In 2004, Jose Serrano scored a bit of a coup, toppling an incumbent, longtime member of the State Senate. His task was made a bit easier because that senator, Olga Mendez, switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party. Two years later, Serrano kept the seat.
Serrano, the son of U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano, previously served the City Council where he focused on cultural issues, including keeping libraries open, childcare and housing. He has continued those interests in the Senate and, in 2006, was appointed chair of the Senate Minority Task Force on the Arts and Cultural Affairs.
In his bid for a third term representing this district, which includes Roosevelt Island and East Harlem and extends into the Bronx, Serrano, who also appears on the Working Families Party line, faces Republican/Conservative Keesha Weiner. Little information about her was available.
At the end of the most recent filing period, Serrano had $26,779 in campaign funds. Weiner reported no contributions.