Darren Dione Aquino

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Darren Dione Aquino

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

June 24, 2025

Personal

Birthplace

New York, N.Y.

Religion

Christian

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Darren Dione Aquino (Republican Party) ran for election for Mayor of New York. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on June 24, 2025.

Biography

Darren Dione Aquino was born in New York, New York. His career experience includes founding the nonprofit organization Advocates for Disabled Americans, Veterans, Police, Firemen & Families. Aquino has also worked as an actor in television shows and movies, including Law & Order: SVU and the Sopranos. Additionally, Aquino has worked as a private chef.

Elections

2025

See also: Mayoral election in New York, New York (2025)

General election

General election for Mayor of New York

The following candidates are running in the general election for Mayor of New York on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Eric Adams (Safe&Affordable Party / EndAntiSemitism Party)
		Zohran Mamdani (D / Working Families Party)
		Curtis Sliwa (R / Protect Animals Party)
		Irene Estrada (Conservative Party)
		Andrew Cuomo (Fight and Deliver Party)
		James Walden (Integrity Party) (Unofficially withdrew)
	Submit photo	Joseph Hernandez (Quality of Life Party)
		Jean Anglade (Independent) (Write-in)
		Montell Moseley (Independent) (Write-in)
		Karen Stachel (Independent) (Write-in)
	Submit photo	Dana York (Independent) (Write-in)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kyle Gutierrez (Independent)
• Abbey Laurel-Smith (Independent)
• Gowri Krishna (Working Families Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic Primary for Mayor of New York

Select round: Round 3 Round 2 Round 1

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Zohran Mamdani in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Zohran Mamdani	56.4	573,169	103,414	Advanced (3)
		Andrew Cuomo	43.6	443,229	55,852	3
		Brad Lander	0.0	0	-120,707	2
		Adrienne Adams	0.0	0	-44,359	2
		Scott Stringer	0.0	0	-17,894	2
		Zellnor Myrie	0.0	0	-10,648	2
		Whitney Tilson	0.0	0	-8,525	2
		Michael Blake	0.0	0	-4,389	2
		Jessica Ramos	0.0	0	-4,294	2
		Paperboy Prince	0.0	0	-1,628	2
		Selma Bartholomew	0.0	0	-1,505	2

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Zohran Mamdani	43.9	469,755	113	Advanced (3)
		Andrew Cuomo	36.2	387,377	240	3
		Brad Lander	11.3	120,707	73	2
		Adrienne Adams	4.1	44,359	167	2
		Scott Stringer	1.7	17,894	74	2
		Zellnor Myrie	1.0	10,648	55	2
		Whitney Tilson	0.8	8,525	82	2
		Michael Blake	0.4	4,389	23	2
		Jessica Ramos	0.4	4,294	21	2
		Paperboy Prince	0.2	1,628	68	2
		Selma Bartholomew	0.1	1,505	16	2

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Zohran Mamdani	43.8	469,642	0	Advanced (3)
		Andrew Cuomo	36.1	387,137	0	3
		Brad Lander	11.3	120,634	0	2
		Adrienne Adams	4.1	44,192	0	2
		Scott Stringer	1.7	17,820	0	2
		Zellnor Myrie	1.0	10,593	0	2
		Whitney Tilson	0.8	8,443	0	2
		Michael Blake	0.4	4,366	0	2
		Jessica Ramos	0.4	4,273	0	2
		Paperboy Prince	0.1	1,560	0	2
		Selma Bartholomew	0.1	1,489	0	2
		Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.	0.1	1,581	0

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,071,730
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Deirdre Levy (D)
• Cleopatra Fitzgerald (D)
• Corinne Fisher (D)

Republican primary election

Republican Primary for Mayor of New York

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Curtis Sliwa in round 1 .

		Candidate
✔		Curtis Sliwa

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Kris Lord (R)
• Joe Alny (R)
• James Manning (R)
• Gonzalo Duran (R)
• Naomi Coley (R)
• Fátimazöhra Nouinou (R)
• John Harris (R)
• Ronen Nahom (R)
• David Rem (R)
• Darren Dione Aquino (R)
• Montell Moseley (R)

Conservative Party primary election

Conservative Primary for Mayor of New York

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Irene Estrada in round 1 .

		Candidate
✔		Irene Estrada

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Working Families Party primary election

Working Families Primary for Mayor of New York

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Gowri Krishna in round 1 .

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Gowri Krishna

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2022

See also: Florida's 26th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 26

Incumbent Mario Diaz-Balart defeated Christine Alexandria Olivo in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 26 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mario Diaz-Balart (R)	70.9	143,240
		Christine Alexandria Olivo (D)	29.1	58,868

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 202,108
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Christine Alexandria Olivo advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 26.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 26

Incumbent Mario Diaz-Balart defeated Darren Dione Aquino in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 26 on August 23, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mario Diaz-Balart	84.3	36,861
		Darren Dione Aquino	15.7	6,885

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 43,746
= 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

• Ruth Swanson (R)

2020

See also: Florida's 19th Congressional District election, 2020

Florida's 19th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Republican primary)

Florida's 19th Congressional District election, 2020 (August 18 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Florida District 19

Byron Donalds defeated Cindy Banyai and Patrick Post in the general election for U.S. House Florida District 19 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Byron Donalds (R)	61.3	272,440
		Cindy Banyai (D)	38.7	172,146
		Patrick Post (D) (Write-in)	0.0	3

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 444,589
= 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

• Antonio Dumornay (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 19

Cindy Banyai defeated David Holden in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Florida District 19 on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cindy Banyai	57.6	28,765
		David Holden	42.4	21,212

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 49,977 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 19

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Florida District 19 on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Byron Donalds	22.6	23,492
		Dane Eagle	21.9	22,715
		Casey Askar	20.0	20,774
		William Figlesthaler	18.3	19,075
		Randy Henderson	7.6	7,858
		Christy McLaughlin	4.1	4,245
		Dan Severson	3.1	3,197
		Darren Dione Aquino	1.4	1,466
		Daniel Kowal	1.1	1,135

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 103,957 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= 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

• Francis Rooney (R)
• Ford O’Connell (R)
• Heather Fitzenhagen (R)

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Darren Dione Aquino did not complete Ballotpedia's 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Darren Dione Aquino did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Aquino's campaign website stated the following:

“	Fighting for the Forgotten As congressman, Darren will fight tirelessly for the forgotten men and women of America. In his twenties, Darren was a struggling father with two disabilities, but out of pure self-determination, Darren rose up from poverty. Understanding the struggle himself, for 40 years, Darren has been a champion for those who are neglected. He has become an icon for disabled advocacy, advising 4 presidents, creating and running Advocates for Disabled Americans, Veterans, Police, Fireman & Families (ADA VETs) since 1999. There are 70,000 homeless veterans in the streets of America — Darren believes this is unacceptable. As your Congressman, Darren will give the needed focus on these forgotten men and women. Pro-America Darren Aquino experienced the greatest of America first-hand and understands the dangers of the anti-American sentiment that prevails in society today. Leaders in Congress call America fundamentally “racist” and Fake News media do just the same. American youth, so civically illiterate, adhere to the dangerous claims made by these leaders. Darren is leading the fight to stop this. Darren supports a nationalized Patriot Test, in which American high-school students are required to pass a basic civics test that assesses American values, ideas, governmental-composition and history in order to graduate high school. As congressman, Darren will call out anti-Americans who prevail in Congress, like Ilhan Omar and AOC and will propose legislation that requires people running for Congress to be naturally-born Americans. Looting, rioting and violence — a symptom of anti-American sentiment — needs to stop and Darren is fighting against it. Law & Order As rioting and looting spread across the country and calls for defunding police become mainstream, now, more than ever, is it important to ensure every American citizens’ fundamental right to protect themselves. “Assault rifle bans” are pointless — criminals don’t follow laws! As Congressman, Darren will fight tirelessly to ensure your 2nd amendment right is not stripped away. America-First The Chinese Virus pandemic has highlighted America’s need for in-country manufacturing and America-first economics. Darren Aquino will make sure to be principled in his American-First, District-First approach to the economy. Through deregulation, southwest Florida infrastructural proposals, and pro-American trade deals, Darren Aquino will bring the biggest amount of jobs that southwest Florida has ever seen. Furthermore, as a self-made man, Darren understands the struggle for hard-earned money, and supports a decrease in federal taxes, including the elimination of the federal tax on overtime labor. Darren Aquino will fight for the Great American Comeback and the Great Southwest Florida Comeback. American Health Medicare and Medicaid as we know it is a fundamental right of protection through social security, but it is being depleted due to mismanagement of prior administrations: Clinton and Obama. My experience for 35 years working with the disabled allowed me to see and actually experience the deficiencies, and inspired me to repair it. This is not a creative repair, but a common sense repair. In addition, mental illness has been largely overlooked in the healthcare community. The mentally ill have been abandoned and neglected for too long. This issue has fallen on the lap of local law enforcement around the country. This is a healthcare issue. This is not the duty of law enforcement, it overburdens the system. Water Management The Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) of 2018 clearly stated that the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Storage Reservoir is part of the Central Everglades Planning Project. However, the Army Corps of Engineers’ bureaucracy still designated this as a “new start,” thus delaying the needed project that would have otherwise been completed in time and under budget. As your congressman, I will help diminish this act by the Army Corps. Furthermore, as your congressman, I will continue to support additional WRDAs that will provide needed insight and projects to aid water management and precision water ecosystems in Southwest Florida. Immigration Because of the Chinese Virus pandemic, our unemployment rate is at an all-time high. Thus, now more than ever, is it important to have a representative who says NO to illegal immigrants stealing American jobs. Right now we have 70,000 veterans living on the street and they deserve jobs, not illegal immigrants. As your congressman, Darren Aquino will fight to increase the power of ICE, cracking down on illegal immigration. Darren Aquino will also fight for our border wall, increases in border security, and cracking down on overstayed VISAs. He will support federally mandated E-verify laws to crack down on businesses profiting from illegal workers. China China poses a threat as great as the Soviet Union! China’s lack of regard for basic human rights and their utter aggression, both militarily in Eurasia and intellectually all across the globe, poses an existential threat to America. Through continuing sanctions on Chinese officials and corporations, through continuing the private-public initiative for American technology companies to properly rival Chinese ones, through pushing legislation that allows American citizens to sue China and the Chinese Communist Party for negligence and intention for the Chinese Virus spread, Darren Aquino will stand up to Xi Jinping and China. Pro-Life The Declaration of Independence states that all people are endowed to their unalienable rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Unfortunately, because of leftists and pro-death activists, babies are deprived of their right to have a chance at life. As your congressman, Darren Aquino promises to fight tirelessly for babies’ rights, continuing his 40-year fight for the forgotten. School Choice Our education system is failing too many, but we will change that. Lee County is home to one of the best schooling systems in the world: a school choice system. As your congressman, Darren Aquino will support laws that expand school choice programs across the United States and he will continue his career-long fight for the rights of those who are forgotten.	”
—Darren Dione Aquino's campaign website (2022)

2020

Video for Ballotpedia

Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released February 23, 2020

Darren Dione Aquino completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Aquino's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Darren Aquino is the founder and CEO of Advocates for Disabled Americans, Veterans, Police, Firemen & Families (ADA VETs), and has advocated for them successfully for over 35 years.

Darren is a Puerto-Rican, Italian American, who began advocating for the disabled in 1983. Darren founded this national non-profit in 1999. with a unique concept, all members and volunteers are disabled. This comprehensive network of members and volunteers assist the disabled community with all issues involving lack of societal integration, lack of due process and lack of fair and equal treatment.

Darren Aquino has been fighting for individuals for over 35 years, and should he become a Congressman, he will know how to fight for his district.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I will protect and fight for ALL people as I've done for over 35 years advocating for the disabled and their rights.
• I will protect our right to bear arms and protect the constitution.
• We will ALWAYS put the needs of the district first.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1)Healthcare- Quality -driven and affordable healthcare for all is a fundamental right. Mental health should be incorporated into every health plan. Accessibility to mental healthcare is lacking.

Facilities are crowded, there is no integration of programs to treat the "whole" person. The mentally ill, especially our disabled veterans, are not getting the care they deserve. Homelessness is increased by the influx of the untreated mentally ill. 

2)Constitutional Rights Enforcement-vital to the growth of America. Those amendments were set forth by our forefathers for the daily fundamental rights of the citizens. These are known as freedoms, liberties, the right to pursue uninfringed is the most important duty for a congressman or woman. These are inherent rights. We are the guardians of our forefathers. dreams
Seven of the most powerful constitutional rights are deprived disabled citizens on a daily basis .

50 % of the nation's population are disabled, hence, the importance of quality-driven and accessible healthcare. The vulnerable face imminent harm on a daily basis,

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, loyalty, honesty, transparency, honor, patriotism, community activism, dedication, moral values and faith.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The legacy I want to leave is to be the best Congressman of this century. A congressman who works, who with the people in his district. One that actually serves the people. A congressman who works closely with the community, having hands-on, listening, talking with the community, collaborating together. The congressional seat is the most important , 2nd is judicial. Without the legislative branch , we have no laws. The people always have the right to enforce, I will constitutionally practice my duty, fully and faithfully.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When I was 24 years old, due to a car accident, I became totally disabled. I was in dire straits, had an infant, and I wrote a 15 page letter to President Ronald Reagan, a 911 to the White House. I received a response from President Reagan himself.. He was moved by my correspondence .He exclusively assigned the White House liaison, Ms. Charlene Kozard to assist me. I was involved with his White House for over six years. President Reagan changed my life, forever. He broke the battle of the states rule to have the White House help me get services for myself and my family. He enrolled me in the GOP, coming from a Democratic family, I became a Republican. He gave me such pride and encouragement, I became an advocate for disabled because of my President. I was able to learn the system since I had the honor and privilege of learning from the best while I was being assisted with my battles. He is my hero.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book is ,"The Seasons of Emma", it is a children's book that I wrote for disabled children and bully prevention.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

God Bless the USA-Lee Greenwood
I was at Yankee stadium after 911, when the President threw the first ball. All Americans were mourning our loss and celebrating our patriotism and unity , as a united America, celebrating those who had sacrificed.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Currently, it is not unique. It's founding is unique, one-of-a-kind. However, under Democratic leaders, it suffers from Oligarchy.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

I don't believe that it is beneficial to have previous experience. I don't believe we need any more career politicians. Congress should be refreshed and renewed. Having experience in grassroots activities, whereby, you fight for the rights of the community, those communities that struggle, the vulnerable who struggle, I believe these are characteristics of a candidate that legislates laws for, "we the people".

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Healthcare-half the nation, 50% of the population is disabled. My experience, my knowledge, and my creative ideas, that were inspired by the people who I have advocated for, and which I shared with President Bush, (43). President Bush perceived my notes on healthcare to be a good plan . I proposed a united healthcare owned by the people. I was able to develop the plan since I, and many of those who I had advocated for, had suffered from inaccessible and inadequate healthcare .

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

I would like to see three years, and a maximum of 3 term. A representative should only be allowed only 9 years, for the sake of the country.. We need a renewing, a refreshing. The Senate is 6 years. After the 1st term, You should get a quarter pension, 2nd term,
half a pension, and 3rd term, full pension. You should not be allowed both pension and Social Security.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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