Donald Trump isn’t the only candidate preparing for the New York primary. Ted Cruz decided to head to the Bronx just two days ago to see if he could sway some voters. I’m not necessarily sure what his staffers were thinking when sending him to one the poorest borough in New York City. Most of his legislative proposals actually continue to marginalize these neighborhoods. Not only is the Bronx the poorest borough, but it’s also full of minorities--Hispanics and African-Americans, primarily. It is also the borough with lowest number and percentage of white residents. Here’s a quick look at Bronx demographics:
| Racial composition | ||
|---|---|---|
| african american | 43.3% | |
| hispanic/latino (of any race) | 54.6% | |
| White | 40.8% | |
| — NON-HISPANIC WHITE | 10.5% |
Cruz went to a Chinese-Dominican restaurant and out of the 1.4 million people in the Bronx...less than 100 showed up to hear him speak. The people who did show up were also mostly protestors. Many called him “anti-immigrant,”"racist.” and a “right-winged bigot.” Overall, it was one of the worst events that he’s had.
He was even asked a question in Spanish, which isn’t surprising. After all, he is the son of a Cuban immigrant and he claims that he speaks Spanish fluently. He demonstrated this during one of the Republican debates when Rubio called him out for not speaking Spanish. Cruz responded to the question in English, stating that it is hard for him to speak Spanish.
Cruz is clearly trying to use his heritage in the Bronx to get some more supporters. This strategy isn’t going to work very well. New Yorkers are well aware that he is far from being a Latino rights activist.
Here’s a quote from one of the protestors:
“He not only offended New Yorkers, he offended Bronxites, and now he’s here today in New York and in the Bronx looking for money and votes. We in the Bronx know how offensive he’s been. We know the truth about our borough.”
To put the cherry on top of a perfect day, he was planning on paying a visit to a local school, Bronx Lighthouse College Preparatory Academy, and it was cancelled. Why? The students threatened to walkout of their classes if Ted Cruz stepped foot into their school. Ultimately, the school decided to cancel his visit.
Here’s a tip for Republican candidates: Don’t head to one of the most marginalized neighborhoods in New York and expect people to adore you. On the contrary, expect protestors...many of them.