Adriano Espaillat, U.S. Congressman representing New York’s 13th district since 2017, marked the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and offered condolences to baseball player David Ortiz in a series of recent posts on his social media account.
On August 6, 2025, Espaillat commemorated the historic civil rights legislation by posting: “Generations of Americans fought tirelessly for the sacred right to vote. Today, we celebrate 60 years since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and commit to never stop fighting so that every American’s voice is heard.” He followed up with a similar message in Spanish early the next day: “Generaciones de estadounidenses lucharon incansablemente por el sagrado derecho al voto. Hoy celebramos 60 años de la aprobación de la Ley de Derecho al Voto de 1965 y nos comprometemos a no dejar de luchar para que se escuche la voz de todos los estadounidenses.”
Later on August 7, Espaillat extended sympathy to former Major League Baseball player David Ortiz following the death of Ortiz’s father: “Deseo expresar mi más sinceras condolencias a @davidortiz, «Big Papi», y a toda su familia por el fallecimiento de su padre, el señor Américo Ortiz, cariñosamente conocido como Leo. Sabemos cuánto significaba para David la figura de su padre, a quien recientemente homenajeó con”.
Espaillat has represented New York’s 13th District in Congress since replacing Charles Rangel in 2017 and previously served in both the New York State Assembly and Senate. Born in Santiago, Dominican Republic in 1954, he moved to Manhattan where he currently resides. He earned his BA from Queens College, City University of New York in 1978.
