Mayoral candidate Dianne Morales and Queens Borough President Candidate Jimmy Van Bramer announce their cross endorsement at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights Thursday (Photo Courtesy of Van Bramer for Queens)
May 13, 2021 By Ryan Songalia
City council member Jimmy Van Bramer and mayoral candidate Dianne Morales cross-endorsed one another today as they both seek office.
Van Bramer, who is running to be Queens Borough President, joined Morales for the announcement this morning at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights.
Morales of Brooklyn says she is honored to have the support of the City Council’s Deputy Leader.
“Jimmy Van Bramer has been a long-time champion for immigrant and working class families in Queens and is advancing a bold platform to center people and small businesses over corporations and ensure that our neighborhoods thrive,” Morales said.
Van Bramer is seeking to unseat incumbent Donovan Richards, himself a former city council member, in the upcoming Democratic primary, which takes place on June 22.
“Dianne Morales is my first choice to lead this city in a moment where we need a champion for the working class and a visionary to raise us out of this crisis,” Van Bramer said. “Morales has what it takes to build a future where we can achieve economic justice, racial equity, and tackle systemic trauma.”
The endorsement comes after Van Bramer withdrew his support for City Comptroller turned mayoral candidate Scott Stringer, who was accused of a sexual assault that took place in 2001. Stringer denies the accusation.
Van Bramer has a formed a number of progressive alliances. He has cross-endorsed Brad Lander for City Comptroller, and has voiced his support for progressive city council candidates like Jaslin Kaur, John Choe, Aleda Gagarin and Moumita Ahmed.
His endorsements include State Senator Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Ron Kim, as well as former gubernatorial candidates Zephyr Teachout and Cynthia Nixon.
Morales has garnered a number of progressive endorsements, including co-endorsements from Sunrise Movement NYC and the Working Families Party, but has been trailing frontrunners Eric Adams and Andrew Yang.
The first mayoral debate will take place tonight from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and will be televised on Spectrum News NY1 and Spectrum Notices NY1. Morales and seven other candidates, including Yang and Adams, will participate in the virtual debate.
Van Bramer is the second elected official from Queens to endorse Morales, joining Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas.
