Irene Estrada
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Irene Estrada | |
|---|---|
 Estrada in 2013 | |
| Born | 1959 (age 66) |
| Occupation(s) | Activist, political candidate |
| Political party | Conservative (2025–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
Irene Estrada (formerly Irene Estrada-Rukaj) (born 1959) is an American perennial candidate from New York City.
Although she has never been elected, Estrada has run for a number of offices, including for State Assembly and City Council multiple times as a member of the Democratic Party. Estrada ran in the 2025 New York City mayoral election as the candidate of the Conservative Party of New York State. Estrada has lived in the Bronx since 1982, and currently serves as a spiritual advisor to the New York City Police Department Policewomen's Endowment Association.
Biography
[edit]From Midland, Texas, Estrada moved with her two daughters to New York City's Bronx borough in 1982.[1] She is Mexican American.[1] Estrada ran in the 2013 New York City Public Advocate election on the War Veterans ballot line.[2] At the time, she sat on Bronx Community Board 11 and was a civilian advisor for the New York City Police (NYPD) Explorers.[2] She previously ran for the State Assembly twice (including a run for the 80th district in 2012[1]) and City Council once, and remained a member of the Democratic Party.[2] She polled 0.5 percent of the citywide vote, losing in a landslide to Democratic candidate Letitia James.[2] Estrada ran for City Council again in 2023, in the 13th district Democratic primary against incumbent Marjorie Velázquez.[3]
2025 New York City mayoral election
[edit]In 2025, she ran in the New York City mayoral election as the candidate for the Conservative Party.[4] New York City's unique system of electoral fusion often sees the Conservative Party cross-endorse Republican Party candidates, as they did at the 2013 and 2017 mayoral elections.[4] However, the Republican candidate in both 2021 and 2025, Curtis Sliwa, described himself as differing with the party on a number of views, including on abortion, LGBTQ rights, and gun control.[4] Paul Briscoe, a Brooklyn resident, had been the Conservative Party's initial selection for mayor, but he rejected the nomination, giving the Conservative Party 72 hours to find a replacement.[5] In Estrada's words, "Pat McManus, the chairman [of the Bronx County Conservative Party], called me and said, Irene, if you want this slot, it's yours. So I said, I'll pray on it. And the Lord said, Take it."[5] Estrada was given Wilson Pakula authorization to run for the Conservative Party, as she remained a registered Democrat.[6]
As part of her 2025 mayoral campaign, Estrada focused on issues of public safety, promising to "preserve" the NYPD and restore respect for law enforcement, stating that Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani would "dismantle" such respect.[5] Estrada opposed Just Housing, a planned affordable housing project for former prisoners in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx.[4][5] Estrada stated she would remove New York City's status as a sanctuary city for four years if elected.[7] She has sat on the clergy council of the NYPD's 49th precinct, and currently serves as a spiritual adviser to the Policewomen’s Endowment Association.[4][5] Estrada is a nondenominational Christian minister.[7] Raising $811 in her campaign,[5] Estrada ultimately polled 0.13 percent of the vote for mayor, according to unofficial election night results.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Estrada divorced her husband in 2003.[1] She has several children and grandchildren, 4 of whom are police officers.[5]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Zohran Mamdani | 878,956 | 42.75% | −22.44% | |
| Working Families | Zohran Mamdani | 157,095 | 7.64% | N/A | |
| Total | Zohran Mamdani | 1,036,051 | 50.39% | N/A | |
| Fight and Deliver | Andrew Cuomo | 854,995 | 41.59% | N/A | |
| Republican | Curtis Sliwa | 136,347 | 6.63% | −20.27% | |
| Protect Animals | Curtis Sliwa | 9,790 | 0.48% | N/A | |
| Total | Curtis Sliwa | 146,137 | 7.11% | −19.79% | |
| Safe&Affordable/EndAntiSemitism | Eric Adams (incumbent) (withdrawn) | 6,382 | 0.31% | N/A | |
| Conservative | Irene Estrada | 2,643 | 0.13% | −0.99% | |
| Integrity | Jim Walden (withdrawn) | 2,170 | 0.11% | N/A | |
| Quality of Life | Joseph Hernandez | 1,253 | 0.06% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 6,290 | 0.31% | −0.31% | ||
| Total votes | 2,055,921 | 100% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marjorie Velázquez (incumbent) | 2,780 | 65.4 | |
| Democratic | Bernadette Ferrara | 820 | 19.3 | |
| Democratic | Irene Estrada | 313 | 7.4 | |
| Democratic | John Perez | 238 | 5.6 | |
| Write-in | 102 | 2.4 | ||
| Total votes | 4,253 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Letitia James | 761,058 | 77.87% | |
| Working Families | Letitia James | 53,821 | 5.51% | |
| Total | Letitia James | 814,879 | 83.37% | |
| Conservative | Robert Maresca | 119,768 | 12.25% | |
| Green | James Lane | 16,974 | 1.74% | |
| Libertarian | Alex Merced | 10,419 | 1.07% | |
| Socialist Workers | Deborah O. Liatos | 5,114 | 0.52% | |
| War Veterans | Irene Estrada | 4,216 | 0.43% | |
| Students First | Mollina G. Fabricant | 2,391 | 0.24% | |
| Freedom Party of New York | Michael K. Lloyd | 1,799 | 0.18% | |
| Total votes | 975,560 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Gjonaj | 2,559 | 50.9 | |
| Democratic | Naomi Rivera (incumbent) | 2,033 | 40.5 | |
| Democratic | Adam Bermudez | 265 | 5.3 | |
| Democratic | Irene Rukaj | 157 | 3.1 | |
| Write-in | 11 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 5,025 | 100.0 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "80th Assembly District Underdogs: Irene Estrada-Rukaj". Norwood News. September 10, 2012. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Freelon, Kiratiana (November 7, 2013). "Losing an Election 195 to 1, But Ready to Run Again". City Limits. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ^ Moloney, Síle (April 8, 2023). "Elections 2023: Irene Estrada Lays Out her Case for her City Council Run in District 13". Norwood News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Cuza, Bobby (September 23, 2025). "Conservative Party candidate for mayor says she's in it to win it". NY1. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Blendonohy, Grace (October 18, 2025). "Irene Estrada's $811 bid for New York City Mayor". The Bronx Bulletin. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ^ Reisman, Nick; Ngo, Emily (July 18, 2025). "The GOP shadow primary". Politico. Archived from the original on November 3, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ^ a b Baker, Camille (October 31, 2025). "Meet the 2 Mayoral Candidates You Haven't Heard of". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ^ "General - November 4, 2025 - Unofficial Election Night Results". Board of Elections in the City of New York. November 4, 2025. Archived from the original on November 7, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
- ^ "THE CONTEST LIST General Election 2025 – 11/04/2025" (PDF). NYC Board of Elections. September 11, 2025. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "Unofficial Election Night Results". vote.nyc. New York City Board of Elections. November 5, 2025. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
- ^ "Member of the City Council 13th Council District - Democratic". Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- ^ "Statement and Return Report for Certification" (PDF). Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ^ "Primary Election 2012 - Democratic Member of the Assembly - 80th Assembly District" (PDF). New York City Board of Elections. Retrieved October 30, 2025.