NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Luis A. Miranda, Jr. is a Democratic strategist and native of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico who came to New York in the 1970s — a time when the Latino population was not as large as it is today and largely dominated by Puerto Ricans, with several Dominicans already beginning to arrive in the city.
Miranda is the father of three children: Luz, Miguel and the best known of all, actor, singer, songwriter, rapper, playwright and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda. All of his children have different personalities, but they undoubtedly share the same values instilled by their father. And despite having a busy public schedule, the most important work of his life, as Miranda himself says, is being a father.
Miranda became a leader within the Latino community, and he believes Latinos “are enriching life in New York.” Which led him to create the Hispanic Federation, one of the nation's leading Latino nonprofit organizations dedicated to addressing the health and human service needs of the Hispanic community.
"None of us [Latinos] come to the United States calling ourselves Latino, Hispanic, Latinx. These are things that we have created to increase our power,” Miranda said, as he explained how the Hispanic Federation came about. “Because instead of being the four million Puerto Ricans, if we add the Mexicans, the different countries, well, we have more strength.”
"So the goal of the Federation was, on the one hand, how can we coexist together? People are looking at us the same way, so what is the common agenda that we have, and how do we push it?” he added. “And secondly, the creation of agencies to help the Latino community.”
Thanks to his leadership within the Latino community, Miranda has worked as an advisor to many political campaigns, from that of former New York City Mayor Edward Koch, who passed away in 2013, to that of current New York State Attorney General Letitia James, whom he admires and respects for her humanity.
He has been instrumental in securing the Latino vote for many of these figures. When he worked with James, he had the opportunity to be in constant communication with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the politician supported James’ campaign. As a political strategist, consequently, Miranda has a thorough grasp of the outgoing governor's political trajectory.
Asked to share his thoughts on Cuomo’s political decline, Miranda said: “When the discussion is about what you are doing personally, political leaders start to suffer.”
"The moment the public discussion was the allegations that 11 women made against him, the public decline began,” he explained. “Because we expect more from our leaders. That clearly spurred his public deterioration.”
Miranda also said it would be “difficult” for Cuomo “to recover as an elected official.”
“That does not mean that he cannot continue to serve the community, as others have done, and keep pushing an agenda New Yorkers believe in, but I believe that as an elected official, his career is over,” he said.
From his point of view as a Latino strategist and leader, Miranda believes Cuomo has lost the support of the Hispanic community.
"I think we are smart people, Latinos and New Yorkers, and we make the distinction between the public agenda and what someone has done for us as a community, and what the private agenda is, what happens at the private level,” he said. “And in many occasions, that implies that we are no longer willing to support them as elected officials, which is what I think has happened among all groups in the state of New York.”
Considering that the election for governor of New York state is scheduled for November 2022, several names are being mentioned, including that of current Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will assume the governorship at the end of this month after Cuomo resigns. Hochul has already said she intends to run.
News outlets have also named James as someone who might run. If she does, she is "certainly a special person to be the leader of this state,” Miranda said.