NYC Congressional Election 2020: Rep. Velazquez Defends Her Seat

BROOKLYN, NY — Voters living in New York City's 7th congressional district — which winds through several neighborhoods in Brooklyn and a slice of Lower Manhattan — are getting ready to cast their ballots in the Nov. 3 general election.

On the ballot will be incumbent Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who is in her 14th term serving the district, and two challengers, Republican Brian Kelley and Libertarian candidate Gilbert Midonnet.

Velazquez — who became the first Puerto Rican woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 — currently sits as chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee. She beat out local rap star Paperboy Prince in a Democratic primary in June.

The 7th Congressional District includes Sunset Park, Red Hook, Gowanus, Bushwick and parts of Fort Greene, Williamsburg, Park Slope, Queens and Chinatown in Manhattan.

All New York voters may request a mail-in ballot due to the coronavirus pandemic.

For those who want to head to the polls, click here to find your poll site. Early voting is available from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1.

Patch reached out to all candidates in the election to create these profiles.

Nydia M. Velazquez

Age as of Election Day (Nov. 3)

67

NYC neighborhood of residence

Red Hook, Brooklyn

Position Sought

U.S. Congress

Family

Decline to share

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No, but my father was a sugarcane farmer in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico and the conditions that he witnessed led him to become an activist and a founder of a local political party. So I guess you could say that was my first exposure to the power of organizing and political movements. These are the roots that I have always carried with me in my career in public office.

Education

University of Puerto Rico, B.A. in Political Science
New York University, MA in Political Science

Occupation

Congresswoman from New York's 7th Congressional District

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Congresswoman from New York's 7th Congressional District

Campaign website

https://www.reelectnydiavelazq...

Why are you seeking elective office?

This is truly an inflection point for our City and for the nation, as we are grappling with a once-in-a-century global pandemic and its devastating health and economic toll on hardworking families. I am running because the urgency of the issues that I have spent my career fighting for—affordable housing, access to health care, worker’s protections and rights— has been further laid bare in this crisis. We need policies that will not only get us out of this pandemic but that will ensure a more just and sustainable future for all New Yorkers.

The single most pressing issue facing our nation/state/community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The biggest threat facing our country is four more years of Donald Trump and the Republicans who have enabled his morally bankrupt agenda and divisive rhetoric. By electing Democrats up and down the ticket, we can maintain our House majority and take back the Senate and the White House. Serving in Congress, I have been not only a vocal opponent of the horrific actions of this Administration—from separating families at the border to fighting to take away health care in the midst of a pandemic—but I have also sponsored 80 bills and signed onto over 700 bills in the past two years alone to protect and promote the interests of New York’s working families.

What are your thoughts on the state and national response to the coronavirus pandemic? Do you favor such measures as limiting operation of non-essential businesses or restricting indoor/outdoor dining? And do you favor a nationwide mask mandate?

From the federal level, we have seen a void of leadership that has made this crisis much worse than it ever had to be. For months, the Trump Administration has downplayed the severity and risks associated with COVID-19, and in the process, we have lost over 200,000 lives. Yes, we absolutely need a nationwide mask mandate and leaders who will empower the scientists and public health experts, and communicate the best ways, such as mask wearing and social distancing, to beat this virus.

How would you address the concerns of the Black Lives Matter movement, and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

Our nation is having a long overdue conversation about race and policy. But it should not have taken the shootings at the hands of the police of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake and countless other Black men and women in America. The American people are ready for change, not just hashtags. That is why I was proud to vote for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the House. This bill ends qualified immunity and bans chokeholds and no-knock warrants. While we still have a lot of work to be done towards fully, meaningfully, reforming our broken criminal justice system, I believe this bill is a step in the right direction and I will continue to fight for much-need reforms.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I can assure you that I am the only candidate in this race who will fight back on all the harm being done by this President, and who will press for the reforms and resources to build a stronger City for our working families. This pandemic has taught us that policies spearheaded by Republican politicians to underfund and underinvest in our public health infrastructure, access to health care, affordable housing, and critical social safety net programs, only serve to deepen the wounds of systemic inequity in our City. That is why there is so much at stake in this election and why I will always fight to build a fairer, more prosperous New York City.

This article originally appeared on the Park Slope Patch