future filled with hope and opportunity for all,” said Senator Adriano Espaillat.
New York State Senator Adriano Espaillat is the ranking member of the Senate Housing, Construction, and Community Development Committee, and Chair of the Senate’s Puerto Rican/Latino Caucus. He is also a member of the Environmental Conservation Economic Development, Codes, Insurance, and Judiciary committees. Prior to becoming a state senator, he served in the New York State Assembly, and was the first Dominican-‐American elected to a state legislature when he first won his seat in 1996. In 2002, Espaillat was elected chair of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, and helped to reunite the group after years of division. Following a successful tenure in the New York State Assembly, Espaillat was elected to the New York State Senate in November 2010, representing the 31st District and has fought for tenants’ rights, day-care staff and farm workers. He has pushed for in-state tuition at public universities for undocumented children, called for a repeal of exorbitant tax breaks for expensive apartment buildings and has strongly supported immigrants’ rights.
