Marjorie Velázquez
Marjorie Velázquez (born August 11, 1981) is an American politician from New York City. She is the Democratic nominee for the 13th district of the New York City Council – tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic district, which covers parts of the eastern Bronx. Early life. Velázquez was born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents who had moved to New York City in the 1970s. She graduated from St. Catharine Academy and received her B.A. in finance and accounting from the New York University Stern School of Business. Political career. Pre-Council career. After working for several  years in the world of accounting and corporate finance, Velázquez was seriously injured in a 2012 car accident, which she has said inspired her involvement in political activism. Velázquez soon joined Bronx Community Board 10 and was elected as a Democratic district leader for the 82nd Assembly district, a position she still holds. 2017 City Council campaign. In 2017, Velázquez ran to succeed term-limited Democrat James Vacca in the 13th district of the New York City Council. With support from Vacca and "The New York Times", among others, Velázquez was seen as one of the race's frontrunners. Velázquez 's main opponent in the Democratic primary was Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, who ran to Velázquez's right and spent over $700,000, a record for a City Council campaign. Outgunned by Gjonaj's heavy spending and name recognition from his time in the Assembly, Velázquez lost the primary by a 38-34% margin, with three other candidates taking the remainder. Soon after losing, Velázquez indicated she would be back, saying, "Would I ever run again? Most definitely." 2021 City Council campaign. Velázquez announced in 2020 that she would seek a 2021 rematch with Gjonaj, citing the repeated scandals Gjonaj found  himself combating during his first term. In February 2021, however, Gjonaj announced he would not seek re-election, saying that the political climate was "not favorable to a centrist ideology that my constituency, community and I embrace." Now running for an open seat, Velázquez was able to amass much of the support she had lacked four years earlier, including that of the Bronx Democratic Party and of nearly every local elected official. Velázquez won the five-way Democratic primary with 56 percent of the vote, and declared victory on June 23; she is strongly favored in the general election for  the heavily Democratic seat. Personal life. Velázquez lives in Throggs Neck with her husband, Jeff, and their three cats.