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CityAndStateNY.com
July 25, 2022
THE END OF THE BRONX DETENTE It’s Gustavo Rivera versus the machine. By Rebecca C. Lewis
PROVIDED BY STATE SEN. GUSTAVO RIVERA’S OFFICE
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TATE SEN. GUSTAVO RIVERA has had a rough couple of months. It started in February when the original state Senate lines were approved by the Legislature. Rivera’s home had been redistricted out of his northwestern Bronx district by just a smidge. Running and winning in his old district would have necessitated giving up his rent-stabilized apartment of 20 years. But he probably could have run unopposed. Matters got worse when the courts approved the final lines in May. Rivera would still need to move – unless he wanted to challenge state Sen. Robert Jackson largely on his turf – but this time, he would face competition. And though he welcomed the primary challenge from first-time candidate Miguelina Camilo, Rivera needed to get his stagnant campaign apparatus up and running – and fast. “This was the worst-case scenario,” Rivera said in a recent interview with City & State. He thought back to the week following the release of the final lines that left him with no good options if he wanted to remain in office: “I was depressed, I’m not going to lie.” Now that the race against Rivera and Camilo in the newly drawn state Senate District 33 has gotten underway, things have only gotten more complicated. Despite running against a sitting lawmak-
Because of redistricting, state Sen. Gustavo Rivera finds himself running against the party machine’s candidate.
