Cabán backs González-Rojas in Jackson Heights Assembly race
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Jessica González-Rojas (left) was endorsed by Tiffany Cabán Thursday. Photo courtesy of González-Rojas campaign and AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
By David Brand
Former Queens District Attorney candidate Tiffany Cabán has endorsed Jessica González-Rojas in the crowded Democratic primary for Queens’ Assembly District 34.
Four candidates, including three former Cabán campaign volunteers, have mounted leftwing challenges to six-term Assemblymember Michael DenDekker, who has represented Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst and Woodside since 2009.
But Cabán, a public defender and justice reform advocate, said González-Rojas stands out for her commitment to justice reform and women’s rights. She is former executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and volunteered on Cabán’s district attorney campaign.
“She is somebody who’s a Latinx, first-gen woman who knows first hand the impact of over-policing and mass incarceration in a community like AD34,” Cabán said. “We cannot afford not to send fighters like her to Albany.”
Cabán’s endorsement of González-Rojas comes at the expense of two other challengers who worked on her campaign for district attorney in 2019. Community leader Nuala O’Doherty-Naranjo, a former Manhattan prosecutor, and Joy Chowdhury, an organizer and Uber driver, were early supporters who volunteered for Cabán’s campaign. “It’s incredible to see so many people from my campaign now running for office,” Cabán said.
O’Doherty-Naranjo, however, said the endorsement decision was “disappointing.”
“Joy Chowdhury and I worked really hard on the Tiffany Cabán campaign and Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas has done great work in Texas and Florida and D.C., but she hasn’t been here in the neighborhoods,” O’Doherty-Naranjo said. “Progressive reform comes in the on-the-ground work.”
“It’s sad to see such a carpetbagger get such important support here,” O’Doherty-Naranjo added.
Gonzalez-Rojas has lived in the district since 1999, however,
Chowdhury also said he was “greatly disappointed” because he organized members of the Bengali community to vote for Cabán in 2019 and hopes to become the first South Asian candidate elected to office in New York City.
“I felt it would have been wise [for Cabán] to stay out of this race because there are multiple great candidates, but I look forward to continue working with her on progressive movement-building,” he said.
A fourth challenger, Angel Cruz, is also vying to replace DenDekker in the June 23 primary.
For her part, González-Rojas said she was excited to have the endorsement of Cabán who she credited with “changing the dialogue on criminal justice” in the district and region.
“The conversation have changed radically in our community around decriminalizing sex work, ending cash bail and reimagining the criminal justice system,” she said.
DenDekker has said he welcomes the primary challenges from his four opponents.
“I believe that anybody who wants to run for office should be given the opportunity to do so,” he said. “I am proud of my record advocating for my constituents, and I look forward to getting my report card from voters on June 23rd.”
DenDekker said that elections provide a “litmus test” for incumbent lawmakers.
“I think elections are good,” he told the Eagle last year. “I think elections keep an elected official working hard and give the residents a chance to rate their elected officials.”
