Earlier today, Jessica Ramos announced she was running for mayor of New York City by posting an upbeat video to social media in which the state senator sketches out her bio, outlines her accomplishments, and promises to do right by the voters. It is, in many ways, a standard way to start any political campaign — and has no business being the subject of a post in Hudson River Blue. But we consider ourselves to be one of the voices of the New York soccer community, and her video is very, very soccer.
It opens with a smiling 39-year-old Ramos speaking to the camera from the edge of the turf field at Hunters Point South Park in Queens, with the skyline of Midtown Manhattan in the background. You can see people walking behind her in some scenes, and kids kicking soccer balls in others.
For the past 6 years as a State Senator, I’ve been in the trenches fighting for our city.
— Jessica Ramos (@jessicaramosqns) September 13, 2024
Together, we’ve taken on the toughest battles and won. Now, we’re taking that fight to City Hall.
In our city, there’s a place for everyone.
Join me: https://t.co/M6HwDHzuJ0 #VamosRamos pic.twitter.com/6b1aKmXIUp
Then you see the senator with her two sons, first walking by the elevated tracks of a subway, then in front of a wall of plants and flowers. Both of her children are in sky-blue soccer kits: One is wearing New York City FC's "Bronx Blue" shirt from 2021, the other in the Manchester City shirt from 2021/2022. [Correction: The Jessica Ramos campaign confirmed that the Manchester City shirt is from 2022/2023.] "I'm Jessica Ramos, born, raised, and raising in Queens," she says. "I'm a mother, I'm a renter, I'm a straphanger, and I'm ready to be the next mayor of New York City."
That's right, a political heavyweight whose candidacy is important enough to make the front page of the New York Times is using the optics of soccer in general, and New York City FC in particular, to make the point that she is the right choice to become the most important mayor in the country — and arguably the world.
This just might be one of the biggest inflection points in the history of United States soccer. Forget Emma Hayes and Mauricio Pochettino coaching the national women's and men's teams, or Lionel Messi's move to Miami, or any of the other international stars who decided to bring their trade here. Their arrivals speak to America's stature on the global stage. This is a video aimed directly at New Yorkers, and right now there's nothing as relatable as spending time on the sidelines of a turf field (and dumping the black "crumb rubber" out of your shoes after), or your kids going to school wearing the sky-blue of NYCFC.
Remember, there is nothing accidental in a video like this one. Every line, every edit, every news clip of the senator standing with labor unions was carefully considered. If her son is in a New York City shirt it's not because it was the only clean shirt he had in his dresser, it was because her campaign feels it sends the right message to the voters.
This isn't the first time that we covered Ramos in these pages. Back in May, we reported on how the progressive senator single-handedly torpedoed Steve Cohen's proposal to build an $8 billion casino at Citi Field. While many politicians lined up in support of Cohen's plan, Ramos made what was considered to be a principled stand against the billionaire. At the time, she said that her constituents were "hoping to build generational wealth. And I just don’t see how a casino helps us meet that goal. I mean, it’s literally the opposite. It’s the extraction of the very little wealth we have.”
The campaign video released earlier today also includes some not-so-subtle digs at current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is the subject of multiple criminal investigations, and whose personal friend and political ally Edward Caban yesterday resigned his position as the police commissioner after federal agents seized his cell phone.
Adams has proven to be a good friend to New York City FC: There's no question that the club's stadium is moving ahead because of his support. Not only was the mayor vital to securing formal approval by the city council, but his backroom dealings protected NYCFC's interests when Cohen sought to derail the project last year.
This could set up a battle between two candidates who will try to out-NYCFC each other. In Adams, you have the mayor who delivered a stadium and who has made multiple official appearances at New York City games. In Ramos, you have the senator who kept the casino out of Willets Point, and whose children probably follow the team on FotMob — they probably are also in awe of the striker known as El Clínico.
Either way, those in the New York City FC C-suite are probably cautiously optimistic about their place in the political future of this city. It looks as if they'll have a friend in City Hall if either Adams or Ramos wins the election next year.