Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez does not forget. And she does not forgive.
Accordingly, Ms. Velázquez is now hoping to unseat Councilwoman Sara Gonzalez, who endorsed Ms. Velázquez’s primary challenger last year. And she’s given the maximum contribution to Ms. Gonzalez’s opponent, Carlos Menchaca, part of an overall haul of $40,000 overall in just two weeks.
“I am impressed by how much Carlos has achieved in such a short period of time,” Ms. Velázquez said in a statement this morning. “He is a fundraising powerhouse with a large coalition of progressive leaders, activists, and organizations boosting his campaign; he will have the resources and support to win.”
In the same press release, Mr. Menchaca, a former staffer in Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Borough President Marty Markowitz’s offices, also touted his SEIU 32BJ endorsement over the weekend. He was the only challenger to an incumbent Democratic council member to receive the union’s nod.
If elected, Mr. Menchaca would be the first openly LGBT elected official in Brooklyn, and the first Mexican-American elected official anywhere in the city, according to his campaign. The district he’s vying for contains a substantial Mexican-American community in Sunset Park.
In 2012, Ms. Velázquez beat back a challenge from Councilman Erik Dilan, whose campaign was backed by the Brooklyn Democratic establishment. Since then, she’s supported opponents of several of Mr. Dilan’s other allies, including his father, State Senator Martin Dilan, as well as Assemblymen Rafael Espinal and Vito Lopez.
