A retired firefighter who responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is seeking the Republican nomination to run for Congress against Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez next year.
Mike Rendino, 46, is currently the chairman of the Bronx Republican Party and co-owner of Stan’s Sports Bar across from Yankee Stadium.
He was a firefighter assigned to FDNY Ladder Co. 44 in The Bronx during the Sept. 11 attacks and participated in the recovery efforts. He retired with a disability pension after suffering diminished lung capacity.
Rendino noted that this Sept. 11 marks the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks. That grim milestone — coupled with the devastation that the coronavirus pandemic has wrought on New York — weighed heavily in his decision to run.
“As a first responder and New York City firefighter, I experienced firsthand the death, destruction and despair caused by a terrorist attack on our homeland on 9/11. As a small business owner and New Yorker trying to provide for my family, I am experiencing the destruction and despair firsthand once again,” Rendino said.
“We can never forget the people who are no longer with us, then and now. We can never forget the way America came together in the wake of the attacks and we must come together as one nation again, now. We can never forget that small business is the backbone of New York City’s economy and we must put forth a comprehensive plan to support them now and revive our economy so that it works for all New Yorkers.
“As we come upon the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I am running for Congress to fight to ensure we never forget. “
The 14th congressional district includes portions of The Bronx and Queens. But it’s unclear if the district will be altered or chopped up after reapportionment.
Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, rocked the political world when she upset veteran Congressman Joe Crowley — who was also the Queens County Democratic leader — in the 2018 Democratic primary.
AOC has become a leading voice of the Democratic left and easily beat back primary and general election challenges last year to win a second term.
But Rendino, a married father of three children, claimed that AOC’s big-government democratic-socialist ideology is part of the problem, not the solution.
Democratic Congresswoman from New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks during a press conference in the Corona neighbourhood of Queens AFP via Getty Images“I worry that we have forgotten all the lessons of the past and that is why I am running for Congress against our Socialist Congresswoman … We can never forget that Socialism is a failed ideology that has created more death, destruction and despair across the globe than 9/11 and COVID-19 put together,” said the St. John’s University graduate.
Ocasio-Cortez’s response? Bring it on!
“Republicans spent over $10 million last year to try to defeat Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and she won by over 44 points,” said AOC campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt.
“We are proud to have the support of our constituents and we will continue to earn it. In the Congresswoman’s first term alone, she mobilized a massive COVID relief operation for her district that delivered 80,000 meals, provided $7k per decedent in funeral relief and raised $1.25 million for local organizations.
The AOC campaign rep continued, “In DC, her legislative work helped to lower pharmaceutical drug prices, fought misinformation online, and increased funding for addiction treatment and for Puerto Rico — to name just a few of her accomplishments.”
