AOC backs incumbent Bronx Sen. Gustavo Rivera in heated Democratic NY State Senate race

ALBANY — Bronx Sen. Gustavo Rivera is getting a progressive preprimary boost in the form of an endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday.

The 11th-hour backing from the Queens/Bronx congresswoman comes as Rivera is battling for his political life after his own party chose to back a more moderate challenger in the upcoming Democratic contest.

Rivera may not have the support of the Bronx political machine, which chose to stick with lawyer Miguelina Camilo over the incumbent following a messy redistricting process, but he has support from a host of labor unions and progressive politicians.

Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most prominent progressive voices in politics, called Rivera a “consistent force for good in our government.”

“State Sen. Gustavo Rivera has been a pivotal voice in Albany for the working-class across the Bronx and the state,” she said in a statement. “At a time when corporations and dark money interests are spending more money than ever to unseat working-class progressives like him, we need to show them that our votes can’t be bought — and we need to rally for him the way he’s rallied for us.”

Rivera and Camilo will face off in the Aug. 23 primary for the redrawn 33rd Senate District, which now includes all of Riverdale and covers central Bronx neighborhoods from Fordham, Belmont and Bedford Park to Van Nest. Early voting begins on Saturday.

Rivera, who joined the Senate in 2011 and is chair of the chamber’s health committee, has carved out a progressive path in the Legislature as the lead sponsor of the New York Health Act, a measure that would enact single-payer health insurance in New York. He has also taken some heat over stalled efforts to classify controversial opioid enhancer gabapentin as a controlled substance.

He heaped praise on Ocasio-Cortez, commending the Bronx colleague for changing the national conversation around progressive politics.

“She is one of the country’s progressive standard-bearers, a longtime champion of the working class and a powerhouse who has delivered millions of dollars to the Bronx in service of working families,” Rivera said. “Congress is a better place with her in it, and I am honored to have her by my side as we fight for an Albany that works for all of us.”

Big-name unions, including the Hotel Trades Council, 1199SEIU, New York State United Teachers, the Communications Workers of America and the Professional Staff Congress, which represents faculty in the City University of New York system, have all backed Rivera’s reelection bid.

On Friday, four more labor groups joined that list: Committee of Interns and Residents SEIU and UFCW Local 1500, and teamsters JOINT local 16 and PEF.

“As doctors, every day we see how our current health care system fails far too many of our patients,” said Dr. Michael Zingman, the national secretary-treasurer for the Committee of Interns and Residents. “There has been no greater fighter to improve access to care and address health care disparities than Gustavo Rivera.”