Rafael Espinal

Rafael Espinal

Democratic Party

Prior offices

New York State Assembly District 54

---

New York City Council District 37

---

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

February 26, 2019

Education

Bachelor's

Queens College

float:right;
border:1px solid #FFB81F;
background-color: white;
width: 250px;
font-size: .9em;
margin-bottom:0px;

} .infobox p { margin-bottom: 0; } .widget-row { display: inline-block; width: 100%; margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px; } .widget-row.heading { font-size: 1.2em; } .widget-row.value-only { text-align: center; background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.value-only.white { background-color: #f9f9f9; } .widget-row.value-only.black { background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; } .widget-row.Democratic { background-color: #003388; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Republican { background-color: red; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Libertarian { background-color: #f9d334; color: black; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Green { background-color: green; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-key { width: 43%; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; } .widget-value { width: 57%; float: right; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; word-wrap: break-word; } .widget-img { width: 150px; display: block; margin: auto; } .clearfix { clear: both; }

Rafael Espinal (Democratic Party) is a former member of the New York City Council, representing District 37. Espinal assumed office in 2013 and resigned on January 26, 2020, to assume a leadership role on the Freelancers’ Union.

Espinal ran for election to the New York City Public Advocate. Espinal lost in the general election on February 26, 2019.

Before serving in the New York City Council, Espinal was a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing District 54 from September 13, 2011, to December 31, 2013.

Biography

Email [email protected] to notify us of updates to this biography.

Espinal earned his B.A. in English from Queens College. He previously worked as a chief of staff for Councilman Erik Dilan and as an adult literacy teacher for St. Rita's Church Adult Literacy/GED Program.

Elections

2019

See also: Public advocate election in New York, New York (2019)

General election

Special general election for New York City Public Advocate

The following candidates ran in the special general election for New York City Public Advocate on February 26, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jumaane Williams (Nonpartisan)	32.8	138,803
		Eric Ulrich (Nonpartisan)	19.0	80,308
		Melissa Mark-Viverito (Nonpartisan)	11.2	47,375
		Michael Blake (Nonpartisan)	8.4	35,416
		Ydanis Rodriguez (Nonpartisan)	6.0	25,253
	Submit photo	Dawn Smalls (Nonpartisan)	4.1	17,420
		Rafael Espinal (Nonpartisan)	3.2	13,482
		Daniel O'Donnell (Nonpartisan)	3.0	12,774
		Ron Kim (Nonpartisan)	2.8	11,849
	Submit photo	Benjamin Yee (Nonpartisan)	2.5	10,701
		Nomiki Konst (Nonpartisan)	2.3	9,738
	Submit photo	Helal Sheikh (Nonpartisan)	1.3	5,347
		David Eisenbach (Nonpartisan)	0.8	3,491
	Submit photo	Manny Alicandro (Nonpartisan)	0.8	3,373
		Anthony Herbert (Nonpartisan)	0.8	3,189
		Latrice Walker (Nonpartisan)	0.6	2,549
	Submit photo	Jared Rich (Nonpartisan)	0.2	1,053
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	825

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 422,946
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Danniel Maio (Nonpartisan)
• Gary Popkin (Nonpartisan)
• Ifeoma Ike (Nonpartisan)
• Mike Zumbluskas (Nonpartisan)
• Walter Iwachiw (Nonpartisan)
• Theo Chino (Nonpartisan)

Though the special election was nonpartisan, candidates were allowed to file with their own party line as long as it did not resemble an established political party's name. Click [show] below to see the list of party lines for each candidate.

Candidate party lines
Candidate	Party line
Manny Alicandro	Better Leadership
Michael Blake	For The People
Theo Chino	Courage To Change
David Eisenbach	Stop REBNY
Rafael Espinal	Livable City
Anthony L. Herbert	Housing Residents First
Ifeoma Ike	People Over Profit
Walter Iwachiw	I4panyc
Ron Kim	People Over Corporations
Nomiki Konst	Pay People More
Danniel Maio	I Like Maio
Melissa Mark-Viverito	Fix the MTA
Daniel O'Donnell	Equality For All
Gary Popkin	Liberal
Jared Rich	Jared Rich For NYC
Ydanis Rodriguez	UNITED FOR IMMIGRANTS
Helal Sheikh	Friends Of Helal
Dawn Smalls	No More Delays
Eric Ulrich	Common Sense
Latrice Walker	People For Walker
Jumaane Williams	The People's Voice
Benjamin Yee	COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
Mike Zumbluskas	FIX MTA & NYCHA NOW

2017

See also: Municipal elections in New York, New York (2017)

New York City held elections for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, and all 51 seats on the city council in 2017. New Yorkers also voted for offices in their boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.

Primary elections were scheduled for September 12, 2017, and the general election was on November 7, 2017. Under New York law, candidates who run unopposed in a primary or general election win the nomination or election automatically, and their names do not appear on the ballot. Incumbent Rafael Espinal (D) defeated Persephone Sarah Jane Smith (Green) in the general election for the District 37 seat on the New York City Council.

New York City Council, District 37 General Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Rafael Espinal Incumbent	89.84%	10,369
	Green	Persephone Sarah Jane Smith	9.98%	1,152
		Write-in votes	0.17%	20
Total Votes				11,541
Source: New York City Board of Elections, "2017 General Certified Election Results," November 28, 2017

Incumbent Rafael Espinal ran unopposed in the Democratic primary election for the District 37 seat on the New York City Council.

Ballotpedia will publish vote totals here after they become available.

New York City Council, District 37 Democratic Primary Election, 2017
Candidate
Rafael Espinal Incumbent
Source: New York City Board of Elections, "2017 Primary: Certified Results," accessed September 28, 2017

2012

See also: New York State Assembly elections, 2012

Espinal ran in the 2012 election for New York State Assembly District 54. He defeated Juan C. Rodriguez in the Democratic primary on September 13, 2012. He also ran on the Conservative Party ticket. He defeated Khorshed A. Chowdhury in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.

New York State Assembly, District 54, General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Rafael Espinal Incumbent	96.6%	24,242
	Republican	Khorshed A. Chowdhury	3.4%	858
Total Votes				25,100

New York State Assembly, District 54 Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Rafael Espinal Incumbent	66.1%	2,245
Juan Rodriguez	33.9%	1,152
Total Votes		3,397

2011

See also: State legislative special elections, 2011

The special election was called to fill the vacancy created when Darryl Towns (D) resigned from the Assembly to become the New York State HCR Commissioner.

Espinal defeated Jesus Gonzalez (WFP) and Deidra Towns (Community First) in the September 13, 2011, special election. Espinal also ran on the Republican, Conservative, and United We Can Party tickets.

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rafael Espinal did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

2017

Espinal provided the following candidate statement for the New York City voter guide:

“	Growing up in Brooklyn, I remember a time when housing was affordable and homeownership was attainable to those who strove for the American Dream. Small businesses anchored many of our communities and manufacturing jobs existed for the unemployed. This was also a time where our neighborhoods struggled because of decades of disinvestment by our city and state governments. Our City is now at the height of its popularity and being recognized as one the most expensive cities to live in the country. Those of us who stuck it out through the bad times are being squeezed out through the good times. We are at a crossroads. The city must make investments to create good paying jobs and affordable housing. We must encourage diversity and protect our middle class and working class families from being pushed out, while helping low income New Yorkers get on track to living the American Dream. I will continue to fight for equal and fairer communities.	”
—Rafael Espinal (2017)

2011

Espinal's campaign site highlighted the following policy goals and campaign themes:

• Education: "Rafael is looking to bring more adult literacy and GED programs back into the district to empower our community. Neighborhood residents will receive the tools needed to capitalize on opportunities and better paying jobs. Rafael will also look to find ways to implement more arts programs into our public schools."

• Affordable Rental Housing and Increased Home Ownership: "He will work with community based organizations and local elected officials to further expand affordable housing services... Property taxes create an environment that is unfair to both owners and tenants. When in Albany, he will look to vote on legislation to put a tax cap on property taxes across the city."

• Healthcare: "As our next Assembly representative, Rafael will work to enforce and expand on the Medical Redesign Team's recommendations, and find community based solutions to health care needs."

• Green Community: "Rafael Espinal is committed to spearheading the fight for groundbreaking programs that would reduce energy bills for homeowners, reduce our carbon footprints and create green jobs for families in our community..."

• Fiscal Responsibility: "Wasteful spending on useless projects that serve the interests of lobbyists and self-serving politicians should be eliminated. This will ensure adequate funding for our primary necessities such as education, transportation, health care and cultural institutions."

Committee assignments

2013-2014

At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Espinal served on the following committees:

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Rafael Espinal campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2012	New York State Assembly, District 54	Won	$127,635	N/A**
2011	New York State Assembly special elections, District 54	Won	$66,697	N/A**
Grand total			$194,332	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in New York

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of New York scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].

2013

In 2013, the 200th New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 9 to December 31.

• Business Council of New York State, Inc.: Assembly and Senate

Legislators are scored on their votes on legislation concerning businesses, jobs, and the economy.

• Conservative Party of New York State: Assembly and Senate

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

• EPL/Environmental Advocates: 2013 Environmental Scorecard

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues.

• National Federation of Independent Business in New York: 2013-2014 Voting Record

Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.

2012

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show].

In 2012, the 199th New York State Legislature, second annual session, was in session from January 4 to June 22, 2012. Business Council of New York State, Inc.: Assembly and Senate Legislators are scored on their votes on legislation concerning businesses, jobs, and the economy. Conservative Party of New York State: Assembly and Senate Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. EPL/Environmental Advocates: 2012 Environmental Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. New Yorkers for Better Libraries: 2012 Voter's Guide Legislators are scored on their voting records concerning library funding. Unshackle Upstate: 2011-2012 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored on their legislative and budget votes as well as sponsorships of bills during the session.

2011

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show].

In 2011, the 199th New York State Legislature, first annual session, was in session from January 5 to June 20, 2011. Business Council of New York State, Inc.: Assembly and Senate Legislators are scored on their votes on legislation concerning businesses, jobs, and the economy. Conservative Party of New York State: Assembly and Senate Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues. EPL/Environmental Advocates: 2011 Environmental Scorecard Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to environmental issues. New Yorkers for Better Libraries: 2011 Voter's Guide Legislators are scored on their voting records concerning library funding. Unshackle Upstate: 2011-2012 Legislative Scorecard Legislators are scored on their legislative and budget votes as well as sponsorships of bills during the session.

Endorsements

2012

In 2012, Espinal’s endorsements included the following:

• 32BJ/SEIU

See also

2019 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• Rafael Espinal, LinkedIn Profile
• Campaign contributions: 2012, 2011

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	New York City Council, District 37 2014–2020	Succeeded by Darma Diaz (D)
Preceded by Darryl Towns (D)	New York Assembly District 54 2011–December 31, 2013	Succeeded by Erik Dilan (D)