New York lawmakers gather in Puerto Rico for Somos Conference – Spectrum News

New York lawmakers gather in Puerto Rico for Somos Conference  Spectrum News

Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and others headlined a ticketed-party at the Antiguo Casino. New York’s top Democrats gathered in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday evening. Including outgoing representative and Puerto Rican Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who offered advice to incoming congressional members, like her successor and democratic socialist Congresswoman-elect Claire Valdez, in the upcoming election for the next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. “That is a decision that they have to make, but I will advise them: don’t overlook the historic significance of having the first African American speaker of the House. That’s all. I don’t have to say anything more,” she told NY1.

Rep. Adriano Espallait, who lost his election bid to Democratic Socialists of America-backed Congresswoman-elect Darializa Avila Chevalier, also gave advice. “He’s a consensus builder, someone who brings people together, has the experience, obviously has the fight in him. It would be a foolish mistake to vote against him,” he said. Meanwhile, the legislature’s growing number of DSA and left-leaning members could prove a challenge for Hochul, already facing pressure from Mamdani to raise taxes. “What I’ve told him and what we’ve talked about is working together to make sure that we are champions for his agenda in Albany, whether its taxing the rich, whether its getting more funding down