New York City Council District 14 incumbent Pierina Sanchez is celebrating after Tuesday’s election, where she won big in the Democratic primary over her challenger Rachel Bradshaw.
According to the unofficial results from the New York City Board of Elections, Sanchez finished out the race with an overwhelming 76% majority of the vote, towering over Bradshaw, a first-time candidate who raked in 23%. Since there is no Republican candidate in the general election, Sanchez was, in essence, reelected to her second term in office on Tuesday.
Sanchez and her supporters were active during the early voting period and up until yesterday’s election, campaigning around the Bronx’s District 14 and encouraging people to hit the polls. Staffers had big tents sent up, banners and posters displayed.
The councilmember did not respond to Bronx Times requests for comment on her primary win, but took to Twitter to thank her supporters for a long day of campaigning Tuesday. Some of those she shouted out included prominent Bronx Democrats: state Sen. Jamaal Bailey, Assemblymember George Alvarez, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.
The chair of the New York Working Families Party, David Mirtz, celebrated Sanchez’s win on election night.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled by Pierina Sanchez’s victory tonight,” Mirtz said in a statement. “As Housing Chair, Pierina has been a powerful voice for protecting tenants against unjust rent hikes and ending the devastating eviction crisis in the Bronx. Our members were proud to hit the streets in support of Pierina and look forward to working with her to build a stronger and healthier Bronx.”
In CD-14 — which encompasses the neighborhoods of Kingsbridge, Fordham, University Heights, Mount Eden and Mount Hope — both Sanchez and Bradshaw identified housing as a major issue throughout the course of their campaigns.
According to the 2023 Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development report on housing risk, the Northwest Bronx — which includes neighborhoods in District 14 — is one of the sectors with the highest threat to affordable housing across New York City. The Bronx was also heavily represented on the city’s Housing Preservation and Development list of apartment buildings with the highest number of open code violations this spring.
Sanchez told the Bronx Times in a prior interview that as the chair of the City Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings, she’s been working to expand the supply of housing vouchers, increase affordable housing options, and crack down on “bad” landlords who neglect their properties and tenants. The councilmember also said she’s hoping to pass legislation aimed at protecting street vendors and low wage workers, working with the local Precinct Community Council to address crime in the district, and trying to expand universal after-school enrichment and mentorship programs for youth.
Bradshaw, a northwest Bronx resident and Democratic State Committee member, told the Bronx Times on Tuesday night that her opponent ultimately maintained her seat because of the sheer power in numbers — of both people and dollars. According to the NYC Campaign Finance Board, Sanchez raised $50,440. Bradshaw raised less than half of that — $12,679.10.
“Sanchez was very nervous about my running, that’s why she spared no expense,” Bradshaw said after her loss on Tuesday. “I’m proud of what I did.”
The challenger said she hasn’t thought that far ahead yet, but that she’s going to start “set(ting) my sights on Congress.”
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
