Gonzalo Duran

Duran is a Bronx-raised U.S. Marine Corps veteran and chief executive running on the Conservative Party line, and serves as vice chairman of the Bronx Conservative Party. He has run for City Council (2023), Congress (2024), and Public Advocate (2025). His 2026 campaign centers on opposing what he calls socialism, along with public safety, concerns about housing development, and government transparency in the Bronx.[1][2][3]

Gonzalo Duran was born in New York City and, in a Ballotpedia survey response, describes himself as born, raised, and educated in the Bronx.[1][3] He earned a high school diploma from DeWitt Clinton High School and a bachelor's degree from Fordham University in 2014.[3] Duran served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003 to 2011; he describes reaching the rank of Sergeant and completing a tour in Iraq.[3] He describes himself as CEO of Devil Dog USA Inc., a chaplain, and host of a veterans talk show called Vet Talk, and says his nonprofit work helps veterans transition back into their communities.[3]

In politics, Duran is vice chairman of the Bronx Conservative Party and, per his campaign materials, a district leader for the 79th Assembly District.[2][3] In February 2026 he wrote that he had left the Democratic Party about three years earlier and had accepted the Bronx Conservative Party's endorsement for Congress.[2] He ran for New York City Council District 17 in 2023 on the Conservative Party line, receiving 4.2%, and for NY-15 in 2024 on the Republican and Conservative lines, losing to Torres 76.2% to 21.0%.[3] Duran announced a 2025 mayoral bid in November 2024 but appeared on the November 2025 ballot as a candidate for Public Advocate, losing to Jumaane Williams with 24.5% on the Republican, Conservative, and United Alliance lines.[3][4]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.