Irene Estrada

Last updated

Irene Estrada
Irene Estrada.jpg
Estrada in 2013
Born1959 (age 66)
Known forPolitical candidate
Political party Conservative
Other political
affiliations		 Democratic

Irene Estrada (born 1959) is a New York City politician. Although she has never been elected, she has run for a number of offices, including for State Assembly and City Council multiple times. Formerly a Democratic Party member, she is standing in the 2025 New York City mayoral election as a member of the Conservative Party of New York State. Estrada has lived in the Bronx since 1982, and currently serves as a spiritual advisor to the New York City Police Department Policewomen’s Endowment Association.

Biography

From Midland, Texas, Estrada moved with her two daughters to New York City's Bronx borough in 1982. [1] She is Mexican American. [1] Estrada stood for the 2013 New York City Public Advocate election on the War Veterans ballot line. [2] At the time, she sat on Bronx Community Board 11 and was a civilian advisor for the New York City Police (NYPD) Explorers. [2] She had previously stood for the State Assembly twice (including a run for the 80th district in 2012 [1] ) and City Council once, and remained a member of the Democratic Party. [2] She polled 0.5 percent of the citywide vote, losing in a landslide to Democratic candidate Letitia James. [2] Estrada stood for City Council again in 2023, in the 13th district Democratic primary against incumbent Marjorie Velázquez. [3]

In 2025, she stood in the New York City mayoral election as the candidate for the Conservative Party. [4] New York City's unique system of electoral fusion often sees the Conservative Party cross-endorse Republican Party candidates, as they did at the 2013 and 2017 mayoral elections. [4] However, the Republican candidate in both 2021 and 2025, Curtis Sliwa, described himself as differing with the party on a number of views, including on abortion, LGBTQ rights, and gun control. [4] Paul Briscoe, a Brooklyn resident, had been the Conservative Party's initial selection for mayor, but he rejected the nomination, giving the Conservative Party 72 hours to find a replacement. [5] In Estrada's words, "Pat McManus, the chairman [of the Bronx County Conservative Party], called me and said, Irene, if you want this slot, it's yours. So I said, I'll pray on it. And the Lord said, Take it." [5]

As part of her 2025 mayoral campaign, Estrada has focused on issues of public safety, promising to "preserve" the NYPD and restore respect for law enforcement, stating that Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani would "dismantle" such respect. [5] Estrada has opposed Just Housing, a planned affordable housing project for former prisoners in the Morris Park neighbourhood of the Bronx. [4] [5] She has sat on the clergy council of the NYPD's 49th precinct, and currently serves as a spiritual adviser to the Policewomen’s Endowment Association. [4] [5] The most recent campaign filings as of October 18, 2025 show Estrada as having raised only $811. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "80th Assembly District Underdogs: Irene Estrada-Rukaj". Norwood News. September 10, 2012. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Freelon, Kiratiana (November 7, 2013). "Losing an Election 195 to 1, But Ready to Run Again". City Limits. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  3. ↑ Moloney, Síle (April 8, 2023). "Elections 2023: Irene Estrada Lays Out her Case for her City Council Run in District 13". Norwood News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Cuza, Bobby (September 23, 2025). "Conservative Party candidate for mayor says she's in it to win it". NY1 . Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blendonohy, Grace (October 18, 2025). "Irene Estrada's $811 bid for New York City Mayor". The Bronx Bulletin. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.