Jay Sanchez

Sanchez was born in Queens, New York. He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard College in 1989 and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1992.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born in St. Alban's Naval Hospital in 1967 and lived in the Boulevard Houses, where I attended elementary school at PS 273. In 1977 my parents moved us to Shirley, Long Island, and I attended Tangier Smith Elementary and graduated from William Floyd High School in 1985. I graduated from Harvard College in 1989, and I graduated from Harvard Law School in 1992.

From 1992 to 1996, I worked as an attorney in New York and Tokyo, and in 1996 I left the practice of law and moved to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. I worked for a US/Bolivian government joint venture. I also was a partner in a restaurant/nightclub and owned an organic cattle ranch/dairy farm. I returned to New York and the practice of law in 2005, and have a litigation and appellate practice representing primarily working-class people.

My parents live in the Rockaways, which is where I first landed upon my return to the U.S. From there, I moved to Jamaica, close to Sutphin Boulevard, and lived for some time in Kew Garden Hills. I now live in Howard Beach with my wife, Nancy, and our children, Jessica, Jayson, and Jaycob, as well as our two-year-old grandson, Christopher (my best buddy).

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?

When my grandson grows up, he and his classmates will likely learn in school something about our time that we, adults living and working in the 2020s, may presently not see so clearly. That we are living in the middle of a genuinely historic moment, a time which seems to be fraught with great danger, but which is filled with great promise as well. On both the right and the left, movements are pushing for fundamental changes to our fundamental law, that is, actual amendments to the Constitution. This country, for a host of reasons, requires a Constitutional Convention.We need Health Care Reform, perhaps along the lines of what exists in Portugal. I've used their system, and it was great! We need to start a mature and principled debate on Immigration Policy, Employment Policy, and a whole host of issues (nothing off the table) via a Constitutional Convention. America is exceptional (living outside of the country for almost a decade convinced me of this fact), and we can rise to the occasion of this opportunity.We need Tax Reform coupled with Education Reform. We must support our youth, whether they are students, in the workforce, or in the military. I have a son who is considered to be special needs, but I see he also has unique abilities. Their jobs will support us as we age, and they will defend our freedom if necessary, but they need our support now, or they will not even be able to support us. Whatever it is they tell us they truly need, whether it is loan forgiveness or free college for the students, job training and child-care for those in the workforce, or better pay and better medical for our military, we have to find a way to give it to them. When we had to bail out the banks, we found the money, and we can find it for this.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The increasing power of monopolies (or duopolies and oligopolies) is killing competition in this country. The immense market power of huge companies allows them to eliminate potential competitors and to squeeze their workers, customers, and suppliers (smaller companies). It enables them to pay for the influence in government that allows them to, again, increase their market power so that they can even more easily eliminate potential competitors and squeeze their workers, customers, and suppliers. It is a vicious cycle that, if not stopped, will turn us all into something like the Serfs of medieval times. This vicious cycle is a threat to the vast majority of us, regardless of political or group affiliation. This issue impacts the chicken and hog farmer down South in the same way that it affects the taxi medallion owner or the Uber driver here in New York, and in the same way that it impacts the consumer of chicken (or pork or beef, or anything else) here in Queens. It drives up health care costs and corrupts the debate over health care reform. It drives down wages. It makes it harder for an entrepreneur to start a successful business. It may be impossible to resolve any of the issues this country is debating without first addressing this issue. There are movements, on both the right and the left, in all parts of the country, pushing for reform, and New York's 5th Congressional District can play a crucial role in effecting change in this area.

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