When Frangell Basora heard Congressman Jose Serrano would not seek re-election, the news struck a nerve for him. After all, Serrano’s not only been Basora’s Congressman his entire life, he was also his boss.

Now Basora, 27, is among the least known candidates launching a run to succeed Serrano as the next representative for the 15th Congressional District in a field that includes established lawmakers, community activists, and city employees. But Basora is familiar to the world of politics, getting closer than most candidates by experiencing Congress firsthand.

It happened five years ago when he received a competitive internship through the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), giving him his first taste of Congress that included attending hearings and briefings. Basora was assigned to Serrano’s office.

Despite his exposure to Congress, Basora ranks as a kind of underdog candidate promulgated by the crowded field of candidates. Still, it hasn’t stopped Basora from running, underscoring the struggles of the 15th Congressional District — subpar housing, poor health outcomes, a wealth gap — which he noted are those he’s personally familiar with. And solving those problems prompted him to run, sensing an electorate that’s continually let down by all levels of government.

“I’m tired of our people being forgotten about,” Basora told the Norwood News. “A lot of what we’re trying to achieve is making it so that New York 15 takes the lead over ourselves and over the rest of our beautiful country.”

The placement seemed to come full circle for Basora, who was born in the district to parents from the Dominican Republic. He was raised in Mt. Hope by his single mother, where the two currently live. He grew up working poor, living under Section 8 housing. After graduating from Cardinal Hayes High School, Basora was later accepted to Columbia University, majoring in Political Science. Since his high-profile internship, Basora worked in city government, interning at the New York City Campaign Finance Board and later working full-time at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

Politically, Basora’s campaign apparatus is almost non-existent since it did not report any contributions in the July filing. The next filing is due out on Oct. 15.

Basora’s Democratic platform includes lifting the district out of poverty by addressing it holistically, though not at the expense of displacement, a nascent theme taking shape in the race.

“If we’re going to address the poverty crisis that’s existed in our neighborhoods for a very, very long time, it needs to be addressed at the same time. You can’t have our people progressing through education, we can’t have our people progressing through real job opportunity without addressing healthcare, without addressing housing, without making sure that we all have a viable chance at surviving.”