Rafael Espinal
Template:TOCnestleft Rafael Espinal
Socialist staffer
Siobhan Ebert was LGBTQ Community Organizer at Rafael Espinal for NYC Public Advocate.
DSA connection
Spurred by the election of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Congress and Julia Salazar to the state Senate, the Democratic Socialists of America has become a potent political force to be reckoned with in New York City politics.
The far-left group was once seen as part of a fringe movement. But at least eight candidates for public advocate — considered a stepping stone to the mayoralty — have filled out the DSA’s 42-question questionnaire in a bid to win its endorsement in the special election to replace incoming state Attorney General-elect Letitia James, who currently holds the post.
In a special, nonpartisan election that will take place in the middle of winter and could include as many as a dozen candidates, a bloc of votes from committed Democratic socialists could determine the winner.
Among the candidates cozying up to the DSA are Brooklyn Councilmembers Jumaane D. Williams and Rafael Espinal, Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell of Manhattan’s West Side and liberal activist and DSA member Nomiki Konst.