Gustavo Rivera (politician)

Gustavo Rivera
Member of the New York State Senate from the 33rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2011
Preceded by	Pedro Espada, Jr.
Personal details
Born	(1975-11-19) November 19, 1975 (age 49)[1] Santurce, Puerto Rico[1]
Political party	Democratic
Residence	University Heights, Bronx[1]
Alma mater	University of Puerto Rico (BA) CUNY Graduate Center
Profession	politician
Website	Official website

Gustavo Rivera (born November 19, 1975)^[1] is a New York state senator representing the 33rd Senate District, covering the Bronx neighborhoods of Kingsbridge Heights, Kingsbridge, Fordham, University Heights, Van Nest, Tremont, East Tremont, and parts of Morrisania and Parkchester. First elected in 2010, Rivera is a Democrat.

Background

Rivera was born and raised in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico.^[2] He received a B.A. in political science from the University of Puerto Rico in May 1998.^[3] Following graduation, Rivera moved to New York to begin a doctoral program in political science at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.^[4] He taught courses at Hunter College until 2002, and served as an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Pace University until his first election in 2010.^[4]

Rivera has served in politics by serving as campaign manager for politicians such as Phil Reed and his future colleagues Jose M. Serrano and Andrea Stewart-Cousins.^[5]

In September 2010, he was named one of City Hall's "40 under 40" for being a young influential member of New York City politics.^[6]

As of 2024, Rivera was single and resided in University Heights.^[1]

New York Senate

After serving as Director of Outreach under United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Rivera decided to run for the New York State Senate in 2010.^[7] The incumbent, Senator Pedro Espada Jr., had long been a staple in Bronx politics.^[8] Espada was considered the favorite throughout the election.^[9] After a hard fought campaign, Rivera ultimately defeated Espada in the Democratic primary.^[10] Espada would later be convicted of embezzlement.^[11]

In the Senate, Rivera is known as a leading progressive voice.^[12] With the Democrats retaking the majority in 2018, Rivera was named Chair of the Senate Health Committee. Rivera has advocated for single-payer health insurance.^[13]

References

1. "Legislative Preview: Meet The New Members". The Capitol. Manhattan Media. January 6, 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
2. Rivera, Gustavo. "Without the Federal Government But With New York, Puerto Rico Endures". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
3. Postmaster (2017-10-11). ""We need to do something""Necesitamos hacer algo"". Manhattan Times News. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
4. "Gustavo Rivera: Biography". New York State Senate. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
5. Khurshid, Samar. "State Senator Calls for Investigation of Opponent's Campaign Finances". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
6. Rising Stars 40 Under 40: Gustavo Rivera Archived 2013-01-01 at the Wayback Machine, City & State, September 28, 2010.
7. KAPPSTATTER, BOB. "Democratic heavyweights Pedro Espada, Gustavo Rivera lace up gloves in bitter Bronx election battle - NY Daily News". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
8. Rizzo, Nick. "An Espada-slayer and his outside army go to battle in the Bronx". Politico PRO. Retrieved 2019-02-01.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
9. "Pedro Espada's new ad in state Senate race calls Gustavo Rivera a puppet". The Riverdale Press. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
10. King, David. "The Man Who Beat Espada". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
11. Secret, Mosi (2012-05-14). "Ex-Senator Espada Guilty of Embezzling From Soundview Health Network". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
12. "Gustavo Rivera Picks Up Nine Progressive Electeds". Observer. 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
13. "Rivera: New Version of Single Payer Bill Coming in January". www.nystateofpolitics.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.

External links

• Official Senate Website

New York State Senate
Preceded by Pedro Espada, Jr.	New York State Senate, 33rd District 2011–present	Incumbent