Samelys Lopez

Samelys Lopez (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent New York's 15th Congressional District. She lost in the Democratic primary on June 23, 2020.

Lopez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Samelys Lopez earned a bachelor's degree from Barnard College and a graduate degree from New York University, Wagner School of Public Service. Lopez's career experience includes working as a congressional aide for Congressman Jose E. Serrano, co-founding Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and working as an activist with Housing Justice for All.

2020 battleground election

See also: New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 23 Democratic primary)

Ritchie Torres defeated Michael Blake, Ruben Diaz Sr., Samelys Lopez, Ydanis Rodriguez, and seven other candidates to win the Democratic nomination in New York's 15th Congressional District in a primary on June 23, 2020. Torres advanced to the general election on November 3, 2020. Incumbent Jose Serrano (D), who was first elected in 1990, did not seek re-election.

The New York City Board of Elections declared Torres had won the primary on August 4, 2020. The announcement followed uncertainty over the results of several New York primaries owing to an unanticipated number of absentee ballots.

Heading into the primary, Torres, Blake, Diaz, Lopez, and Melissa Mark-Viverito led the 12 candidates in endorsements and media attention.

Blake, a member of the New York State Assembly, was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), and the Congressional Black Caucus PAC. Diaz, a New York City councilman and former state senator, was endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Democratic Socialists of America, and the Working Families Party endorsed Lopez. Mark-Viverito, a former New York City councilwoman, received endorsements from U.S. Reps. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas) and Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the American Federation of Teachers, and Latino Victory. Torres, also a New York City councilman, was endorsed by The New York Times, U.S. Reps. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), and Mark Takano (D-Calif.), BOLD PAC, and End Citizens United.

According to The American Prospect, "a muddled open-seat primary has conspired to divvy up the progressive vote share among multiple hopefuls, much to the delight of an unapologetically conservative candidate, Ruben Diaz Sr. If he were to win, Diaz would quickly become one of, if not the most, conservative Democrats in the House." According to Politico at the beginning of June, Diaz "[appeared] to be out front in the race ... A super PAC backed by LGBT donors was launched to oppose Díaz Sr. and is running ads urging voters to choose '#anyonebutdiaz.' Reproductive rights groups like Planned Parenthood’s political arm are opposing his candidacy. ... But the anti-Díaz forces are fractured, with a host of prominent Democrats still in the running and dividing progressive support."

Frangell Basora, Mark Escoffery-Bey, Chivona Newsome, Julio Pabon, Tomas Ramos, Ydanis Rodriguez, and Marlene Tapper also ran in the primary.

According to campaign finance reports covering through June 3, Torres led in fundraising with $1.4 million, followed by Blake with $832,000, Mark-Viverito with $335,000, Lopez with $205,000, Diaz with $203,000, and Rodriguez with $151,000. All other candidates reported less than $100,000 in receipts.

Daily Kos reported that satellite spending in the race primarily focused on Torres, with groups including the Voter Protection Project, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Equality PAC spending on his behalf.

Major independent observers rated the general election as Solid Democratic or Safe Democratic. The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+44, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 44 percentage points more Democratic than the national average.

Elections

2020

See also: New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2020

New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 23 Democratic primary)

New York's 15th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 23 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House New York District 15

Ritchie Torres defeated Patrick Delices in the general election for U.S. House New York District 15 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ritchie Torres (D)	88.7	169,533
		Patrick Delices (R / Conservative Party)	11.1	21,221
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	283

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 191,037
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Orlando Molina (R)
• Kenneth Schaeffer (Working Families Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 15

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 15 on June 23, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ritchie Torres	32.1	19,090
		Michael Blake	18.0	10,725
		Ruben Diaz	14.4	8,559
		Samelys Lopez	13.9	8,272
		Ydanis Rodriguez	10.6	6,291
		Melissa Mark-Viverito	4.3	2,561
		Tomas Ramos	2.4	1,442
		Chivona Newsome	2.3	1,366
		Marlene Tapper	0.7	392
		Julio Pabon	0.4	244
		Frangell Basora	0.3	189
	Submit photo	Mark Escoffery-Bey	0.3	153
	Submit photo	David Philip Franks Jr. (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	189

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 59,473
= 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

• Marlene Cintron (D)
• Jonathan Ortiz (D)
• Eric Stevenson (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Orlando Molina advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

Conservative Party primary election

The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. Patrick Delices advanced from the Conservative Party primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

Working Families Party primary election

The Working Families Party primary election was canceled. Kenneth Schaeffer advanced from the Working Families Party primary for U.S. House New York District 15.

Candidate profile

Samelys Lopez

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I grew up in the NYC family shelter system and faced many of the challenges my Bronx neighbors experienced - housing scarcity, domestic violence, food insecurity. I was able to obtain a degree from Columbia University's Barnard College. After college, I worked at Congressmember José E. Serrano's Bronx district office where I assisted with constituent housing in her role as a Congressional Aide. I enrolled at NYU and graduated with a Masters in Urban Planning with a focus on Housing and Community Development. Samelys interned at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) where she gained experience in providing affordable housing for New Yorkers. My former colleagues and I co-founded Velo City, a youth cycling initiative that recruited youth from the South Bronx and Brownsville to diversify the professions of the built environment to empower youth to fight for the dignity and needs of their communities on their own terms. I am currently an activist in the Housing Justice for All statewide coalition which was instrumental in securing quite possibly the most historic pro-tenant rent reforms New York State has ever seen. I am also an active member and co-founder of Bronx Progressives, a local chapter of the New York Progressive Action Network and Our Revolution. Through Bronx Progressives, Samelys has played a role in helping to build an independent, community led grassroots political movement in the Bronx."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Housing is a human right!

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Universal healthcare in the form of Medicare for All

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We need to end corruption by getting money out of politics.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House New York District 15 in 2020.

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election. It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees. The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Frangell Basora	Democratic Party	$11,138	$10,673	$1,315	As of December 31, 2019
Michael Blake	Democratic Party	$1,006,403	$1,006,267	$137	As of December 31, 2020
Ruben Diaz	Democratic Party	$222,662	$222,275	$387	As of December 31, 2020
Mark Escoffery-Bey	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
David Philip Franks Jr.	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Samelys Lopez	Democratic Party	$418,558	$418,558	$0	As of December 31, 2020
Melissa Mark-Viverito	Democratic Party	$390,930	$368,872	$22,058	As of December 31, 2020
Chivona Newsome	Democratic Party	$38,594	$33,907	$4,687	As of June 30, 2020
Julio Pabon	Democratic Party	$1	$0	$0	As of November 13, 2020
Tomas Ramos	Democratic Party	$76,979	$76,201	$778	As of September 30, 2020
Ydanis Rodriguez	Democratic Party	$191,779	$192,095	$-316	As of December 31, 2020
Marlene Tapper	Democratic Party	$29,643	$29,183	$460	As of June 30, 2020
Ritchie Torres	Democratic Party	$2,220,924	$1,831,234	$389,690	As of December 31, 2020
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

Noteworthy primary endorsements

This section includes noteworthy endorsements issued in the primary, added as we learn about them. Click here to read how we define noteworthy primary endorsements. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Click on the links below to view lists of endorsements on candidate websites, as available:

• Michael Blake
• Samelys Lopez
• Melissa Mark-Viverito
• Ritchie Torres

Noteworthy primary endorsements
Endorsement	Blake	Diaz	Lopez	Mark-Viverito	Torres
Newspapers and editorials
The New York Times					✔
Elected officials
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)	✔
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)			✔
U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.)	✔
U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.)	✔
U.S. Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas)				✔
U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.)					✔
U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.)				✔
U.S. Rep. Debra Haaland (D-N.M.)	✔
U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.)	✔
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.)	✔
U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.)	✔
U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)	✔
U.S. Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.)					✔
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)			✔
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (Ohio) (D-Ohio)	✔
U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.)					✔
Organizations
American Federation of Teachers				✔
BOLD PAC					✔
Communications Workers of America					✔
Congressional Black Caucus PAC	✔
Courage to Change PAC			✔
Democratic Socialists of America			✔
End Citizens United					✔
Equality PAC					✔
Hotel Trades Council					✔
Human Rights Campaign					✔
JVP Action			✔
Latino Victory				✔
Matriarch			✔
NOW PAC				✔
National Education Association				✔
National Policy Alliance	✔
New American Leaders Action Fund			✔
Our Revolution			✔
People's Action			✔
Police Benevolent Association		✔
Progressive Democrats of America			✔
Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union	✔
United Federation of Teachers				✔
Victory Fund					✔
LiUNA!					✔
Voter Protection Project					✔
Vote Pro-Choice				✔
Working Families Party			✔

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Samelys Lopez completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lopez's responses.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in the NYC family shelter system and faced many of the challenges my Bronx neighbors experienced - housing scarcity, domestic violence, food insecurity.

I was able to obtain a degree from Columbia University's Barnard College. After college, I worked at Congressmember José E. Serrano's Bronx district office where I assisted with constituent housing in her role as a Congressional Aide.

I enrolled at NYU and graduated with a Masters in Urban Planning with a focus on Housing and Community Development. Samelys interned at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) where she gained experience in providing affordable housing for New Yorkers.

My former colleagues and I co-founded Velo City, a youth cycling initiative that recruited youth from the South Bronx and Brownsville to diversify the professions of the built environment to empower youth to fight for the dignity and needs of their communities on their own terms.

I am currently an activist in the Housing Justice for All statewide coalition which was instrumental in securing quite possibly the most historic pro-tenant rent reforms New York State has ever seen.

I am also an active member and co-founder of Bronx Progressives, a local chapter of the New York Progressive Action Network and Our Revolution. Through Bronx Progressives, Samelys has played a role in helping to build an independent, community led grassroots political movement in the Bronx.

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?

• Housing is a human right!
• Universal healthcare in the form of Medicare for All
• We need to end corruption by getting money out of politics.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Housing policy is personal to me because I grew up in the shelter system. Because of my experiences, I decided to devote my professional life to the affordable housing field, where I helped to build homes in underserved communities throughout NYC, include my home borough of the Bronx. As a member of Congress, I plan on fighting for: secure housing as a universal human right, instituting universal rent control, fully re-investment in public housing, building 12 million units of social housing to end homelessness in America especially as children, seniors, and veterans are concerned, de-commodification of housing to put an end to real estate and land speculation, establishing a People's Housing Commission, National Tenant Bill of Rights, reparations to reverse the impact of generations of redlining.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

First of all, I have great respect for the outgoing Congressman Jose Serrano. He was an avid supporter of environmental issues in New York, such as constructing greenways, acquiring parklands, and cleaning up the Bronx River, which runs through the South Bronx. He was someone who really cared about the people in his district and worked as hard as could to improve their lives; I want to build on that legacy in the South Bronx and fight for the people like he did.

I am also a big fan of Bernie Sanders. He is someone who has been fighting for universal healthcare, labor rights, LGBTQ rights, women's rights, and the rights of communities of color for over 40 years. I plan to spend my life fighting for working families in this country, just as he did.

I also have great respect for people like representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and am proud to be endorsed by her Courage to Change PAC. She has been an incredible fighter in Congress for working people in this country. I greatly respect the work that she has done in regards issues such as the Green New Deal, to combat climate change and create millions of new jobs in the process.

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

I believe the most important characteristic an elected official should have is compassion. My home in the South Bronx, there are countless people who experience poverty, malnutrition, homelessness, and so many other struggles in their day to day lives. I believe that elected officials need to have love and compassion for the people they represent, so that they are willing to fight for them when they get into congress. Without that compassion, then those elected officials will only focus on enriching themselves and consolidating their own power, instead of helping the people they represent.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am someone who is from the community and has gone through many of the same struggles my neighbors faced (malnutrition, homelessness, underfunded schools, etc.). I understand first hand many of the same problems that people in the community go through on a daily basis and I will take that understanding with me to Congress. My experiences will allow me to advocate for the people in my congressional district and fight for the policies to improve their lives.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

An elected official needs to be accountable to the people in the community and have their best interests in mind. Too many politicians are bought and paid for by the real estate industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the military industrial complex. The main goal of an elected official is to advocate for the needs of the people in their community and do whatever they can to improve the lives of working people in this country.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

When I was a child, I spent time in the homeless shelter in the South Bronx because my mother was trying to flee domestic abuse. I never wanted anyone else to be in the same position that I was in, so I decided to devote my life to fighting for affordable housing here in NYC.

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

The US House of Representatives, unlike the Senate is representative of the entire nation. The congressional districts are drawn in such a way that each member of the House of Representatives speaks for roughly the same amount of people in Congress. Conversely, each state has 2 senators, regardless of the population of their state. Because the House more accurately represents the American people than the Senate, it is inherently a more democratic institution.

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

It's not as important to have experience in government in politics, as it is to have a desire to help the members of your community. For far too long, those who have represented the Bronx have failed to look out for our collective good or protect the most vulnerable. We have suffered neglect, abuse, and exploitation. We urgently need to organize now to reclaim the power that belongs to us! Many politicians that have represented the Bronx use it as a line on their resume, but do not deliver results for the people actually living here. The Bronx deserves someone better than a career politician vying for higher office, they deserve someone who actually cares about the people in the community.

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

The greatest existential threat we face is climate change. We have until 2030 to severely reduce the carbon emissions in the United States if we want to stave off the worst effects that climate change will have on our planet. These effects include rising sea levels and increased severity of extreme weather events like hurricanes. In order to do that, our government needs to invest heavily in renewable energy sources like solar and wind, and fight against the greed of the fossil fuel industry that will fight against us tooth and nail.

If you are not a current representative, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Fighting for housing as a human right will be my top priority while serving as a member of Congress. Serving on the United States House Committee on Financial Services and Housing, Community Development and Insurance Subcommittee would allow me to oversee the Department of Housing and Urban Development and ensure that we are adequately allocating resourcing to public housing in this country.

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

Two years is just the right length of time to be a representative. It allows you enough time to advocate for your constituents and be held accountable very quickly, through the ballot box, if you do not fight for legislation that betters their lives.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I am supportive of term limits. I do not believe that people should be holding the same office of power for decades. After a certain point, most people will become out of touch with their community they represent and only focus on holding onto their seat and the power of the institution they represent.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I highly respect the work that AOC has done while she is in office. She has done an incredible job at shifting the political discourse to the left, especially in regards to the Green New Deal. During my first term in office, I would try to follow that model and push the overton window further to the left in regards; to make the argument to the American people that housing should be treat as a human right and we need to invest in affordable housing.

I also greatly respect the work that Jose Serrano, the retiring incumbent of NY-15, has done for the people in his community. I worked at Congressmember José E. Serrano's Bronx district office where I assisted with constituent housing in her role as a Congressional Aide. I saw how hard he worked to ensure that the people in district could live good, decent lives and I want to build on his legacy and fight for the people of the South Bronx.

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.

See also

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Footnotes

[show]

New York's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Kirsten Gillibrand (D)

Chuck Schumer (D)

Representatives

District 1

Nicholas LaLota (R)

District 2

Andrew Garbarino (R)

District 3

Tom Suozzi (D)

District 4

Laura Gillen (D)

District 5

Gregory Meeks (D)

District 6

Grace Meng (D)

District 7

Nydia Velazquez (D)

District 8

Hakeem Jeffries (D)

District 9

Yvette Clarke (D)

District 10

Daniel Goldman (D)

District 11

Nicole Malliotakis (R)

District 12

Jerrold Nadler (D)

District 13

Adriano Espaillat (D)

District 14

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D)

District 15

Ritchie Torres (D)

District 16

George Latimer (D)

District 17

Michael Lawler (R)

District 18

Pat Ryan (D)

District 19

Josh Riley (D)

District 20

Paul Tonko (D)

District 21

Elise Stefanik (R)

District 22

John Mannion (D)

District 23

Nick Langworthy (R)

District 24

Claudia Tenney (R)

District 25

Joseph Morelle (D)

District 26

Tim Kennedy (D)

Democratic Party (21)

Republican Party (7)