Brian Romero, the former chief-of-staff to Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, officially launched his campaign to succeed González-Rojas in Assembly District 34 with a kickoff event in Jackson Heights.
Romero, who now serves as deputy chief-of-staff to State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, was joined by a number of elected officials for Monday’s launch event, including González-Rojas and Assembly Members Catalina Cruz and Tony Simone. Council Member Sandy Nurse, former Council Member Danny Dromm and Council Member-elect Justin Sanchez also joined Monday’s kickoff event.
González-Rojas will vacate her seat in the district in order to challenge State Sen. Jessica Ramos in New York’s 13th Senate District next year, leaving a number of candidates vying to replace her in a district covering parts of East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Woodside, Corona and Astoria.
Romero, who was born in East Elmhurst in the district before moving to nearby Assembly District 36, announced his candidacy in October and aimed to secure an endorsement from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), an organization he has been a member of for several years.
However, the party’s Electoral Working Group instead recommended endorsing Aber Kawas, a Palestinian-American organizer who moved to the district from Southern Brooklyn in 2024. Andreas Migias, who currently serves on Community Board 1, has also announced his candidacy for the seat.
Romero announced Monday that his campaign has hit the qualifying threshold of in-district donations, allowing him to participate in the state’s matching funds program, which incentivizes small, in-district donations by matching donations at a ratio of up to 12:1.
Romero said at Monday’s event that he is running for Assembly because people in the district deserve “not only to survive, but to thrive.”
“In a time when New York City just showed the world what can happen when working people across our city come together and organize for a better world, we must live up to that promise by taking the fight to Albany,” Romero said in a statement following Monday’s event.
He vowed to work to pass universal childcare and “tax the rich” if he is elected to office. He also pledged to stand up to federal immigration authorities, make buses fast and free and work to pass the New York Health Act, which aims to provide comprehensive, publicly funded coverage for all New Yorkers.
“I am running for every single person in this district so that they can know they will continue to have a champion in Albany,” Romero said.
González-Rojas, meanwhile, described Romero as “exactly the kind of leader” that the District 34 community deserves. She also touted Romero’s experience as her chief-of-staff.
“He’s a fighter, an organizer, a neighbor, and a dear friend,” González-Rojas said in a statement. “Together in Albany, we’ve delivered for working families—from expanding access to school meals for our children to standing strong with our immigrant communities. I’m proud to endorse his campaign for my Assembly seat, and I’m excited to keep partnering with him as colleagues.”
Cruz said she was proud to endorse Romero, adding that he will be an “incredible ally” in Albany if he is successful in his bid for the District 34 seat.
“There is no one else I’d rather work with than Brian,” Cruz said. “His commitment to our neighbors and his vision for our district will make him an incredible ally in Albany.”
Tammy Reyes, president of the Woodside Houses Tenant Association, also endorsed Romero, touting his support for residents in the NYCHA housing complex.
“He is the man. He is our man and supports and comes out for the community,” Reyes said.
If elected, Romero’s “No. 1 priority” is to help pass a package of revenue-raising legislation – what he calls a “tax the rich package of bills” – that would raise New York’s corporate rate to match that of New Jersey’s as well as introducing a new city income tax for the wealthiest 1% of New York residents.
Revenue raised from the legislation would help keep working-class New Yorkers in New York state, Romero said, as well as mitigating against federal funding cuts implemented by the Trump Administration.
Cuts introduced by President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” could have an overall fiscal impact of $13 billion per year on New York State, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. Hochul forecasted that cuts could see over 1.5 million people lose their healthcare coverage and jeopardize more than three million SNAP beneficiaries in New York State.
Romero believes revenue-raising legislation is crucial to combat the impact of federal cuts and further believes that such legislation would allow the state legislature to increase current SNAP benefits.
Romero is also a strong advocate for the New York for All Act, which would prevent state and local law enforcement from enforcing federal immigration law or sharing sensitive information with federal immigration authorities.
