Rivera gains momentum with major endorsements in NY State Senate race to unseat Espada

In less than three weeks, Gustavo Rivera, who has a strong background in working with progressive political candidates, has become the Democratic front-runner to unseat troubled New York State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr.

Gustavo Rivera has been endorsed by former attorney general and longtime Bronx Councilmember Oliver Koppell, the Working Families Party, and the New Roosevelt Initiative, a grassroots political reform group that has made defeating Sen. Pedro Espada its first and highest priority.

Espada is being charged with fraud and corruption by current New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and spearheaded the hijacking of the State Senate last year that left Albany in a political standstill for a month.

“From my daily conversations with voters, they know Espada is an embarrassment,” Rivera said when asked to gauge the community’s sentiment toward Espada’s political and financial dealings. “The majority knows he betrayed the Democratic Party. They know they have someone who does not have their best interest in mind.”

Jose Gustavo Rivera was born and raised in Puerto Rico and has lived in the Bronx for over a decade. After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico, Rivera came to New York to study political science at CUNY. He has taught classes at Hunter College and in 2005 Rivera joined the political science faculty at Pace University.

Rivera also worked on campaigns for New York State Senators José M. Serrano and Andrea Stewart Cousins, eventually serving as Stewart Cousins’ chief of staff. He worked on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign then served as director of outreach for U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a position he held until last May when he resigned to run for State Senate.

When asked why now, why this race, Rivera said he was compelled to run against Espada after witnessing his political shenanigans last year. “He’s not trustworthy,” said Rivera of Espada. “He brought the state to a standstill because he wanted a better title for himself. He forgot who he works for.”

Rivera hopes the community of the 33rd State Senate district in the Bronx has not lost faith in the political process and turns out in huge numbers for the September 14th election. Rivera believes he can win and regain the community’s political faith by encouraging voters to visit him often and remind him who he is running for.

“I want to remind voters that I work for them,” said Rivera, “and I want to encourage them to keep on reminding me that I work for them.”