QUEENS, NY — On Wednesday, Aug. 10, the Long Island Loud Majority — a New York-based organization created to bring the “silent majority together” in hopes of raising awareness on political issues — hosted several candidates running for New York’s primary race, slated for Aug. 23.
The event, hosted by popular radio personalities Shawn Farash and Kevin Smith at the Whitestone Republican Club, saw candidates from different districts come together to offer more insight into their campaigns, what they stand for, and address questions from a live audience.
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One candidate who made her presence known was Tina Forte — a Republican running for New York’s 14th Congressional District. Others in attendance included fellow Republican runners George Santos, Joe Pinion, Stefano Forte, and Congresswomen Vickie Paladino and Nan Hayworth.
Champion of the people
A vocal activist and lifelong New Yorker who says she learned the “value of hard work and perseverance in order to achieve the American Dream,” Forte spoke candidly about her strong connection to the community she hopes to represent, and underscored the importance of “taking back control and listening to what the people really want.”
Growing up in the Throggs Neck area of the Bronx, Forte says she learned from an early age how to be a dedicated and hard-working individual from her parents. Forte’s father is a Marine Corps veteran, while her mother is an entrepreneur who continues running a successful business in Westchester.
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Forte said she would hold “hypocritical politicians accountable” by continuing to be a vocal activist for working-class families, and working alongside real New Yorkers to resolve issues such as unemployment, how to help families better plan for inflation, addressing rising crime rates and taxes, and coming up with solutions for the 14th’s district subpar school system.
According to Forte, she has also been an “activist for veterans, fighting against draconian lockdown mandates, demanded schools remain open for students, and always supported local law enforcement.” She added that as a “small business owner, wife, mother and grandmother, she truly understands the issues” plaguing the constituents she hopes to represent.
Forte to AOC: ‘I’m coming for you’
Hoping to unseat incumbent Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for control of the 14th District, Forte said she hopes to root out “radical socialist politicians that are degrading America and the dream it represents,” adding that like “millions of other New Yorkers, I have had enough of our law enforcement being defunded and vilified.”
If elected, Forte says she hopes to be “on the front lines, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with struggling small businesses and restaurant owners to find ways for everyone to win.” Forte added that she’s tired of seeing “surging crime rates and radical politicians destroying business and driving away jobs by enjoying their own large government salaries and ignoring what the people really need.”
Forte said that her previous involvement in politics has included “joining parents in pushing for schools to reopen, backing our law enforcement personnel, and becoming a vocal opponent to the ‘defund the police’ movement.” Forte added that she has been a part of “lawsuits against [Governor] Cuomo and Mayor Bill DeBlasio,” for their efforts in rolling back the “unconstitutional executive orders that have destroyed business, and the lives of our children for almost two years during the pandemic.”
If elected, Forte would oversee the eastern part of the Bronx, including: City Island, Country Club, Van Nest, Morris Park, Parkchester, Pelham Bay, Throggs Neck, and Schuylerville. The district also covers parts of north-central Queens, which include: Elmhurst, Astoria, College Point, Astoria, Jackson Heights and Woodside.
Vision Times reporter Ryan Wu contributed to this report.
