Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, a legislator who represents the 10th Council District in Upper Manhattan, opened a committee to enter the 15th Congressional District race. The move pits him in direct competition with fellow Council members Ritchie Torres and Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr., arguably the top two contenders in the race.

It also puts him back in competition against former New York Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Assemblyman Michael Blake, both of whom are also running for the seat several months after respectively losing in the New York City Public Advocate’s race.

Rodriguez did nothing to draw attention to his candidacy, opening a campaign committee dubbed “Ydanis for Congress” with the Federal Election Commission on Sept. 20. His Twitter account, usually a platform for such announcements, was instead loaded with photos of a march he led that brought attention to climate change, which happened the same day as his candidacy. Rodriguez kicked off the march at Hostos Community College, a higher learning institution is centered within the 15th Congressional District. Like his council district, the 15th Congressional District is heavily Hispanic, with Puerto Ricans and Dominicans making up two-thirds of the South Bronx district.

We have arrived to the march! We must act now if we wish to save our planet! We have no Planet B! pic.twitter.com/8q4fx4ZPlO

— Ydanis Rodriguez (@ydanis) September 20, 2019

A progressive Democrat, Rodriguez was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States in 1983, working as a taxi driver before becoming a school teacher for 13 years. He unsuccessfully ran for the New York City Council in 2001 and 2003 before winning the Democratic primary for his district in 2009. He’s represented the neighborhoods of Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill (a neighborhood once part of Manhattan that’s now physically connected to the Bronx) since 2010. Some of the bills he helped pass include the Fair Fares Act, expanding Citi Bike, and allocating millions of dollars to the district’s infrastructure.

Early this year, at the time of the Public Advocate’s race, Rodriguez had abstained from a vote that ultimately saw the dissolution of the For-Hire Vehicle Committee as punishment towards its chair, Diaz Sr., for saying the gay community controls the New York City Council. The measure put Rodriguez in a tough spot since Diaz Sr. had endorsed Rodriguez for Public Advocate. All measures relating to the dissolved committee went to the Transportation Committee, which Rodriguez chairs. Rodriguez later said Diaz Sr. had done good work with the committee.

Rodriguez’s candidacy likely splits the Hispanic vote that candidates such as Jonathan Ortiz, Marlene Cintron, and Mark-Viverito would try to covet as the campaign moves along. Rodriguez’s progressive ties could further divide the progressive vote among the candidates, giving Diaz Sr., the only hardline social conservative Democrat, a competitive advantage over his opponents.

When he ran for New York City Public Advocate early this year, Rodriguez secured the second-most votes next to Blake (who ultimately won the Bronx) within the 15th Congressional District, even beating Jumaane Williams, who went on to become Public Advocate.