Following the State primaries held June 28, Empire State Indivisible, a group dedicated to systematically creating political change in New York State, held a fruitful meeting on July 6 to debrief on the impact of the June primary results, as well as planning how the group will continue to support candidates it has endorsed in the upcoming August primaries.

 

In The Bronx, that means providing support to State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), the incumbent who is being challenged by Bronx Democratic Party-backed candidate, Miguelina Camilo, a former commissioner with the New York City Board of Elections, and current president of the Bronx Women’s Bar Association.

 

Shannon Stagman, co-lead organizer of Empire State Indivisible, said of Rivera, “He has been a progressive champion in Albany for a decade, plus he is a fantastic representative.” She added, “What’s happening with his race is just a very unfortunate, but predictable tale of what happens to incumbents who dare to push [further to the left] the [Democratic] party at all, which is that they suddenly get support pulled and the party puts a more moderate establishment candidate up against them, which is what’s happening to Gustavo.”

 

Camilo also recently received individual endorsements from Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), as well as the Liberty Democratic Association and NYC District Council of Carpenters. In a statement from the union, members wrote, “Miguelina’s story is the American dream. She is the first in her family to go to college, where she earned a law degree to fight for her neighbors and those without a voice. She will fight to improve public safety, education, and make it easier for small businesses to succeed.”

 

Camilo reacted to the union backing, saying, “My sincerest thanks to the Carpenters for their endorsement. Their grit and tenacity are a cornerstone of everything they do, by fighting to ensure that all their workers have rights in the workplace, a fair wage, and safe working conditions.”

 

Meanwhile, Empire State Indivisible has endorsed Rivera because of his track record of progressive policies. The senator has also received the backing of a number of powerful unions in recent weeks. In response to receiving the endorsement of 1199SEIU, the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in the country, on July 6, he said, “Its members, many of whom are my constituents, have been on the frontlines through the pandemic and beyond at great sacrifice to their personal health and safety. These courageous men and women give their all ⁠— and then some ⁠— every single day to protect the health and well-being of all New Yorkers.”

The next day, he was backed by New York State AFL-CIO and the NYC Central Labor Council, and said it was honor to receive the endorsements. “These organizations are the largest of their kind in the country, uniting local unions from teachers to nurses to janitors and more,” he said. “They have been the backbone of our city during the pandemic and I am immensely humbled by their support. They are the spirit of New York City – and I’m grateful they trust me to continue delivering results to District 33.”

 

On July 8, the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), a progressive union that, according to Rivera’s campaign, for 80 years has been protecting and advocating for the rights of retail workers, also issued a statement in support of the senator’s reelection campaign. “As an advocate and legislator, Gustavo Rivera has been a leading voice for labor in the community and in Albany. From championing laws to set[ting] safe staffing rates in nursing homes, to standing up for workers organizing at Housing Works, Gustavo Rivera is a staunch ally of the RWDSU and our members are ready to work towards his re-election to the State Senate,” said Stuart Appelbaum, RWDSU president.

 

Rivera opened his re-election campaign headquarters in The Bronx on July 9, saying he has campaigned on the promise to work hard to represent the interests of his Bronx neighbors in Albany and restore the public’s trust in their elected officials. His campaign team said, “In the years since, Gustavo has produced a record of accomplishments the residents of the 33rd Senate District can be proud of, including increasing the minimum wage, bringing record funding to schools, and passing paid family leave for families across the Bronx.”

 

The senator said he was humbled by the endorsement. “Workers from these industries were among some of the hardest hit with reduced hours and resource shortages during the pandemic, and their workers handled everything with resilience,” he said. “New York City wouldn’t run like we’re used to without them – and I’m honored that they trust me to continue uplifting their voices as I serve the district.”

 

Meanwhile, Empire State Indivisible is also supporting State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (S.D. 34), who represents parts of Bronx and Westchester counties and who, as reported, is now running for Congress in New York’s 17th congressional district. The senator recently released a video in response to reported calls during a recent Zoom meeting by her opponent, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), to vote for him, as opposed to Biaggi, because he is not from a political family. Her response can be viewed in the attached tweet.

I wanted to call out something my opponent has been saying lately, so I made this video about my political family. 🇮🇹🇺🇸

Check out the whole video on my Instagram 👉 @Biaggi4NY pic.twitter.com/fQ9v5I1wJS

— Alessandra Biaggi (@Biaggi4NY) July 7, 2022

 

Empire State Indivisible went on to discuss the recent loss in the June primaries of one of their backed candidates, Kellie Leeson, a co-lead of Empire State Indivisible, who ran in Assembly District 73 against incumbent, Dan Quart. The district encompasses the Upper East Side, Midtown East, Turtle Bay and Sutton Place. Part of the loss was attributed to the recent redistricting process.

 

“We had extremely low turnout, even lower than in typical primaries in off-cycle years,” said Stagman. “A lot of that was due to just the mass confusion; we talked to so many voters who didn’t know that there was even a primary in June. A lot of people had no idea what was going on at all, because all of the information around the redistricting, the maps were [sic] constantly changing. Folks didn’t know what districts they were in anymore. When we were out for our election day volunteering, we talked to a lot of voters who went to the wrong polling [sites] because they didn’t realize that theirs had moved.”

 

The group’s first plan of action, in preparation for the August primary, is educating the public, both about which policies affect them, and what redistricting means for them in terms of voting. The group hopes for a higher voter turnout in August. Last year, Norwood News reported on the issue of voter registration and other voter-related topics as seen through the lens of the Bronx chapter of the NAACP. We also previously reported on some of the barriers faced by Bronx voters in casting their ballot.

 

Meanwhile, for Empire State Indivisible, the second piece is to continue providing support for their candidates by helping them campaign and by volunteering at voting booths. According to the co-leads, during the general election, they will focus heavily on flipping districts from red to blue, especially in key areas.

 

Aside from campaign work, Empire State Indivisible is also focused on policy change such as pushing for the passage of the New York Health Act, and especially when it comes to the State budget. In its efforts to prepare for “legislative advocacy and the budgeting process,” the group is working closely with the “Invest in Our New York Coalition” a movement supported by the Action Network, the latter “an open platform that empowers individuals and groups to organize for progressive causes.”

 

According to its website, Action Network encourages responsible activism, and does not support using the platform to take unlawful or other improper action. “We do not control or endorse the conduct of users and make no representations of any kind about them,” an excerpt from the website reads. Some of the recent actions listed on Action Network’s website include a rally to invest in New York to save small businesses, a rally to tax the rich to fund Pre-K. Other campaigns include telling Albany “No Half Measures” and “Feed our Families.”

 

“The budget is where most policy happens,’ said Stagman. “It’s a hard-to-understand process that’s opaque by design, and very much controlled by the governor’s office; it’s settled through backroom dealing.” Stagman said the group was committed to reforming the process.

 

“If you solve the budget problem, if you make the government more transparent, if you increase public education around these processes, then you can make progress across the board on all the issues you care about,” she said. “Solving the budget problem is crucial to being able to fund our programs and our policies that we have passed.”

 

Stagman cited the example of how the group helped pass the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, but later there was no funding for it. “It’s meaningless until it’s funded in the budget,” she said.

 

The group’s push, in recent years, for a constitutional amendment to change the budget process, make power more evenly distributed, and the process more transparent, was also discussed during the meeting. The group is well aware that their targeted policy changes will take at least another year to come to fruition, but that does not mean they have stopped fighting for them. The work continues and the upcoming elections are just the next step for the group. The focus for now, according to Stagman, is on public education.

 

The meeting concluded with a plan to support specific candidates’ campaigns and a more concrete agenda and action plan set for deliberation among the co-leads, Stagman, Ricky Silver, and Kellie Leeson, who founded the group in 2017. “When the public understands how these things work, and why it’s corrupt, that’s when you get change,” said Stagman.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.