Can A Right-Wing, Anti-Choice, Homophobic Maniac Get Elected To Congress From The Single Bluest District In The U.S.? Short Answer: Yes

Diaz says he's "the opposite" of AOC-- and he sure is!

There are 435 congressional districts in the country. VA-10 in the DC suburbs is the wealthiest one-- #1 out of 435, with a median income of $114,566. If there's a #1, there'd also got to be a #435, right? There is and it's NY-15 in the South Bronx. The median income there is $25,213. The ethnic make-up of the district is 65.9% Latino (many from Puerto Rico, but also immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Central America), 28.2% Black, 2.5% White and 1.8% Asian. The PVI is D+44. How does that manifest itself? Mitt Romney got 3.0% of the vote in 2012 and 4 years later Trump got 4.9%.

Last year the long-time Democratic incumbent, José Serrano, beat his Republican opponent, Jason Gonzalez 124,469 (96%) to 5,205 (4%). Earlier this year, Serrano, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, announced he would be retiring at the end of this term. He's a special kind of congressman. In 2008, when every single member of Congress from New York City voted to bail out the banksters, Serrano was the one "no" vote. Criticized by his colleagues-- who he embarrassed-- he shot back that he couldn't see showering taxpayer money on the millionaires and billionaires whose greed and avarice caused the financial collapse. The Bronx machine politicians have never been fans and are certainly happy to see him go.

Everyone has expected a tough primary. The first candidate in was 31 year old City Councilman Ritchie Torres, the first openly gay Bronx elected official and a solid progressive. The second one is another city councilman, New York's most viciously homophobic politician, 75 year old right-wing sociopath and anti-Choice fanatic, Rubén Díaz, Sr. In February the City Council took away Díaz's committee chairmanship after he refused to apologize for telling a radio audience that the Council (he later added the state government in Albany as well) is "controlled by the homosexual community." When he declared for the House seat last week, Díaz made sure to announce that he's "not progressive, I’m a conservative Democrat," that conservative Democrats have no voice and that he's "the opposite" of AOC. Díaz is certainly not a Democrat in the way normal people understand what a Democrat is. Aside from his perverse obsession with homosexuality, he campaigned for Ted Cruz in 2016 and later said he likes Trump too.

Others considering a run for a rare open congressional seat are state Senator Gustavo Rivera, Assemblyman Michael Blake, Tomas Ramos, Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, Jonathan Ortiz and Ocasio-Cortez ally Samelys Lopez, a community activist. A close friend in the Bronx told me today that "If the primary is crowded with progressives, Díaz will absolutely win the Democratic nomination. You don't need a majority-- just the most votes. Let's hope that if that does happen, the Working Families Party will have a good, strong progressive on the general election ballot.