Who’s got the money?: State candidates pull in first batch of money for 2026

Campaign donations are already flowing in 2026 Queens races.  Eagle file photo by Ryan Schwach

By Ryan Schwach

Money is already pouring into campaign coffers despite there being more than six months before most Queens voters head to the polls for the June primaries.

Last week, candidates filed their January finance reports, the first batch of disclosures of the cycle, and reflect funds raised from July 2025 or the beginning of their fundraising efforts through Jan. 11.

Candidates have already pulled in significant funding dollars, with this year’s election cycle in Queens picking up earlier than usual.

One reason is a race in Astoria, where three candidates are vying to replace Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the Assembly in a special election set for Feb. 3. Early voting started in the race over the weekend.

Other than the race for Mamdani’s 36th District, there are closely-watched races across the borough for the Assembly and the State Senate.

That includes open races in the Rockaway-centered 23rd Assembly District, the 34th District in Northwest Queens and the 37th District in Western Queens where incumbents have chosen to retire or run for higher office.

It also includes highly-contested races in Assembly District 38, where the Democratic Socialists of America are targeting an Eric Adams-ally in a district Mamdani won handedly, and in State Senate District 13, where Jessica Ramos is facing a challenge from Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas and the seat’s former holder, Hiram Monserrate.

While much can happen from now until then, money has already begun to play a factor in races across Queens.

State Assembly

District 23:

In District 23, Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato’s decision to retire has left her seat open.

The field currently includes Pesach Osina, who has Pheffer Amato’s support, and lawyer Mike Scala, who has previously run for the City Council.

Osina has worked in a number of New York City government offices, serving in the City Council, the comptroller’s office and as a mayor appointee to the city Commission on Racial Equity under former Mayor Eric Adams.

The Democrat currently has $24,143 in the bank after pulling in just over $25,500 in the first filing period.

Scala, also a Democrat, pulled in $9,353, and has $6,500 left in his campaign war chest.

Both Scala and Osina have run for office before, both unsuccessfully.

Republican Thomas Sullivan is taking his third consecutive shot at the seat after losing to Pheffer Amato in the last two elections.

He only filed recently, and has not filed any campaign disclosures.

District 24:

In District 24, longtime Democratic stalwart Assemblymember David Weprin is facing a challenge from Mahtab Khan, a young progressive.

Khan has only raised around $1,287, and had $3,000 in the bank as of the most recent filing deadline earlier this month.

Weprin has not yet filed in the race.

District 25:

There is a rematch brewing in District 25, where Democratic incumbent Nily Rozic is poised for a November general against Republican Kenneth Paek.

Rozic beat Paek in 2024, 52 percent to 46 percent.

Neither are currently facing any primary opponents, and neither have filed campaign disclosures as of Thursday.

District 30:

In Western Queens’ District 30, progressive Assemblymember Steven Raga is facing a challenger, Nepali community leader and Community Engagement Commission board member Somnath Ghimire.

Both candidates raised about $11,500 in the first filing period, but Raga has $54,345 on hand with cash left over from previous races, and Ghimire has about $6,490.

District 32:

One of the most unexpected challenges in Queens came just last week, when former City Council candidate Latoya LeGrand filed to run against her former boss, 88-year-old incumbent Vivian Cook.

Cook, despite her age and rumours of health issues, told City & State she is still running.

Cook has not filed as of last week, and LeGrand’s late entry does not include any financial disclosures.

A third candidate, Mohammad Molla, has raised $2,000 and has about that much left on hand.

District 33:

In Southeast Queens’ District 33, incumbent Assemblymember Clyde Vanel has not yet filed for reelection but already has an opponent in Bryan Oster.

Oster ran against Vanel in 2022 and only got 14 percent of the vote. He has raised around $6,000 and has $4,638 remaining.

District 34:

One of Queens’ most closely-watched races comes in the diverse District 34, where three candidates are vying for the seat being vacated by Jessica González-Rojas.

Seeking to fill the seat is González-Rojas’ former chief of staff, Brian Romero, who has support from his former boss, the Working Families Party and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.

Romero is currently slightly behind his main opponent, Aber Kawas in fundraising. Kawas, the Democratic Socialists of America’s candidate, has raised $47,840 to Romero’s $45,471.

Romero has $39,149 left in the bank and Kawas has $43,487.

A third candidate in the race, community board member Andreas Migias, has raised $11,450 and has only spent around $200 of it.

District 36:

Perhaps the most closely-watched race in Queens is the special election to replace Mamdani. Early voting began on Saturday, though it was paused on Sunday because of the snow storm.

The three candidates, Diana Moreno, Rana Abdelhamid and Mary Jobaida, are all progressive and identify as socialists.

Moreno is currently Mamdani’s heir apparent, getting the blessing from the mayor, the DSA, the Queens County Democratic Party and the Working Families Party.

She has brought in the most money in the race – around $72,000, with just shy of $52,000 left in the bank. That number is without the $76,000 she secured Thursday in public matching funds. She is the only candidate in Queens to score the public funds in this filing period.

Abdelhamid, who is launching her independent bid on the “Queens for All” line, also has significant local support, and brought in $57,000 in the first filing period. She still has $34,462 in the bank.

Abdelhamid is endorsed by Representative Nydia Velazquez and Councilmember Julie Won.

Jobiada is also running an independent bid, and brought in around $40,000. She has about $15,600 left in the bank.

Educator Shivani Dhir has not filed for the special election, but intends to run in the primary, which will be held in June.

District 37:

One open race that seemed unlikely to be open going into this cycle was District 37, where Assemblymember Claire Valdez was likely to hold on to the seat. However, the DSA elected instead launched a bid for Congress, leaving her seat open.

Seeking to fill the gap is Valdez’s DSA comrade Samantha Kattan, an organizer who is running with the progressive org’s backing.

Kattan raised $18,402 in the first filing period, and has only spent about $1,000 so far, leaving her with about $17,300.

Her opponent is also a former DSA member, Pia Rahman. Rahman filed recently and only raised $1,414. She has spent less than $100 so far.

District 38:

In District 38, the DSA is taking another swing, this time against a prominent Democratic incumbent – Jenifer Rajkumar.

Rajkumar, who at one point was one of Adams’ most loyal allies, is running against DSA member and immigrant right’s attorney David Orkin.

Orkin has raised $33,741 so far, and has spent around $1,000 of that money.

Rajkumar, coming with the power of incumbency, has $102,672 in the bank after having raised around $92,000 in the first filing period.

State Senate

District 11:

State Senate District 11 is currently the most crowded race in Queens besides AD36, with four candidates currently filed.

One of them is longtime incumbent Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, who has raised significantly more than her three opponents, Sean Henry Miller, Adam Azam and Andrew Engel.

Stavisky currently has $111,933 left on hand, much of it from previous cycles after raising $42,000 in the last period.

Miller, a member of the Queens Young Democrats, has raised $7,834 and has around $2,000 left on hand.

Engel, an attorney for the Department of Buildings, has raised just shy of $7,000 and has around $4,000 left on hand.

Azam, a community member, has raised $1,665 and spent none of it as of the most recent filing.

District 13:

Queens’ most closely-watched Senate race comes in District 13, where three current or former office holders are running for the seat.

State Senator Jessica Ramos, who fell out of favor with progressives following her endorsement of former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the 2025 mayor’s race, is being challenged to the left by progressive Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, and former elected Hiram Monserrate, who is taking another swing at elected office after running for the Assembly and City Council nearly every year for the past five years.

González-Rojas has far out-raised the other two, and has pulled in significant Queens support. She has raised $122,715 and still has $101,000 on hand.

Ramos has raised $26,479, and has $78,833 in cash on hand.

Monserrate has raised $26,000 and has yet to spend any money in the race.

Queens’ most immediate election is Feb. 3’s special election in District 36 between Rana Abdelhamid, Diana Moreno and Mary Jobaida.  Eagle photo by Ryan Schwach

State Assembly

District 23

Pesach Osina – $25,525.23 raised ($24,143.98 remaining)

Mike Scala – $9,363.00 raised ($6,503.73 remaining)

Thomas Sullivan – N/A

District 24

Mahtab Khan – $1,287.00 raised ($3,014.06 remaining)

David Weprin – N/A

District 25

Nily Rozic – N/A

Kenneth Paek – N/A

District 30

Steven Raga – $11,505.26 raised ($54,345.88 remaining)

Somnath Ghimire – $11,536.00 raised ($6,490.80 remaining)

District 32

Latoya LeGrand – N/A

Mohammad Molla – $2,010.00 raised ($1,964.80 remaining)

Vivian Cook – N/A

District 33

Bryan Oster – $6,016.00 raised ($4,638.10 remaining)

Clyde Vanel – N/A

District 34

Brian Romero – $45,471.76 raised ($39,149.15 remaining)

Aber Kawas – $47,840.99 raised ($43,487.50 remaining)

Andreas Migias – $11,450.19 raised ($11,254.61 remaining)

District 36

Diana Moreno – $72,359.31 raised, plus $76,017.36 in matching funds ($51,963.69 remaining)

Rana Abdelhamid – $57,050.36 raised ($34,462.19 remaining)

Mary Jobaida – $39,970.00 raised ($15,687.99 remaining)

District 37

Samantha Kattan – $18,402.37 raised ($17,392.20 remaining)

Pia Rahman – $1,415.00 raised ($1,359.04 remaining)

District 38

David Orkin – $33,741.37 raised ($32,408.96 remaining)

Jenifer Rajkumar – $91,722.00 raised ($102,672.20 remaining)

State Senate

District 11

Toby Ann Stavisky – $42,435.00 raised ($111,933.33 remaining)

Sean Henry Miller – $7,834.00 raised ($1,988.19 remaining)

Adam Azam – $1,665.00 raised ($1,665.00 remaining)

Andrew Engel – ​​$6,951.39 raised ($3,912.74 remaining)

District 13

Jessica Ramos – $26,479.00 raised ($78,833.72 remaining)

Hiram Monserrate – $26,075.00 raised ($26,075.00 remaining)

Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas – $122,715.49 raised ($101,464.44 remaining)