BACKSTORY: Conservatives, Republicans endorse Rafael Espinal
12:09 pm • 14 July 2011
Nick Rizzo writes that it’s Espinal’s pro-life and anti-gay marriage positions that earned the Conservative Party’s endorsement:
I thought that was a bit strange, so I called up Brooklyn Conservative Party Chairman Jerry Kassar. Kassar tod me that Espinal has accepted the nomination, and that “He shares a lot of our positions on values.” Espinal met with the executive committee of the Brooklyn Conservative Party twice, and told them that he is anti-abortion.
Furthermore, Kassar told me:
“We asked him about his position on same-sex marriage… He opposed same-sex marriage. This was before it passed, but he told us he would vote against it.”
According to Kassar, Espinal “appreciates our concern about out-of-control spending.”
I’ve been told that the state Board of Elections has sent out a notice to the campaigns listing the parties that each candidate is running under, and that Espinal is listed under the Democratic, Republican, and Conservative parties.I’m waiting on calls back from the Brooklyn Republican Party and Rafael Espinal’s campaign, and I’ll update as soon as I can get comments from those sources.
I have sent emails out to all three campaigns in this special election (the other two candidates being Deidra Towns and Jesus Gonzalez) and I’ll post them ASAP after I get them back, as well as any updates that Nick gets.
Gonzalez’s camp was the first to respond with a statement from their press guy Andrew Friedman:
A candidate who runs with a political party that works to oppose fair share taxation and civil rights, and adamantly opposes the interests of tenants, workers and people of color will never be a true fighter for the working people of East Brooklyn.
Espinal seems willing not only to work against his community’s interests for one party boss but for all of them at the same time.
It’s a disgrace.
Update I, from Nick:
UPDATE 1 (12:24 PM): Here’s a Google Doc listing the different candidate’s parties. Espinal has accepted nomination for the Democratic, Republican, and Conservative parties, and is also attempting to have his own line, “United We Can.” Gonzalez is on the WFP, and Deidra Towns is trying to petition onto the ballot with her “Community First” party. The Independence and Green Parties declined to nominate anyone.
Update II: A source familiar with campaign laws contacts me to say that the GOP screwed up their paperwork. You can see this right there in the Google Doc, where there is no Certificate of Nomination submitted.
Update II b: I have it double confirmed that the Brooklyn GOP made a clerical error and Espinal will not be on the GOP ballot line in this special election.
Update III: I just got off the phone with Brooklyn GOP Chairman Craig Eaton, who declined to comment on this story on the record.
Update IV: I’m not sure if the two other campaigns are going to get back to me.
