Amanda C. Farías (born July 9, 1989) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician from

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. She is the Democratic city council member for the 18th district of the

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which covers

Soundview Soundview is a neighborhood on the Clason Point peninsula, on the southern section of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, White Plai ...

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, and Castle Hill in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

Early life

Farías was born in

to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents. She graduated from Preston High School in 2007, and went on to receive both her undergraduate and master's degree in political science from St. John's University in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Post-graduation, Farías worked briefly for Barack Obama's re-election campaign before joining the staff of Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

, where she remained until her own bid for the City Council.

Political career

2017 City Council campaign

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, Farías ran for the 18th district of the

, which was held by term-limited

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Annabel Palma Annabel Palma is an American politician and Commissioner and Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights. She previously served on the New York City Council from the 18th district from 2004 to 2017. She is a Democrat. The district in ...

. Farías was one of several candidates in the Democratic primary aiming to defeat

Rubén Díaz Sr. Rubén Díaz (born April 22, 1943) is a Puerto Rican politician from New York City and an ordained Pentecostal minister. He represented the 18th district of the New York City Council from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Día ...

, a longtime conservative and controversial

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

with the support of the Bronx Democratic Party apparatus. Despite Farías' endorsements from some sitting councilmembers and other groups aiming to prevent a Díaz victory, her campaign was seen as fighting an uphill battle against the well-connected and well-funded Díaz. On election night in September, Díaz emerged victorious with 42 percent of the vote; Farías received 21 percent, and three other candidates running to Díaz's left took the remainder.

Inter-Council years

Fresh off her loss for City Council, Farías successfully ran for Democratic state committee, defeating a 21-year incumbent in the process. She also worked for a series of activist and nonprofit organizations, including New American Leaders, Riders Alliance, Women of Color for Progress, and the Consortium for Worker Education.

2021 City Council campaign

Early in 2019, Farías announced that she would seek a rematch against Díaz, now an incumbent. However, Díaz surprised observers in July 2020 when, after an unsuccessful bid for Congress, he announced he would not seek re-election to a second term on the City Council. Now running for an open seat, Farías was able to consolidate support to a far greater extent than in 2017. The Bronx Democratic Party, which had supported Díaz four years earlier, endorsed Farías, as did Congressman

Ritchie Torres Ritchie John Torres (born March 12, 1988) is an American politician from New York. A member of the Democratic Party, Torres is the U.S. representative for New York's 15th congressional district. The district covers most of the South Bronx. It is ...

and most other local elected officials. Her main opponent in the primary was Bronx Community Board 9 district manager William Rivera, who had the support of Bronx Borough President

Rubén Díaz Jr. Rubén Díaz Jr. (born April 26, 1973) is an American politician who served as the 13th borough president of The Bronx in New York City from 2009 to 2021. He was elected in April 2009 and reelected in 2013 and 2017. He previously served in the ...

(the incumbent's son) and who came under fire for seemingly diverting thousands of the board's dollars to his own nonprofit. Farías topped the eight-candidate field on election night with 27 percent of the vote; after absentee ballots and ranked-choice votes were counted, she defeated Rivera 52-48%, and formally declared victory on July 7. She later won the general election by a wide margin and took office on January 1, 2022.

Personal life

Farías lives in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farías, Amanda Living people 1989 births Politicians from the Bronx St. John's University (New York City) alumni New York (state) Democrats American politicians of Dominican Republic descent American politicians of Puerto Rican descent Puerto Rican people in New York (state) politics Hispanic and Latino American women in politics 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians Women New York City Council members New York City Council members