Mayor backs trio of Queens state candidates
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed three Queens candidates for state office over the weekend. Aber Kawas, Samantha Kattan and Brian Romero all received the mayor's support. Photos via campaigns
By Ryan Schwach
Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed three candidates running to represent Queens in Albany over the weekend, around half a year after he left the legislature for Gracie Mansion.
Mamdani endorsed Brian Romero, Samantha Kattan and Aber Kawas – all progressives and members of the Democratic Socialists of America – for State Assembly and State Senate in Western Queens.
The endorsements mark the latest effort the mayor has made to flex his political muscles in the borough he once represented in Albany.
But while his weekend endorsements championed several DSA-backed candidates, he also chose not to back several others, including David Orkin, who is challenging incumbent Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar.
"I am extremely proud to endorse a slate of candidates who will advance our affordability agenda in Albany," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement to Hell Gate on his endorsements, which also included two progressive candidates in Manhattan. "These leaders embody the best of our politics: A belief that there is no task too small and no problem too big for a government that answers to everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected. On June 23, New Yorkers have the opportunity to elect this new slate of champions for a new era in our city's politics."
Mamdani’s support of both Romero and Kattan came with little chance of controversy, but his backing of Kawas in Senate District 12 spurned a onetime political ally in Assemblymember Steven Raga, who endorsed Mamdani for mayor last year.
The mayor had been reportedly supportive of Kawas’ bid for office, even before she shifted her campaign to the Senate after previously running for Assembly against Romero.
The race between Kawas, a Palestinian-activist, and Raga, could be a close one.
Both have significant support and funding going into June.
Raga is currently outraising Kawas. The assemblymember brought in around $98,000 to Kawas’ $56,000 in the last fundraising period, but both still have solid war chests as they make their final push to June 23.
Kawas celebrated the endorsement from Mamdani over the weekend.
“I am honored and proud to receive Mayor Mamdani's endorsement,” said Kawas. “When we met as young organizers, we talked about working toward a future where politicians actually reflected our values and fought for transformative change. I watched Mayor Mamdani’s principled leadership in the mayoral election bring us to victory without compromising on Palestinian rights or affordability for all, and that’s what inspired me to run for office. I am excited to get to work in Albany to deliver on the bold agenda that millions of New Yorkers voted for, and to embody the type of public servant Zohran and I dreamed about so many years ago.”
In a statement, Raga told the Eagle the race is not about endorsements.
"This race isn't about one endorsement,” he said. “It's about who understands the needs of Western Queens and has the capacity and the coalition to deliver. Our campaign is powered by the people of Queens—workers, immigrants, tenants, and families fighting for a more affordable future. That's who we answer to, and that's who drives our movement.”
Mamdani’s support of both Romero and Kattan came with little surprise and little chance of controversy.
Both are running against more moderate candidates, and both have enjoyed more funding and political endorsements than their opponents.
Romero is running to succeed his former boss, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, in District 34.
Unlike Kattan and Kawas, Romero is not backed by the DSA, although he is a member.
In a statement from the campaign, Mamdani called Romero “an indispensable partner,” when the two overlapped in Albany – Mamdani as a legislator and Romero as González-Rojas’ chief of staff.
Former Queens legislator Zohran Mamdani threw his support behind several Queens candidates. File photo by Kara McCurdy/Mayoral Photography Office
"I am incredibly honored to receive the endorsement of Mayor Mamdani, a leader who has fundamentally shifted what is possible for working-class New Yorkers," said Romero. "During our time together in the Assembly, we proved that when you organize boldly, you can take on the billionaire class, fully fund our public infrastructure, and stand up for human rights both at home and abroad.”
“I am ready to bring that exact same urgency back to Albany to deliver deeply affordable housing, fully funded public schools, and a green, accessible transit system for Western Queens,” he added.
Romero’s only opponent is Rosa Sanchez, a Corona resident who organizes around Roosevelt Avenue and is a close ally to former legislator-turned district leader Hiram Monserrate.
He has the support of González-Rojas – who is running for the State Senate against Senator Jessica Ramos and who was not endorsed by Mamdani – as well as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Borough President Donovan Richards and a number of other Queens representatives.
Romero has also outraised Sanchez, who only has around $9,600 left on hand to Romero’s $51,800, per the most recent fundraising filings.
Mamdani’s decision was similarly straightforward in District 37, where he endorsed Kattan to succeed DSA member Claire Valdez, who Mamdani is backing in her race for Congress.
Kattan, a housing organizer, has outraised her two opponents, Pia Rahman and Melissa Orlando.
Kattan has $51,000 left on hand to Orlando’s $6,000 and Rahman’s $3,800.
“I’m so proud to have the Mayor’s endorsement,” she said on social media. “As a working mom, tenant organizer and child of immigrants, I’m ready to fight side by side with him to implement universal childcare, build social housing, protect tenants and defend our immigrant communities!”
The mayor’s late May endorsements didn’t include some left-of-center candidates running in tight races in June.
Orkin, DSA’s pick to defeat Rajkumar, was endorsed by AOC but did not get the mayor’s blessing against the incumbent over the weekend. Neither did González-Rojas.
Both are running against incumbents Mamdani worked with in Albany, which differs from congressional candidates the mayor has backed against incumbents in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Progressive candidates Shamsul Haque, who is running for Raga’s District 30 seat, and the Working Families Party-backed Latoya LeGrand are in tight races but also did not receive the mayor’s backing.
