UPTOWN — The chief of staff for Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez is joining the already hotly contested race for the State Assembly in Upper Manhattan.
Carmen De La Rosa, who announced her candidacy Thursday for the 72nd District seat, described herself as a born-and-bred Inwood resident who recognizes the "plight that so many working families uptown face."
She noted in her announcement that the community lacks female elected officials and said her campaign will focus on the fight for equal pay for women, education and access to health care and affordable housing.
"I have worked on these issues for years and now I am prepared to lead the way," she said in a statement, stressing that she's going to advocate for "working women in Washington Heights."
There are already several contenders for the seat, which covers Inwood and parts of Washington Heights. They include George Fernandez, former chairman of Community Board 12, and Manny De Los Santos, a former district leader and co-president of the Northern Manhattan Democrats for Change. De Lo Santos ran against current Assemblyman Guillermo Linares in 2014.
Linares hasn’t announced whether he’ll be campaigning to keep his seat. He is currently running for Congress against state Sen. Adriano Espaillat and a host of other candidates.
De La Rosa has already received endorsements from Rodriguez, as well as Councilman Mark Levine and Mino Lora, a community activist and co-founder of the People's Theatre Project, she said in statement.
