Ruben Cruz II

The Queens Ledger describes Cruz as a longtime Richmond Hill resident who grew up in the district and attended P.S. 62 and Richmond Hill High School. He graduated from Queens College with a bachelor's degree in Theatre and Dance (1999, per his Ballotpedia survey).[5][1] The Ledger reports that he began his career in sales, then spent several years volunteering for and eventually managed board meetings at the Clemente Soto Vélez Center, an arts hub on the Lower East Side.[5] Cruz says he is the founding director of a firm that has provided health, wellness, and arts and culture programming in New York City since 2006, and describes himself as a "Community Architect." The Ledger says he launched a media company and a children's puppet theater, Patty Cake Theater, which has performed since 2006.[1][5]

During the COVID-19 pandemic Cruz founded the Queens Pet Pantry, a pet-supply distribution project; he says it was created in collaboration with city agencies and animal-welfare groups and that its data-management system was later adopted by the ASPCA. His campaign website says his team managed the Queens Pet Pantry and community-center relocations.[1][2] In a 2022 Ballotpedia survey he described working with the Community Agency for Senior Citizens on elder abuse and elder justice with the State Office of Victim Services.[1] He lives in Richmond Hill, Queens, and serves on Queens Community Board 9. Ballotpedia lists affiliations with the Latin American Intercultural Alliance, the Central Queens Republican Club and Queens Libertarians.[1]

Cruz ran as the Republican, Conservative and Independence Party candidate for State Senate District 16 in 2022, losing to incumbent John Liu 57.7% to 42.2%. In 2024 he ran as the Republican, Conservative and Common Sense Party candidate for Assembly District 24, losing to incumbent David Weprin 61.1% to 35.1%.[1] The 2026 Republican primary for Assembly District 38, which the Ledger says encompasses parts of Glendale, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood and Woodhaven, was canceled, and Cruz advanced to the general election on the Republican and Queens United Party lines.[6][1][5] During the campaign, he ran on protecting homeowners and seniors, rebuilding the local economy and cutting hidden fees, according to his campaign website.[2] In the November 3, 2026 general election, Cruz lost to David Orkin, according to unofficial results from the NYC Board of Elections and Wikipedia.[3][4]