Probably the most followed electoral race on 19 May 2024 is that of one-term deputy Omar Fernandez running for the Rescate RD coalition (Fuerza del Pueblo, PLD and PRD) and several-times former Alianza Pais presidential candidate Guillermo Moreno for the capital city Senate seat.
Guillermo Moreno has a strong track record as a spokesman against corruption. He has the backing of President Luis Abinader, who has a comfortable lead of around 30 points over his closest contender for President, Leonel Fernandez. Moreno has received strong support from the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), the party that swept the municipal election held on 18 February 2024.
Omar Fernandez has behind him the past political prowess of his father, a three-term President Leonel Fernandez and also that of one-term congressman Jose Horacio Rodriguez. Rodriguez is the young politician who from being an unknown in 2019, today is the emerging star in Congress with a strong following especially among millennials, the largest voting segment. Jose Horacio Rodriguez reached the deputy seat in 2020 running for Alianza Pais, Guillermo Moreno’s political party. He would separate from the party to return to Opción Democrática, his first political platform, and then announce he would be part of the Rescate RD alliance with the Fuerza del Pueblo that presents Omar Fernandez. An outstanding advertising campaign has convinced many that Omar Fernandez represents young people.
The senate seat race could go either way.
Born on 5 December 1991, the 32-year old Omar Fernandez grew up as the son of the President. His mother is Josefina Rosario Domínguez Quezada, the first wife of President Leonel Fernandez. His father was President from 1996-2000 when he was 5 to 9 years old. And then again, from 2004-2008 and 2008-2012, the early adulthood years of the young Fernandez. His sister is married to MLB legendary baseball player, Albert Pujols.
Omar Fernandez inherited the gift of public speaking from his father and has used it well. He was elected deputy for the Fuerza del Pueblo (People’s Force), the political party founded by his father in 2019, when Leonel Fernandez split from the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) to compete in the 2020 when the then ruling party, the Dominican Liberation Party and then President Danilo Medina, chose Gonzalo Castillo as the presidential candidate.
In the 2020 election, Omar Fernandez was tops on the Fuerza del Pueblo list to be a deputy in Congress. Deputies are chosen on a list of candidates organized by the political parties and win the seats on the strength of the party.
Omar Fernandez is a graduate in law from the PUCMM university. He lists on his biography working in the father and son law firm, Fernandez & Fernandez, before taking his first job as deputy from 2020 to 2024. In Congress, he has championed a project to protect animals and extend paternity leave.
Within the Chamber of Deputies he serves as member of the Industry & Commerce, Tourism, ITC committees. He is also the secretary of the Justice committee. In 2022 he was chosen spokesman for the deputies for the Fuerza del Pueblo.
He proudly touted he is his father’s son and a staunch Roman Catholic who is against the three exceptions to abortion iduring his participation in the Codessd congressional debate. Evangelical and Catholic leadership recommend voting for him. They also recommended voting against Faride Raful, the past incumbent senator.
On the Mark Penn/Stagwell favorability ranking, the emerging politician does well. He is ranked in third position, only after President Luis Abinader (61%), Vice President Raquel Peña (42%), Omar Fernandez (40%), former President Leonel Fernandez (37%), former Santiago Mayor Abel Martinez (37%) and former presidential candidate for Alianza Pais, Guillermo Moreno (28%).
Into the 2024 election, when the PLD, FP and PRD decided to ally for key positions as Rescate RD, Omar Fernandez was assigned the senator seat for the coalition. Contrary to the deputy position where he was practically handpicked by his father, to win the senator seat he needs National District voters to give him the yes vote.
President Luis Abinader in turn in 2024 would handpick Guillermo Moreno to run for the Modern Revolutionary Party. Incumbent senator Faride Raful had sought to run for reelection but was convinced to let Moreno run.
Guillermo Moreno is in people’s minds for his past three runs for President on a strong anti-corruption stand. As the presidential candidate for the newly formed Alianza Pais in the 2012 election he had received 62,290 votes. In 2016 presidential election, he received 84,319. In that election he garnered much of the votes against the long-standing Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). In 2020 he ran once again and received 39,458 votes. The National District is divided in three voting districts.
Guillermo Moreno has the vote of those 50 years and plus who live in the capital city and were those who favored him in past years. These voters are likely to vote again for him. He also may garner votes of those in the PLD who strongly oppose Leonel Fernandez. A win of Omar Fernandez is a win of the Leonel Fernandez faction vs. the Danilo Medina faction in politics.
The PRM is asking its voters to vote for Moreno. The PRM candidate to Mayor in the National District, Carolina Mejia won with 201,430 votes (61%) to 123,958 (37.60%) of her contender, Domingo Contreras, of the PLD and the Rescate RD coalition. Once again, the Rescate RD coalition has to work hard to get the young people in their favor to go to vote. Young people are the majority vote in the Dominican Republic. More young people are getting involved in politics, especially after the 2020 presidential election was decided by the young vote against the PLD leadership at the time.
Nevertheless, different from what happened with the alliance in the National District in the municipal vote, for the senate race the alliance is relying on star politician Jose Horacio Rodriguez. As a consequence of the negotiations for the PRM senate seat ongoing in the second half of 2023 and first half of 2024, that would result with the nomination of Guillermo Moreno, Jose Horacio Rodriguez, split from Alianza Pais arguing the government needed a separate voice in Congress. He has expressed concern the PRM is likely to increase its control in Congress.
Rodriguez would return to Opción Democratica, the party that had merged with Alianza Pais for Rodriguez’s election to Congress as the most-voted deputy in 2020. Rodriguez has preferred to join forces with his colleague in the Chamber of Deputies, Omar Fernandez under the Rescate RD coalition of the PLD, Fuerza del Pueblo and Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD).
Jose Horacio Rodríguez had campaigned in 2020 as an unknown politician but now has a strong track record in Congress and has garnered the respect of voters, young and old. He is expected to repeat in the position as deputy for the No. 1 voting district of the capital city. He is also expected to pull thousands of voters to the Omar Fernandez senator ticket.
In choosing a candidate for senator from outside the PRM, President Abinader stated his choice of Moreno is evidence of his interest in transparency and rule of the law. Moreno is a former dean of the Unibe law school. He was National District attorney during the first Leonel Fernandez administration but was removed when he did his job, which was to go after wrongdoings and administrative corruption. As an individual, Moreno took Leonel Fernandez to trial for many years, until the case was filed away by today Adjunct Attorney Yeni Berenice Reynoso.
If Moreno reaches the Senate seat, he is surely to use the position to push forward bills and ideals he has always championed for as a presidential candidate. It is likely he will be his own man and unlikely he will bend to instructions from the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM).
If with the strong backing of President Luis Abinader and the PRM, 67-year old Moreno fails to win the seat, it might mean the end to his long career as an opposition politician.
If Omar Fernandez fails to win the seat, nothing will happen as at 32 years and with his gift of the word, he is regarded by many as a young star in the Dominican political arena.
On 19 May 2024 before midnight, the winner of the Santo Domingo senate race will be known.
Read more:
Mark Penn/Stagwell poll
Hoy
Legislative debate
Diario Libre
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
Acento
Alianza Pais
16 May 2024