At a public hearing at Lehman College last week, State Senator Efrain Gonzalez walked in late and took a seat up front among a panel of other elected officials facing the rest of the audience. Sitting not five feet away from him in that audience was Pedro Espada, Jr., who recently ended months of speculation by announcing (by way of a flier) he was indeed running against Gonzalez as Democrat in the Bronx’s 33rd District.

With Richard Soto also declaring as a Democratic candidate in the 33rd, the race to unseat Gonzalez, who is facing trial in October on federal corruption and fraud charges (Gonzalez pleaded not guilty), could be one of the most hotly contested races in the Bronx this fall.

Last fall, Espada moved to the Bedford Park area, sparking all kinds of rumors about which office (Joel Rivera’s City Council seat? Borough president?) in the area he would run for. And with Gonzalez’s uncertain legal status, many predicted Espada would go after the incumbent’s Senate seat.

A month ago, Espada told the New York Times, “There is a huge vacuum of leadership in this area and there is no time to lose. And I’m positioned to offer them the leadership that this area deserves.” He added, “These people [in the area] kept telling me that there should be an alternative to the present incumbent, Senator Gonzalez.”

Both were at the hearing to echo residents’ concerns about a city plan to use explosives for a construction project at a nearby reservoir (see page 5). They were also there to raise their public profiles as the Sept. 9 Democratic primary draws near.

“I said ‘Hi’ to him,” Gonzalez said about his encounter with Espada. “It was cordial.”

Gonzalez said he wasn’t too worried about Espada, who has previously been a state senator and a city councilman and also ran for borough president in 2001, narrowly losing the primary to Adolfo Carrion. In 2002, Espada drew the ire of fellow Bronx Democrats by saying he might switch to the other side of the aisle and become a Republican. He never did switch, but Bronx Democrats still remember.

Espada can also identify with Gonzalez’s legal woes. In 2002, he was acquitted of charges that he used money from the South Bronx health center he runs to pay back debt from a previous campaign. Despite his legal troubles at that time, Espada won his race for state Senate against incumbent David Rosado. He was defeated in a subsequent election by Ruben Diaz, Sr.

Despite not holding office, Espada has raised $45,300 since the beginning of 2007, according to the State Board of Elections. That’s nearly $14,000 more than Gonzalez, who has raised $31,583.99. Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith has chosen sides already, contributing $5,000 to Gonzalez’s campaign earlier this year. The Riverdale-based Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club even endorsed Gonzalez a couple of months ago.

Soto, who operates a real estate company and was once chief of staff for former Bronx councilman Israel Ruiz, has previously run (and lost) for City Council in the 14th District. For this Senate race, he has raised $42,670 since the beginning of 2007, according to state records.