Fernando Cabrera (born April 18, 1964) is an American politician in

the Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New York ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he formerly represented the 14th district in the New York City Council, including the neighborhoods of Claremont Village, Fordham,

Kingsbridge Kingsbridge is a market town and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population at the ab ...

, Marble Hill, Morris Heights, Mount Eden, Mount Hope, and University Heights. Cabrera is a

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...

Democrat. He is an opponent of

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

and opposes

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...

Early life and education

Cabrera was born in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

to a Dominican father and Puerto Rican mother. He received a B.A. in Religion from

Southern California College Vanguard University of Southern California is a private Christian university in Costa Mesa, California. It was the first four-year college in Orange County. The university offers over 39 undergraduate degrees and emphases in 15 different depart ...

, a M.A. in Counseling from

Liberty University Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia ( Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Lib ...

, and a Doctorate in Education from

Argosy University Argosy University was a system of for-profit colleges owned by Dream Center Education Holdings (DCEH), LLC and Education Management Corporation. On February 27, 2019, the US Department of Education stated that they were cutting off federal fu ...

Career

In 2009, Cabrera challenged Maria Baez to a primary election for the Democratic nomination for 14th district in the Bronx. With the backing of The Bronx Democratic Committee and the endorsement of key unions, Cabrera was able to defeat the incumbent by just over 1% difference in three-way race that included

Yudelka Tapia Yudelka Tapia (born November 9, 1963) is an American politician who is currently representing the 86th district in the New York State Assembly since 2021. Early life and education Tapia was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Raised i ...

. Cabrera followed that by winning the general election against

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Yessenia A. Duran and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Lisa Marie Campbell. He won reelection in 2013. In 2014, Cabrera challenged Senator Gustavo Rivera in the Democratic primary, but lost 59% to 41%. During his primary bid against Rivera, Cabrera attracted ire for his opposition to abortion & gay marriage, as well as his apparent praise of an anti-gay Ugandan law. In a video posted on Youtube and later deleted, Cabrera, speaking from Uganda, said, "Gay marriage is not accepted in this country. Why? Because the Christians have assumed the place of decision-making for the nation." Cabrera challenged Rivera again in 2016, but lost by a larger margin, 63% to 37%. On September 12, 2017, Cabrera won 55% of the vote in the New York Democratic Primary election, to 35% for challenger Randy Abreu and 10% for Felix Perdomo. On January 11, 2018, Cabrera was elected Majority Whip and Chairman of the Committee on Governmental Operations. In 2019, Cabrera announced that he was going to challenge Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic Primary for

New York's 14th congressional district New York's 14th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City, represented by Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The district includes the eastern part of The Bronx ...

, while criticizing her embracing of democratic socialism. On March 1, 2020, Cabrera announced that he was ending his primary bid against Ocasio-Cortez and that he would instead be running for the position of Bronx Borough President in 2021. Cabrera lost this borough president race to

Vanessa Gibson Vanessa L. Gibson (born March 19, 1979) is an American politician who has served as the Borough President of The Bronx since 2022. She served as a member of the New York City Council, representing the 16th district from 2014 to 2021. A Democrat ...

, the then-chair of the council's Committee on Public Safety. She is the first woman to hold the position of Bronx borough president. In February 2022, after New York City mayor

Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and retired police captain serving as the 110th mayor of New York City since January 1, 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York ...

named Cabrera a senior advisor in the city's Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships, LGBT groups objected to the appointment, citing Cabrera's history of opposing same-sex marriage.

Personal life

Cabrera is the senior pastor of New Life Outreach International in the

area of the Bronx. He is a former program director for the Mental Health and Counseling program at Mercy College.

References

External links

NYC Council District 14
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabrera, Fernando 1964 births American politicians of Dominican Republic descent Puerto Rican people in New York (state) politics Argosy University alumni Living people New York City Council members Hispanic and Latino American New York City Council members New York (state) Democrats Politicians from the Bronx New York (state) Republicans Candidates in the 2021 United States elections 21st-century American politicians