Release: Community Activist Jessica González-Rojas Launches Campaign for Assembly

Health Care Expert Will Challenge Machine-backed Incumbent

Queens, NY - Over one hundred people turned out in the rain in support of Jessica González-Rojas as she launched her campaign for the New York State Assembly, District 34. Speaking in front of a standing room-only crowd packed into Alejandro’s Tapas Bar in Woodside, González-Rojas presented her vision for the future of the Queens community and detailed her experience as a leader on health care, racial justice, and immigration reform. She will run as a Democrat in the primary in June 2020 against an incumbent who has never faced a challenge.

“I am running for State Assembly because we deserve a choice in who represents us. Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside are among the most diverse neighborhoods in the world, said Jessica González-Rojas, Democrat for State Assembly (NY34). “It takes a grassroots leader who understands and connects to the experiences and struggles of our community to be an effective representative. We need a leader who will fight for all of us.” 

A nationally recognized expert on health care, Jessica González-Rojas is the outgoing Executive Director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, the only national reproductive justice organization that specifically works to advance health care, abortion rights, and gender justice for the over 29 million Latinas in the US. Jessica is also a key coalition builder and leader in progressive movements, fighting successfully over the past two decades including the Fight for 15, the Women’s March, and defending trans rights. 

“For too long, we have been represented by someone who was handpicked by the party bosses in a rigged process that shut voters out. Someone who was more interested in aiding those in power than in helping those in need. Someone who has never had to face a challenger and who does not reflect our values or our diversity,” González-Rojas said. “The voters in the 34th Assembly District deserve to experience democracy and have their voices heard. I am running because it is time for a change.” 

The 34th Assembly District includes Corona, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and Woodside. It among the most diverse communities in the world where over 88% of the population are people of color. Although the district’s population is approximately 60% Latino, it has never been represented by a Latino in the State Assembly.

Jessica is a founding member of New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), a Jackson Heights-based community organization whose mission is to ensure that immigrants can build social, political and economic power.   She has also served as a board member of the New Visions Democratic Club and the Latina Political Action Committee (LPAC). Jessica served as an Adjunct Professor at both the City University of New York (CUNY) and the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and has taught courses on reproductive rights, gender and sexuality. She holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. 

“I am running for State Assembly because the stakes are too high. Racism, xenophobia, and attacks on women and LGBTQ people are becoming normalized,” González-Rojas told the crowd at Alejandro’s Tapas Bar. “Income inequality and lack of healthcare access are destroying the fabric of our society. Families are getting pushed out of homes they can no longer afford and too many workers are not getting paid a living wage.”

She continued, “I am running for State Assembly because I am committed to making Medicare for All a reality in New York state because healthcare is a human right. I will work to ensure that our state becomes a sanctuary for our immigrant neighbors, and that our public schools are fully funded.” 

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