'I Am The Opposite Of AOC': Ruben Diaz Sr To Run For Congress

THE BRONX, NY — The city councilman who recently drew fire for his inflammatory remarks about gay people says he will run for Congress to give conservatives and moderates a voice in Washington.

Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. said he will run to replace U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano, who is not seeking re-election in 2020. The Bronx Democrat — who drew widespread criticism for saying the "homosexual community" controls most Council members — filed a form Wednesday establishing a federal campaign committee. He said he will formally announce his candidacy on Saturday.

"I am the opposite of AOC in the South Bronx," Diaz said in a Friday phone interview, referring to the progressive U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of The Bronx and Queens.

"People are tired. They don’t have a voice. I want to be that voice," he added.

Diaz is likely to be among a crowded field of Democrats vying to replace Serrano, who said last month that he would not seek another term after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Diaz is in his second year as a councilman following 15 years in the state Senate. He played a role in passing the city's landmark regulations for ride-hailing apps as chair of the Council's For-Hire Vehicles Committee.

But lawmakers dissolved the committee after Diaz, a Christian minister, refused to apologize for his comments about LGBT people. The remarks appalled many of Diaz's colleagues, including Speaker Corey Johnson, who is himself gay.

Diaz indicated that some New Yorkers are exhausted with the increasingly liberal policies that the city's politicians have embraced. He referred to an increased tolerance of abortion, marijuana and people "urinating in the street, people jumping the turnstile."

Diaz also touted his experience in public service, saying that he has created jobs and housing for New Yorkers.

"I have a track record," Diaz said. "Why not? Why won’t people vote for me?"

Most of Diaz's South Bronx Council district lies within Serrano's congressional district. Diaz said he currently lives just outside the congressional district, but would have to move within the boundary if he won the race. House representatives are just required to reside in the state when they're elected, according to the state Board of Elections.

Diaz will likely face a heated Democratic primary for the seat next year. More than half a dozen other candidates are reportedly running or considering it — including City Councilman Ritchie Torres, who slammed Diaz's remarks in February as bigoted.

Torres, who is gay, created a federal campaign committee to run for Serrano's seat a few days before the congressman announced that he would leave the House, records show.

Asked about Diaz casting himself as the opposite of Ocasio-Cortez, a spokesman for her campaign, Corbin Trent, said, "I couldn’t agree more."

"I think we’ll find that the voters in that district are extremely excited to see another progressive champion take over the great work that Representative Serrano is already doing," Trent said.