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Nydia Velazquez
| Nydia Velazquez | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, New York, District 7 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 1993-present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 20 | |
| Party | Democratic | |
| Predecessor | Joseph Crowley (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 6, 2012 | |
| First elected | November 3, 1992 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $5,037,829 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Prior offices | ||
| U.S. House, New York, District 12 | ||
| January 3, 1993-2013 | ||
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras | |
| Master's | New York University | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | March 28, 1953 | |
| Place of birth | Yabucoa, Puerto Rico | |
| Profession | College Professor | |
| Net worth | $-146,999 | |
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Velazquez is a "moderate Democratic follower".[1]
Biography
Velazquez was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. She earned a B.A. from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, and a M.A. from New York University.[2]
Career
After earning a master’s degree on scholarship from NYU, Velázquez taught Puerto Rican studies at CUNY’s Hunter College in 1981. In 1983, Velázquez was appointed Special Assistant to Congressman Edolphus Towns. One year later, she became the first Latina appointed to serve on the New York City Council. She was the director of the Migration Division Office, Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources from 1986-1989, and from 1989-1992 was director of the Department of Puerto Rican Community Affairs in the United States for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.[3][4]
Committee assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Velazquez serves on the following committees:[5]
- Financial Services Committee
- Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
- Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance
- Small Business Committee Ranking member
2011-2012
Velázquez served on the following committees:[6]
- Small Business Committee (Ranking Member)
- Financial Services Committee
- Subcommittee of Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
- Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity
Issues
Campaign themes
2012
Velazquez listed some of her campaign themes on her website:[7]
- Empowering Small Business
- Supporting Economic Growth
- Increasing Affordable Housing
- Bringing Our Troops Home
- Helping Working Families
- Fixing Our Immigration System
Specific votes
Fiscal Cliff
Velazquez voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. She was one of 172 Democrats that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257/167 vote on January 1, 2013.[8]
Elections
2012
Valazquez was re-elected to New York's 7th congressional district in 2012. Due to redistricting in New York, 12th district incumbent Velazquez ran in the 7th district, which includes most of her former territory, and adds some of the Lower East Side.[9] Velazquez defeated three primary challengers: Dan O'Connor, George Martinez, and Erik Dilan.[10] She was unopposed in the Working Families primary on June 26th, 2012.
Dilan, a city councilman, was seen by some as the greatest challenge to Velazquez.[11] He was encouraged to run by Vito Lopez, chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party and a member of the New York Assembly. Lopez wanted to see Velazquez defeated, as he said she has rudely slighted him.[12] In return, Velazquez commented, "I advocate for cleaner politics, and he appoints cronies as judges."[12]
Bringing up a common theme in New York politics, Dilan said Velazquez had "the worst voting record on Israel in the New York congressional delegation."[13] Velazquez, however, was endorsed by what one Democratic source called "the three top Jewish Democrats in the state": U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler, and New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.[9] Velazquez was also endorsed by President Barack Obama.[11]
Dilan responded to questions of his fundraising sources -- a significant portion come from the real estate industry, which both Dilan and Lopez influence on the city and state level -- by responding that Velazquez received even more from banks.[14]
| U.S. House, New York, District 7 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Nydia Velazquez Incumbent |
79% | 141,322 | |
| Conservative | James Murray | 4.4% | 7,811 | |
| N/A | Blank/Void/Scattering | 16.6% | 29,692 | |
| Total Votes | 178,825 | |||
| Source: New York State Board of Elections "U.S. House of Representatives Results" | ||||
Full history
To view the full congressional electoral history for Nydia Velazquez, click [show] to expand the section. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Velazquez is available dating back to 2000. Based on available campaign finance records, Velazquez raised a total of $5,037,829 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 23, 2013.[25]
| Nydia Velazquez's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 7) |  |
$674,523 | |
| 2010 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 12) | |
$838,912 | |
| 2008 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 12) | |
$1,136,163 | |
| 2006 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 12) | |
$766,762 | |
| 2004 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 12) | |
$709,017 | |
| 2002 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 12) | |
$438,386 | |
| 2000 | U.S. House of Representatives (New York, District 12) | |
$474,066 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $5,037,829 | |||
Individual breakdown
2012
Velazquez won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Velazquez's campaign committee raised a total of $674,524 and spent $1,285,102.[26]
| U.S. House of Representatives, New York's 7th Congressional District, 2012 - Nydia Velazquez Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $674,524 |
| Total Spent | $1,285,102 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | No reports on record for candidate |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | No reports on record for candidate |
| Top contributors to Nydia Velazquez's campaign committee | |
| Goldman Sachs | $12,500 |
| Service Employees International Union | $10,250 |
| American Crystal Sugar | $10,000 |
| American Federation of Teachers | $10,000 |
| Bank of America | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Securities & Investment | $55,250 |
| Accountants | $32,500 |
| Commercial Banks | $30,500 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $29,450 |
| Public Sector Unions | $28,000 |
2010
| U.S. House, New York, 2010 - Nydia Velazquez Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $838,912 |
| Total Spent | $690,875 |
| Total Raised by General Election Opponent | $0 |
| Total Spent by General Election Opponent | $0 |
| Top contributors to Nydia Velazquez's campaign committee | |
| Goldman Sachs | $11,000 |
| American Bankers Assn | $10,000 |
| American Express | $10,000 |
| Credit Union National Assn | $10,000 |
| Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | $10,000 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Securities & Investment | $54,900 |
| Health Professionals | $47,500 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $44,565 |
| Commercial Banks | $36,500 |
| Special Trade Contractors | $30,500 |
Analysis
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Velázquez missed 587 of 13,533 roll call votes from Jan 1993 to Apr 2013, which is 4.3% of votes during that period. This is worse than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving.[28]
Congressional staff salaries
The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Velazquez paid her congressional staff a total of $1,013,605 in 2011. Overall, New York ranked 28th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[29]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Velazquez's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $-4,248,997 to $3,954,998. That averages to $-146,999, which is lower than the average net worth of Democratic House members in 2011 of $5,107,874. Her average net worth did not change since 2010.[30]
2010
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Velazquez's net worth as of 2010 was estimated between $-4,248,997 to $3,954,998. That averages to $-146,999, which is lower than the average net worth of Democrats in 2010 of $4,465,875.[31]
National Journal vote ratings
- See also: National Journal vote ratings
2012
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Velazquez tied with three other members of the U.S. House of Representatives, ranking 15th in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[32]
2011
Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of congress voted in the previous year. Velazquez ranked 20th in the liberal rankings among members of the U.S. House.[33]
Percentage voting with party
November 2011
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Nydia Velazquez voted with the Democratic Party 92.7% of the time, which ranked 104th among the 192 House Democratic members in December 2011.[34]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Nydia + Velazquez + New York + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Nydia Velazquez News Feed
- Jacob Ostreicher's wife laments: 'They will never let him go' - The Times of Israel
- SBA Approving Less than 1 in 4 New York Business Applications for Sandy ... - PR Newswire (press release)
- Commentary: Congressional bill will help the homeless - Daily Pilot
- Chin is in and the race is on - Downtown Express
- SIGNS POINT TO HISTORY - Ridgewood Times Newsweekly
- Memories of An Aquatic Casualty: Pols Ask City to Halt Gowanus Canal ... - Commercial Observer
- Fed Tax Ideas May Hit New York Hard - Ridgewood Times Newsweekly
- Punishing Vieques : Puerto Rico Struggles With Contamination 10 Years After ... - Democracy Now
- GOVERNOR CUOMO AND HUD ANNOUNCE APPROVAL OF NEW YORK ... - Saugerties Post Star
- Newman Ferrarra LLP
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
External links
- U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez official U.S. House site
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media coverage:
References
- ↑ Gov Track "Velazquez" Accessed May 23, 2012
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "VELÁZQUEZ, Nydia Margarita, (1953 - )"
- ↑ Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, Serving New York's 12th Congressional District - Brooklyn - Lower Manhattan - Queens "Biography"
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress "VELÁZQUEZ, Nydia Margarita, (1953 - )"
- ↑ CQ.com, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress"
- ↑ Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, Serving New York's 12th Congressional District - Brooklyn - Lower Manhattan - Queens "Committees and Caucus Memberships"
- ↑ Campaign website "Issues"
- ↑ U.S. House "Roll Call Vote on the Fiscal Cliff" Accessed January 4, 2013.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Jewish Press "Schumer, Silver, Nadler to Endorse Velázquez, Rebuffing Anti-Zionist Charges," June 3, 2012
- ↑ AP "2012 primary results"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Capital New York "Obama endorses Nydia Velazquez," June 15, 2012
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 New York Times "With Three Spirited Primaries, Competitive Democracy Is Breaking Out," June 18, 2012
- ↑ ["http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2012/05/dilan-bashes-velazquez-on-israel-she-bashes-back New York Daily News "Dilan Bashes Velazquez On Israel; She Bashes Back," May 30, 2012]
- ↑ Capital New York "The congressional challenger from New York real estate," June 18, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2006"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2000"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1998"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 1996"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1994"
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1992"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Nydia Velazquez" March 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Nydia Velazquez 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed March 1, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Nydia M. Velazquez 2010 Election Data," Accessed December 16, 2011
- ↑ GovTrack, "Nydia Velazquez" Accessed April 2013
- ↑ LegiStorm, "Nydia Velazquez," Accessed October 2, 2012
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org "Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY), 2011," accessed February 21, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), 2010," Accessed October 2, 2012
- ↑ National Journal, "2012 Congressional Vote Ratings," March 7, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Searchable Vote Ratings Tables: House," February 23, 2012
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party"
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Joseph Crowley |
U.S. House of Representatives - New York District 7 2013–Present |
Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by Major Owens |
U.S. House of Representatives - New York District 12 1993–2013 |
Succeeded by Carolyn Maloney |
| Preceded by ' |
New York City Council 1984 |
Succeeded by ' |
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