Congressional hopeful state Sen. Adriano Espaillat picked up a key endorsement from City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito at a rally Sunday calling for aid to Puerto Rico.
Espaillat, who lost two consecutive bids for the seat against Rep. Charles Rangel, is facing Assemblyman Keith Wright, former Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, former DNC political director Clyde Williams and several others. Rangel is not running for re-election.
“Adriano Espaillat has always taken on the biggest challenges impacting our communities, and Puerto Rico’s debt crisis is no exception,” Mark-Viverito said at the rally in East Harlem. “We need him in Congress to end the relentless gridlock.”
On Sunday, Espaillat called for the federal government to allow Puerto Rico to restructure its debt, provide it with more funding and restore cuts to its healthcare programs.
“Congress must act now to prevent default and build a better future for the 3.5 million American citizens living in Puerto Rico,” he said.