Díaz votes: 'This is a historic moment'
Judge Nelson Díaz voted Tuesday morning in Chestnut Hill. He was accompanied by his wife, sister, and parents.
Casting his ballot represents a historic milestone for the Latino political community in Philadelphia: Díaz is the first legitimate Latino candidate to make the Democratic ballot for mayor of Philadelphia.
Judge Nelson Díaz voted Tuesday morning in Chestnut Hill. He was accompanied by his wife, sister, and parents.
Casting his ballot represents a historic milestone for the Latino political community in Philadelphia: Díaz is the first legitimate Latino candidate to make the Democratic ballot for mayor of Philadelphia.
Diaz's wife & father at the polls: "Es un momento histórico en Filadelfia." #PHL2015 pic.twitter.com/54i8VXzv89
— AL DÍA News (@ALDIANews) May 19, 2015
"We struggled because they never took us seriously in the beginning," Díaz said. "But now people realize that we are serious candidates. And I believe that from now on, race, ethnicity, and background should not be an issue in any election. People should elect someone based on their capacity, their ability to produce, and their ability to work for the people."
Díaz led a competitive campaign, and was often cited for having the most qualified resume of all the candidates.
"Everybody said how qualified I was," he went on. "The question is, how can you get your message out to the people?
Nelson Diaz emerges from the voting booth (& is excited to see us). #PHL2015 #NextMayorPHL pic.twitter.com/3TaxychO9g
— AL DÍA News (@ALDIANews) May 19, 2015
"It was a lot of fun. I met a lot of wonderful people. I also saw a lot of need, a lot of poverty. And I'm committed to continue working hard to help that community. Education is the only equalizer, and I hope whoever wins this [race] takes that seriously," Diaz said.
While standing low in the one non-partisan poll conducted in this race, Díaz has repeatedly said "it's not over until it's over."
During an eleventh hour voter outreach session Monday night, Campaign spokesman Barry Caro noted that in their countless hours of outreach, not one registered voter had mentioned the straw polls.
"We've seen a groundswell of really unsolicited support both online and in person over the last few weeks," Caro said. "We had folks from eight different countries — Albania, Russia, Mexico — say they're voting for Díaz before they'd even met him. They had read his policies."
The campaign is also confident that they have some support from some of the city's progressive voter base and those who are undecided, Caro added.
As with the other candidates, Díaz will be visiting polling stations across the city for the remainder of election day.
His campaign team will then host an election night party at Isla Verde Cafe (2725 North American Street, at West Lehigh Avenue) starting at 8 p.m.
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