Three candidates are running in the Democratic Primary for the congressional seat, held by U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez.
Erik Dilan
City Councilman Erik Martin Dilan has represented Bushwick, East New York, Cypress Hills, Ocean Hill and Brownsville in Brooklyn since 2002 after his father left the seat to become a state senator. He has chaired the Council Housing and Buildings Committee as well as sat on the budget negotiation team. Dilan describes himself as a champion for seniors, working families and children. He and his wife, Jannitza Luna-Dilan, have two children: Daniel and Lea.
George Martinez
From the outset, George Martinez said he entered the race for the seat of U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez with his eyes on a different kind of movement. Since his campaign kick-off in March, the Occupy Wall Street activist, adjunct professor of political science, hip-hop artist and former district leader pushed his “bum rush the vote” message to encourage fellow Occupy members to inject themselves into the political process.
Nydia Velazquez
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez has represented New York’s 12th Congressional District since her election in 1992. She is the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress and the chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Velazquez sits on the House Small Business Committee, which oversees federal programs and contracts. She calls herself an advocate for small business and entrepreneurship, establishing numerous small business legislative priorities.
