Clementine Vasquez

Clementine Vasquez was born in Corpus Christi, Texas.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, raised in Friendswood, Texas, and moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 2019. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York, I worked with friends and colleagues to raise money for mutual aid groups assisting those hit hardest by the pandemic. I also worked on a newsletter that provided information for local organizations helping with groceries, rent relief, and financial assistance for small businesses in communities hit hardest by COVID-19. In the summer of 2020, I took to the streets with my community day after day to demand justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and call for an end to police violence. During those protests, I learned about and joined Ride To D.C, the largest bike ride protest in U.S history, and assisted on their communications team. Despite a pandemic taking the lives of more than half a million people in this country, and millions of people taking to the streets to demand an end to state violence, our elected officials decided to deliver lip service instead of solutions. That is why I am challenging Representative Hakeem Jeffries for New York’s 8th Congressional district because the people of this district and this country deserve representatives who are responsive to their constituents and not their own self-interest.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Medicare For AllDemocratize The WorkplaceThe Green New Deal

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare

Labor

Housing

Environment

Education

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My mother who raised me alone for the first few years of my life while she was in her early 20’s. She worked multiple jobs to give me the best life possible while also enduring a system that works against single mothers. Her determination and perseverance is an example I try to follow.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Delivering on the promises made to your district, not selling them out to advance your own career.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave behind a movement that works tirelessly to remove the gatekeepers of systematic oppression until we can finally bring about an era where unalienable rights are more than words written a few hundred years ago. I want to help lead a movement that will revive the economic bill of rights so that no one working 40 hours a week will be living in poverty, every person has a right to affordable housing, every person is guaranteed high-quality healthcare, every person is guaranteed a secure retirement, and every person has a right to free higher education.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Former President Barrack Obama’s first inauguration. I watched it live during my 6th grade Social Studies class.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at Mcdonald's, where I made $7.75 an hour. I left after 3 months.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Spider-Man so that I could have the endurance and strength to win the Tour de France.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

A World Alone - Lorde

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

What makes the U.S House of Representatives a unique institution is the 26% approval rating of its members.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. Holding strong, principled stances are far more important than experience in institutions designed to keep you far removed from the realities that many people in this country are living.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Climate change. We are currently seeing the Amazon rainforest on fire, devastating floods becoming more frequent, record heat waves across the country, increased hurricane power, and rising sea levels. This is a catastrophe that is already here and will wipe humanity if we do not act now, but for some reason, we have politicians such as representative Jeffries who have no signed on to The Green New Deal. We need to elect people into office who believe in science if we want to have a chance at curbing climate change so future generations inherit a habitable planet.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Yes, but term limits need to be implemented.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Bernie Sanders.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

No.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

My priorities would be not allowing any more funding to right wing regimes.

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