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While he wasn’t successful in his bid to become the first Hispanic mayor of New York City, if he had it to do again Fernando Mateo said he would.
The successful New York businessman says he isn’t a politician and doesn’t like politics but entered the race because he felt there was a need for him to get involved. During his short political run, he said he learned how “dirty the business of politics is.” Although he hasn’t endorsed a candidate for mayor, he said his conscience would not allow him to support his former opponent, Curtis Sliwa, as he questions his credibility and commitment to the GOP.
In a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 8 to1, Mateo says the Republican Party is broken in New York City. If Republicans hope to win elections, they have to start supporting candidates like himself and not be fractured. The former candidate said had the GOP supported him he would have been able to capture the Hispanic vote and Democrats. Unlike the current Mayor Bill De Blasio, who is destroying the city, Mateo said he will make certain the next mayor is held accountable and working for the interest of the city.
Fernando Mateo is a native of the Dominican Republic. He is a self-made millionaire having started a carpeting business, which he grew into a multi-million dollar contracting firm. He grew up on the lower east side of Manhattan. He has been active in Republican politics for some time. In 2002, he supported New York Governor George Pataki’s re-election campaign and was a major fundraiser for President George W. Bush. In 2004, he spoke at the Republican National Convention. In 2005, Mateo served as Hispanic Director for the re-election mayoral campaign of Mike Bloomberg. In 2012 he supported Texas Governor Rick Perry’s presidential campaign. He and his wife have three children.