Most residents of the 33rd Senate District, which stretches from Norwood to Tremont in the northwest Bronx, have heard of their representative, Pedro Espada Jr. But very few could place Espada’s two opponents in the upcoming Democratic primary, Daniel Padernacht or Gustavo Rivera, according to interviews with more than two dozen randomly selected local residents.

Most of those interviews held a low opinion of both Espada, and politics in general. And several said they didn’t follow politics at all. Some said they didn’t have the time to keep up.

“I don’t even watch the news, too many problems of my own,” said Jose Perez, a parking attendant on 179th Street. “I didn’t know [there was an election coming up] until you told me.”

Others said there was a reason they didn’t pay attention. “It doesn’t make a difference,” said a man on Kingsbridge Road named Robert who declined to give his last name. “They’re all crooked and it’s been like that since I was a kid.” Robert said he had just read a story in the Daily News about how Espada is being sued by a Manhattan tailor for allegedly stealing $7,200 worth of suits.

There’s that name again. Espada.

“He got a lot of problems,” said Carlos Benitez while smoking a cigarette outside a pharmacy on Burnside Avenue, adding that he thought the problems stemmed from “fraud, money.”

Indeed, on top of being sued by a tailor, Espada is being investigated for defrauding the nonprofit network of health centers he founded. Espada has adamantly maintained his innocence in both cases.

“That the short guy?” asks Debra Villa, who says she saw him recently come into the Burnside Avenue deli where she works to talk about his campaign.

While finishing his breakfast at the McDonald’s on East 204th Street in Norwood, Arthur Buggelson said he can’t escape Espada. “That guy, he’s sending around tons of circulars,” he said. “He must be desperate. And everyone’s just leaving them on top of the counter [near the mail slots in the lobby of the building].” He added, “It would be a miracle if [Espada] gets re-elected.” Buggelson said he had heard of Gustavo Rivera from an article in the Norwood News.

At the corner of East Tremont and Prospect avenues, Tito Rivera said he wasn’t aware that there was a local election coming up.

He said he was registered to vote, but couldn’t remember if he was a Democrat or a Republican. When asked about Espada, Rivera nodded enthusiastically. “He’s a good man,” he said. “He does a lot of good things for the poor.” Rivera had never heard of Gustavo Rivera and was surprised to learn he was challenging Espada. “Why would he want to do that?” he asked.

Josephine Santos said she probably wouldn’t make up her mind about who to vote for until she arrived at the polls on Sept. 14. “I’ll decide when I get there,” she said.

–Additional reporting by James Fergusson and Jeanmarie Evelly