State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez held a re-election kickoff party at Astoria’s Pig Beach BBQ Friday night as she seeks to secure a third term representing the 59th Senate District, covering parts of Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Gonzalez, a member of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and a member of the New York State Socialists in Office bloc, was joined by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and U.S. Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Jerrold Nadler in addition to a number of city and state representatives at Friday’s launch party.
Diana Moreno, who is running to succeed Mamdani in the 36th Assembly District, and Brian Romero and Aber Kawas, who are both running in the 34th Assembly District, were also present at Friday’s kickoff.
Speaking to supporters Friday night, Gonzalez vowed to hold billionaires accountable and stand up to the Trump Administration as well as pledging to fight for a more affordable New York.
Gonzalez, who chairs the Senate’s Internet & Technology Committee, accused multibillion dollar tech companies of stealing individual intellectual property and polluting the environment through massive data centers. She called on the state legislature to pass legislation that would hold tech companies to account and restore dignities to the working-class.
“They continue to automate jobs and lay off workers and so much of what drives me every single day is because they have benefited from the status quo,” Gonzalez said at Friday’s re-election kickoff.
She also forecasted that the Trump Administration would become “more aggressive” in the future and said the state legislature must be prepared to stand up to increasing pressure from the federal government.
“The work at the state level means having the ability and the responsibility to get things done and protect us, that we can have a New York where we don’t see our neighbors kidnapped on the street or killed,” she said, referencing the fatal shooting of Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. The Trump Administration has repeatedly stated that Ross was acting in self-defense.
Gonzalez additionally pledged to work for universal childcare and an affordable New York City if re-elected to the State Senate.
Mamdani, meanwhile, praised Gonzalez for “doing things that are right” over doing things that are easy. He also credited Gonzalez for having “rung the alarm” on the dangers of artificial intelligence and what AI will mean for working people’s futures.
Mamdani additionally praised Gonzalez for authoring the Loading Act, which requires state government agencies to disclose when they are using AI technology and prohibits the use of AI in certain cases. Mamdani said the act, which represented some of the first state-level restrictions on AI technology, provide a model for how to respond to the rise in AI.
Gonzalez has sponsored a number of bills aiming to limit the reach of artificial intelligence, including S1169A, which would require independent audits of high-risk AI systems. It would also call for the regulation of the development and use of certain AI systems to prevent algorithmic discrimination – referring to any use of AI that leads to unjustified differential treatment. The legislation, if passed, would combat any situation where automated systems produce biased or unequal outcomes, such as in access to jobs or housing.
In an address on Friday night, Mamdani said Gonzalez has demonstrated that she would stand up for working people since taking office in 2023.
“We know exactly what it can look like to stand up for working people,” Mamdani said. “She (Gonzalez) has been showing up for all of us, and what I have really appreciated is that she has been able to build on the power that we’ve been building in this neighborhood and then also introduce what this movement means for people in newer neighborhoods.”
Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris praised Gonzalez for establishing herself as a “powerful voice” in the Senate.
“She is someone who I’m so happy to work with,” Gianaris said. “I’m so proud so many of you have come out here to make sure she continues to do the good work that we need her to do.”
In a statement issued after Friday’s re-election kickoff, Gonzalez credited attendees for showing “overwhelming support” for her campaign.
“I was honored to be joined by so many community members, elected officials, advocates and friends from Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn to show their support for me and what we’ve been able to achieve over the past four years,” Gonzalez said. “Togeher, we have stood up to tech oligarchs, casino billionaires, corrupt politicians blocking street safety and hospital executives who don’t put people and patients first.”
At present, no candidate has filed to run against Gonzalez, who easily defeaed challenger Gus Lambropoulos in the 2024 Democratic primary. However, she noted that Friday’s fundraiser aimed to also build support for other candidates who would “expand what is possible for government to achieve.”
