From serving the 14th Council District to running in the 14th Congressional District.

Councilman Fernando Cabrera, whose council district covers Kingsbridge Heights, announced he’s running for the 14th Congressional District, becoming the eleventh candidate to enter the race against Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), a race that’s widely comprised of Republican challengers.

Speaking to the Norwood News, Cabrera, who’s known for his moderate conservative stances that have earned him scorn over the years, blasted Ocasio-Cortez for her neo-progressive views hostile towards big corporations.

“My first concern was the Amazon deal,” said Cabrera, referring to the online giant’s backpedaling of its plan to build its headquarters in Long Island City. “AOC raised the flag to have Amazon out of New York City,” says Cabrera, who represents the 14th Council District. “That affected all of us.”

Amazon had negotiated a deal with Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio that would have created an estimated 25,000 jobs in Long Island City, Queens in exchange for $3 billion in tax incentives. Ocasio-Cortez, among many of the city’s lawmakers and a chorus of progressive activists, denounced the agreement.

“I cannot go to sleep and cannot, in good conscience, just stand by and allow AOC to continue this rhetoric of socialism,” explains Cabrera, who proudly identifies as a centrist democrat and believes in the balanced intersection of business and government. “Government does not do nearly a good job as the business community does. The reason why we give good social services, and I have witnessed that, part of that, through City Council, is because of the business community. It is because of the free enterprise system that we have set up.”

Cabrera also blasted Ocasio-Cortez’s record, saying she has not passed one bill. A review of her legislative record shows six of her co-sponsored bills have become law. “She’s never going to pass a bill because she has been so contentious with the rest of the elected officials in New York State, let alone the rest of the nation,” he says.

When asked what ties he had to the Queens area of the congressional district, Cabrera says his team has a grassroots operation.

Ocasio-Cortez’s popularity and national recognition have boosted her political fortunes, amassing a near $2 million campaign war chest ($1.4 million of which she has on hand) from donors from around the country. She’ll likely receive the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), as she did in her victory over her predecessor, Joe Crowley.

Jose Velazquez is the other Democratic opponent who already entered the fray to unseat Ocasio-Cortez.

Cabrera, meantime, is not worried over raising campaign funds. “I have no worries about that in light of the fact that there’s literally millions and millions of people that want her out,” says Cabrera.

The news came as a surprise to some political insiders in the Bronx who told the Norwood News his congressional run is believed to be a ploy to boost his familiarity to a conservative base for 2021 when he runs for Bronx Borough President.

Cabrera told the Norwood News he has no plans on running for BP. “No. Absolutely not,” he says. “Right now, that’s not even in my radar at all.”

Ocasio-Cortez didn’t respond to direct reports of Cabrera’s announcement, though her campaign did email a fundraising plea that read, “Ever since we defeated Joe Crowley, corporate Democrats have been waiting for their chance to strike back. Our opponent doesn’t play by the same rulebook we do.” The email did not explicitly mention Cabrera’s name.

“I have no worries about that in light of the fact that there’s literally millions and millions of people that want her out,” says Cabrera.

The news came as a surprise to some political insiders in the Bronx who told the Norwood News his congressional run is believed to be a ploy to boost his familiarity to a conservative base for 2021 when he runs for Bronx Borough President. 

Cabrera told the Norwood News he has no plans on running for BP. 

“No. Absolutely not,” he says. “Right now, that’s not even in my radar at all.”

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.