City & State: Jessica Ramos, no-nonsense state senator from Queens, is running for NYC mayor
She becomes the only woman and the second Latino person in the crowded primary field.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers. Emily Assiran
September 13, 2024 05:30 AM ET
State Sen. Jessica Ramos has marched in New York City’s annual Labor Day Parade at least 16 times. First as a communications professional working for several labor unions, later under former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, and most recently as the chair of the Senate’s influential Labor Committee. This year was no exception. Joining tens of thousands of workers from over 200 unions and constituency groups, Ramos strode down 5th Avenue wearing a red t-shirt, moving from union to union and waving at the assembled crowd.
But a cloud of uncertainty hung over the Sept. 7 festivities as New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces mounting questions over his ability to govern amid a swirl of investigations. Federal investigators raided the homes of multiple high-ranking officials in his administration several days prior, seizing electronic devices and raising major questions about the upcoming mayoral election. As Ramos marched alongside what she refers to as her union family, her own plans were unbeknownst to the crowd – ones she hopes will cast a unifying light amid the heightened uncertainty.
“Aren’t you tired of this?” Ramos said at a Sept. 5 event a few hours after news of the latest investigations broke. “I think we all are.”