FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 10, 2018
Amplify Her, NY-Based Organization Committed to Electing More Women, Endorses 2018 Candidates
NEW YORK, NY: Amplify Her is thrilled to announce its slate of endorsed candidates for the 2018 state primary elections:
Alessandra Biaggi (State Senate, District 34): Alessandra was born in Mount Vernon, NY. She is a graduate of Pelham Memorial High School, New York University, and Fordham Law School, where she was a member of the Fordham Law Review. Before launching her campaign, she served in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration in his Counsel’s Office. During the 2016 presidential election, she was the Deputy National Operations Director for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Her run for office is preceded by a decade of advocacy, national leadership, and service to the people of New York. Alessandra is running for State Senate because the people of the Bronx and Westchester deserve better, more diverse, and more compassionate representation.
Catalina Cruz (State Assembly, District 39): Catalina was born in Colombia and came to Queens at the age of 9. She lived for 10 years without documentation. Catalina is the daughter of a single mother and received her BA from John Jay College and her JD from the City University of New York School of Law. She most recently served as the Chief of Staff to former City Council Member and chair of the Committee on Finance, Julissa Ferreras-Copeland. She previously served as the Director of New York State’s Exploited Workers Task Force and also served as counsel in the New York City Council's Immigration Committee, where she helped implement IDNYC. An experienced attorney and a leader for tenant protections, immigration reform, and workers rights, if elected, Catalina would become the first DREAMER to hold New York office.
Jessica Ramos (State Senate, District 13): Jessica Ramos has spent her life fighting for working families, advocating for labor, and organizing her local community. Born in Elmhurst to an undocumented seamstress and a printing pressman, Jessica was raised in Astoria, attended Queens public schools, and now lives in Jackson Heights with her husband and two sons. Most recently, Jessica served as Director of Latino Media for the City of New York. As the city’s chief Latina spokesperson, Jessica helped keep our city’s 1.87 million Spanish-speaking residents, and the community and ethnic media at large, informed about government services and initiatives. As the first American-born in her family, Jessica feels a deep sense of responsibility in bridging the gap between immigrant and non-immigrant communities and has spent her career fighting for residents of her community.
Jasmine Robinson (State Senate, District 23): Jasi Robinson was born in the Bronx and then moved to Staten Island, where she has always felt most at home. Growing up in a single-parent household, she put herself through college, studied political science at the College of Staten Island, and is now employed as a legal secretary. Jasi has been active in local politics, working as a coordinator for the local Board of Elections and canvassing for a number of political campaigns. A co-founder of the Staten Island Women of Color Forum, Jasi is a fighter for the working class and hopes to provide a voice to people who have been historically silenced in our political processes.
Julia Salazar (State Senate, District 18): A daughter of working-class immigrants, Julia was raised by a single mother, attended public schools, and began working at a local grocery store when she was 14 to help make ends meet. She supported herself through Columbia University as a nanny and is now a proud staff organizer for Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, a key partner in the Communities United for Police Reform coalition, and a leader in the Democratic Socialists of America. As a member of the Bushwick community, she has been a tireless advocate for her neighbors and fellow tenants. Julia is running for State Senate to bring the concerns of working people to the halls of Albany.
Each of these women are proven leaders and will fight for social justice and economic equality in New York City. They will protect a woman’s right to choose, end cash bail and broken-windows policing, and keep ICE out of our courts and out of our communities. They know that affordable housing and healthcare are human rights, and will fight to repeal unfair housing laws and to move towards a single-payer health system. Our candidates are committed to ending voter suppression and disenfranchisement, as they stand to represent the interests of every person living in their communities. These candidates represent the best of what New York has to offer, and Amplify Her looks forward to helping them get elected. We will welcome them at Amplify Her’s official launch celebration on August 18, 2018.
"Protecting women’s reproductive rights is a key reason why I’m running and an example of why we need more women in elected office," said NY-34 State Senate candidate Alessandra Biaggi. "Amplify Her is doing essential work helping women run for office. I’m proud of the endorsement and eager to work together to ensure there are more women at all levels of government and therefore more women at the table when important decisions are made."
“Women are not just the future, we are the present,” said NY-39 State Assembly Candidate Catalina Cruz. "At a time when women’s rights are threatened by the lack of adequate representation in positions of leadership, I am especially honored to be a part of and encouraged by the growing number of women and women of color running for higher office to become strong and independent voices for our communities. We are showing our determination on the streets, at the polls, and behind every desk across America to send the message that when women succeed, everyone succeeds. Amplify Her is at the forefront of the movement to achieve true social and economic justice in New York and beyond, and I’m humbled to receive their endorsement for the State Assembly.”
“Women make up a majority of New York residents, yet we are shockingly underrepresented in local and state government. This is unacceptable. I am proud to be part of the wave of strong, fearless women running to change the status quo this year,” said NY-13 State Senate Candidate Jessica Ramos. “Amplify Her’s launch is incredibly important in this moment—we need all the support we can get to turn our grassroots momentum into elected leadership. I am thrilled to have their endorsement.”
“As a woman of color, I am so honored to receive this endorsement,”said NY-23 State Senate Candidate Jasi Robinson. “I am in this race to inspire other women of color to run and to have a seat at the table. I know Amplify Her and I will do some amazing things together. We are both unbossed and unbought.”
“With women's rights under attack at the federal level, it's incredibly important to ensure that women are adequately represented in Albany. That's why I'm so excited about Amplify Her's mission and so honored to receive their endorsement,” said NY-18 State Senate Candidate Julia Salazar.
“Amplify Her is working to dismantle the systems of power that keep powerful, qualified women from winning elected office,” said Divya Sundaram, a founding member of Amplify Her. “At the heart of this work is in organizing our communities so that our collective power will be impossible to ignore. Our endorsed candidates are brilliant organizers who are working alongside their neighbors to advocate for change. We look forward to working with them to build a more representative, more progressive New York.”
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Amplify Her is a New York City-based organization created to directly address women’s shocking underrepresentation in the City’s elected offices. To support women running for office, Amplify Her recruits committed volunteers, registers new voters, and builds the collective power of those who are often neglected by status quo politics. With a grassroots approach to campaigning and fundraising, Amplify Her is working to change the face of politics in New York.