This weekend the Bronx County Democratic Party endorsed Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr. in the race to replace Adolfo Carrion as Bronx borough president.
The endorsement caught my eye since the competitive race still includes at least one other established Democratic candidate, City Councilman Joel Rivera. According to reporter John DeSio—who launched a blog to cover this race—former state senator Israel Ruiz is considering running too.
(Since this is a special election, there won't be a primary, and candidates will run on their own lines.)
I emailed a spokesman for Bronx County Chair Carl Heastie to ask if the endorsement of Diaz marked a new policy of endorsing candidates running against other Democrats.
No, he responded, “this is not a primary. It is a nonpartisan special election.”
A bit of relevant local history: Diaz supported the coup that brought Heastie to power. Rivera is the son of the leader Heastie deposed, Jose Rivera.
