Victor M. Pichardo (born August 27, 1984) is a former
Democratic member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
representing 86th New York State Assembly District, which includes the university and Morris Heights, Mount Eden, Kingsbridge, Tremont, and Fordham sections of 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 and career
He attended the
State University of New York at Buffalo
The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...
where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications.
Pichardo went on to work for U.S. Senator
Chuck Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...
as a staff assistant and was eventually promoted to Community Outreach Coordinator. During his time with Senator Schumer, Pichardo worked on such important issues such as Comprehensive
Immigration Reform
Immigration reform is change to the current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, ''reform'' means "to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses". In the political sense, "immigration ...
, the
DREAM Act
The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, known as the DREAM Act, is a United States legislative proposal to grant temporary conditional residency, with the right to work, to illegal immigrants who entered the United States ...
and the
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...
.
After serving for 4 years in Senator Schumer's office, Pichardo became an associate director of Public Relations at
Mercy College. In 2012, Pichardo left Mercy to join New York State Senator
Gustavo Rivera's staff as Director of Community Affairs.
Political career
Pichardo was elected to the New York State Assembly in a November 2013 special election.
In the special election, Pichardo was endorsed by U.S. Senator
Chuck Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...
, State Senator
Gustavo Rivera, and then-Bronx Democratic Party Chairman
Carl Heastie
Carl Edward Heastie (; born September 25, 1967) is an American politician from New York (state), New York. Heastie has served in the New York State Assembly since January 2001, and was elected Speaker of the New York State Assembly on February 3 ...
.
In 2014, Pichardo was re-elected to a full term in the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
with 95 percent of the vote. He defeated challengers Rene Santos and Jose Marte.
In 2016, Pichardo was re-elected to a full term in the New York State Assembly with the highest percentage of the vote.
In August 2021, Victor Pichardo announced that he will quit being a member of the New York State Assembly after serving 8 years (4 terms) representing his assembly district in the Bronx before the redistricting process begins. He cited a need to spend more time with his wife and two children.
References
External links
New York Assembly Member WebsiteVictor Pichardo for Assembly Campaign WebsiteHon. Victor Pichardo on FacebookVictor Pichardo on Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pichardo, Victor M
American politicians of Dominican Republic descent
Living people
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New York (state)
University at Buffalo alumni
1984 births
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
Politicians from the Bronx
Working Families Party politicians
21st-century American politicians