New York - Another Challenger for Espada

New York - The race to unseat State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. got a bit more crowded as Jose Gustavo Rivera, a political aide who has worked for Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand and Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, announced his candidacy Tuesday.

With ties to politicians across the state, as well as to the powerful Service Employees International Union, Mr. Rivera could pose a significant challenge in the Democratic primary to Mr. Espada, the embattled Senate majority leader.

Mr. Rivera, 34, who goes by the name Gustavo, brings political and campaign experience to the race. He worked for Ms. Gillibrand in New York as director of outreach, but he resigned last week to focus on his candidacy. Before that, he worked on José M. Serrano’s victorious campaign for State Senate against the incumbent, Olga A. Mendez, in 2004, and served as chief of staff for State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins.

He helped manage field operations for Barack Obama’s primary campaign, traveling to crucial battleground states like Indiana and Pennsylvania, before turning up in Florida in the run up to the general election.

Mr. Rivera, a Puerto Rican, is the first Hispanic candidate to formally announce plans to challenge Mr. Espada this year, which could strengthen his viability in the northwest Bronx’s mostly Hispanic 33rd District. Mr. Rivera lives in the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood. Mr. Espada’s other challengers include Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, a longtime community advocate without substantial political experience.

“I will fight to ensure that living wage jobs are available to our community,” Mr. Rivera said in a statement announcing his bid. “It is time for someone from the 33rd District to embrace this community and to look out for the interests of the constituents, not himself.”

In an interview Wednesday, Mr. Rivera said Mr. Espada’s role in the Senate coup last year, which brought state government to a halt for several weeks, motivated him to run.

“When you have this man holding up the entire state for ransom, it was one thing that showed me we need a new type of leadership in the state and in the district,” Mr. Rivera said. “I believe that I’m the strongest person to be able to beat him.”

Mr. Espada’s spokesman declined to comment.

NY Times