In his quest for the 15th Congressional District race, Assemblyman Michael Blake picked up the endorsement of the city’s biggest labor unions. Meantime, his rival, former Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito received the endorsement from a political action committee where she once served as interim president.

The two unions, 1199SEIU and 32Bj, endorsed Blake for the South Bronx seat, with 1199SEIU president George Gresham telling the New York Daily News him an “advocate for healthcare, jobs, wages, social justice, and equity for Bronxites.”

The union has heavy influence in New York City politics as it has 19,000 members in the district Blake looks to represent on the federal level.

Meantime, Kyle Bragg, president of 32BJ, also told the Daily News that Blake “understands New York City needs to be a place where doormen, cleaners, security officers and all working New Yorkers can live, work and thrive.”

Some 9,300 32BJ members live within the district.

“I am deeply honored to earn the endorsement of 1199SEIU and 32BJ SEIU in my bid to represent New York’s 15th Congressional District. We are excited for the sea of purple from SEIU to help us secure victory on June 23rd in the South Bronx,” said Blake.

The endorsement comes as other candidates have been trumping some endorsements, including Mark-Viverito, who scored an endorsement from the Latino Victory Fund [LVF], the progressive political action committee for whom Mark-Viverito served as interim president.

“Since 2014, the Latino Victory Fund (LVF) has fought to increase the representation of Latinos in our political system. As the first Latina to serve as Speaker of the New York City Council, I understand the importance of having Latino representation at all levels of government, especially in majority Latino districts,” said Mark-Viverito. “Today, as I run in a congressional district that has again never been represented by a woman or Latina, I couldn’t be more proud to receive the support of an organization like LVF that has worked to break down so many barriers for Latinos in the past.

The group’s executive director, Mayra Macías, said Mark-Viverito “has spent her whole career fighting for New York families, first as a grassroots community organizer and then as the New York City Council speaker in one of the highest echelons of public service. Now, she is at the brink of breaking another glass ceiling as she could become the first Latina to represent New York’s 15th Congressional District, a district that is over 60% Latino. Latino Victory Fund is proud to endorse Melissa Mark-Viverito in this historic campaign for Congress.”

The heavily crowded race, also includes candidates Councilman Ritchie Torres, Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., democratic socialist and community organizer Samelys Lopez, and financial counselor Jonathan Ortiz.