Salsa Celebrity Willie Colón Endorses Rob Astorino

astorino-colonWillie Colón with Rob Astorino. (Photo: Astorino Campaign)

By Ross Barkan | 09/26/14 9:31am New York Observer

Rob Astorino is ready to dance the salsa.

The Republican gubernatorial candidate, still far behind Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the polls, picked up the endorsement of salsa musician and activist Willie Colón this morning. Mr. Colón, who endorsed moderate Democrat Bill Thompson in last year’s mayoral race, said the “Latino vote is a joke” and urged his fellow countrymen to stop automatically backing Democrats.

“We vote and work to get our Democratic candidate elected and after they win. They forget their promises. There is little or no access. Trying to meet with them is like having an audience with the Pope. Probably easier with his holiness,” Mr. Colón, who is a Democrat, said in a statement.

“Why? Because the Latino vote is a joke. Democrats know we don’t even think about swinging to the other candidate. That’s out of the question because it’s evil; because you’re a traitor if you vote for the Republican,” he continued. “So, no matter how bad the Democrat is, even if he’s going to jail; we still have to vote for them.”

Mr. Colón said he personally likes Mr. Astorino, the Westchester County executive and a fluent Spanish speaker, and praised him for not hailing from a “royal family or political dynasty,” a reference Mr. Cuomo’s father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo.

“Rob Astorino doesn’t come from a royal family or political dynasty. He doesn’t think his family was born to rule,” Mr. Colon said. “I met him last year and he came across as a sane, humble, confident man. He didn’t just realize a couple of months ago that he needed to speak Spanish to get votes!”

Mr. Colón, like Mr. Astorino, is not often enamored with the political left. He fought on Twitter with the late Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, a socialist reviled by the American government but loved by many leftists.

Mr. Colón is one Mr. Astorino’s few prominent endorsers. Mr. Cuomo, who has raised more than $30 million and flooded the airwaves with advertisements, is running with the backing of most major labor unions and elected officials like Mayor Bill de Blasio.

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