Queens DSA recommends just one 2020 candidate for endorsement, passes on BP special election
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Zohran Mamdani, a housing counselor for foreclosure prevention with the organization Chhaya, is a first-time candidate running for State Assembly District 36. Photo via Zohran Mamdani/Facebook
By Emma Whitford
After a busy summer campaigning for insurgent Queens District Attorney candidate Tiffany Cabán, the Queens branch of the Democratic Socialists of America recommended just one 2020 candidate for endorsement Thursday night.
Zohran Mamdani, a housing counselor for foreclosure prevention with the organization Chhaya, is a first-time candidate running for State Assembly District 36, a seat occupied by incumbent Aravella Simotas. Mamdani, a DSA member, is running for a Western Queens district that includes Astoria and has a large socialist voter base.
Mamdani has made a right to housing a centerpiece of his campaign. He also advocates for fully eliminating cash bail, banning solitary confinement and funding the MTA, according to his campaign website.
He received the Queens DSA recommendation in a closed meeting Thursday, branch spokesperson Matt Thomas confirmed. He is likely to receive the endorsement of New York City DSA at their next meeting on December 7th.
Queens DSA will not be making an endorsement in the upcoming special election for Queens Borough President, Thomas added.
The DSA endorsement process has three phases, Thomas said. First, candidates are screened by the Electoral Working Group. Those who received 50 percent of the vote go before the full Queens DSA. Candidates who receive 60 percent of the vote from Queens members then go before the broader citywide leadership committee, where they again need 60 percent of the vote.
Three other 2020 candidates made it through the Electoral Working Group phase and sought the the Queens DSA recommendation Thursday, but failed to surpass the 60 percent threshold. All three are DSA members, and are challenging incumbent members of Congress.
They are Mel Gagarin, who is running against U.S. Rep. Grace Meng in the 6th Congressional District; Pete Harrison, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney in 12th (a sprawling district that includes parts of Western Queens, North Brooklyn and the East Side of Manhattan); and Shaniyat Chowdhury, who is running against U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, chair of the Queens Democratic Party.
A DSA endorsement in Queens is increasingly valuable, as it brings substantial canvassing support.
Earlier this fall, New York City DSA announced a slate of four socialist candidates in Brooklyn: Jabari Brisport in the 25th Senate District, Marcela Mitaynes in the 51st Assembly District, Boris Santos in the 54th Assembly District, and Phara Souffrant Forrest in the 57th Assembly District.
Additional reporting by David Brand
