NYC Democratic Socialists of America endorse Samelys López in crowded race for The Bronx’s 15th Congressional District

NYC Democratic Socialists of America endorse Samelys López in crowded race for The Bronx’s 15th Congressional District

Major endorsement distinguishes Samelys López as the leading progressive candidate to become the next representative of the South Bronx in the U.S. Congress.

  The NYC Democratic Socialists of America announced Saturday their support for Samelys López in her bid for New York’s 15th District seat in the House of Representatives. Almost a dozen candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination in the District. In choosing López, NYC-DSA praised her long record of activism as a community leader and fighter for housing justice.

   López is vowing to fight forcefully in Washington for a national Homes Guarantee and says she joins DSA in backing a Green New Deal and Single-Payer Medicare for All. Income inequality and housing insecurity are heartfelt issues for Samelys, who in childhood experienced the grim realities of New York City’s shelter system. 

   “I am proud and honored to have earned the endorsement of NYC DSA,” López said. “The South Bronx has a revolutionary and socialist history that has for too long been held back by conservative, incrementalist and centrist forces. I know together we can bring bold social change to the most exploited area in the Country.”

   López will vie for the Democratic nomination for NY-15 in the Party’s primary, to be held June 23, 2020. Longtime Democratic Congressman José E. Serrano is not seeking re-election. He announced early this year that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

   “In a country with unsustainable levels of income inequality, worsening health outcomes and profound housing insecurity, and in a world with dangerously rising sea levels, it is crucial to support bold candidates like Samelys López,” said Chi Anunwa, NYC-DSA Chapter co-chair. “In this political moment, we can't afford to be timid in our demands for a Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and a nationwide homes guarantee."

   DSA, the nation’s largest socialist organization, demonstrated deep solidarity last year for families' in NY-15 by organizing for historic rent laws empowering tenants over landlords. The NYC chapter has been instrumental in organizing for Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Tiffany Cabán, and Julia Salazar. Its announcement is the second high-profile endorsement López has received since launching her campaign in September, after getting the backing of the People for Bernie Sanders last month

   Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the South Bronx by a Dominican mother, Samelys grew up in the New York City family shelter system and personally experienced the housing scarcity, food insecurity, economic anxiety, and underfunded public schools that have plagued the nation’s poorest congressional district. She co-founded Bronx Progressives, a local chapter of the New York Progressive Action Network and Our Revolution affiliate, supporting grassroots candidates for elective office, and has dedicated her professional life to providing affordable housing. She is a graduate of Barnard College and holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

We wonder why candidate Samelys Lopez does not include her many years of living in the Upscale area of the Northwest Bronx. Her years of commitment to the Northwest Bronx, and years on Bronx Community Board 7 located on East 204th Street in the Bedford-Park/Norwood area. 

We also wonder why candidate Lopez's boyfriend Michael Beltzer refused, and still refuses an interview from this reporter who moderated the Parchester Times 14th Congressional debate between former City Council member Annabelle Palma who poorly represented then Congressman Joe Crowley, and the future Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

It was at the Parkchester Times debate that candidate Ocasio-Cortez exposed former City Council member Palma as being sent to represent a man simply because she looked like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

What is Michael Beltzer afraid of that this reporter knows about candidate Samelys Lopez?