Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter Abandons Challenge To Pedro Espada

I tweeted earlier that I was working on this tip, but... Well, this what I get for leaving my computer for two slices of pizza: Scooped!

Espada Pilgrim.jpg

The Bronx News Network has beaten me -- fair and square -- to the punch on the story that Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter is dropping out of the race to unseat Bronx state Sen. Pedro Espada.

Good work, you guys! (Groan.)

I will reprint their story here in full, but you should definitely give them the page hits and also check out this and other coverage on their site, www.bronxnewsnetwork.org, here:

Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, the community activist who led the local fight to defeat the mayor’s plans to build a mall in the Kingsbridge Armory, told the Bronx News Network late on Tuesday that she was ending her candidacy for state Senate in the 33rd District.

“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ll ever have to make,” she said. “In the interest of making sure that [incumbent state Senator] Pedro Espada is out of office, and also building power in my community, I’ve decided to withdraw.”

Money, or lack of it, was the main reason she decided to end her bid, she said. Despite several fundraisers in supporters’ homes, she had raised only $30,000, while Espada already has more than $300,000 on hand.

“We did a really good job of fundraising,” she said referring to the number of small donors in the community who gave to the campaign. “It wasn’t enough to be able to have an effective fight and win this race.”

Pilgrim-Hunter said that charges made by a local blog relating to her disability status, and the ensuing heated on-line debate, had nothing to do with her decision.(See our article.)

The move comes just two days before candidates are required to submit petitions to get on the ballot. Pilgrim-Hunter says she had a little over 1,500 signatures (1,000 are required) but that if she didn’t withdraw prior to that deadline, then she wouldn’t be able to remove her name from the primary ballot. As much of a disappointment as it was to her and her team, she said, it would be “worse if we were instrumental in getting Pedro back in office.”

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