Aber Kawas, a former candidate to succeed Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas in the 34th Assembly District, has launched a campaign to succeed outgoing State Sen. Michael Gianaris in the 12th Senate District.
Kawas, a member of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), announced the move at Woodside’s Doughboy Plaza on Friday, days after Gianaris confirmed that he would not seek re-election after serving in the state legislature for over 25 years.
The 12th Senate District, which has been represented by Gianaris since 2010, includes neighborhoods such as Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside and Maspeth.
Kawas had previously launched a campaign to succeed González-Rojas in the overlapping 34th Assembly District, with González-Rojas set to vacate the seat later this year as part of a campaign to primary State Sen. Jessica Ramos.
Brian Romero, a former González-Rojas staffer and Kawas’s main opponent in that race, now appears to be in pole position to replace his former boss in the 34th District. Romero has picked up a slate of endorsements from candidates including U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velázquez, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and a number of City Council Members. Andreas Migias, a member of Community Board 2, has also filed to run for the 34th District.
Kawas, meanwhile, said she actively explored a run to succeed Gianaris after the veteran lawmaker announced his retirement last week. She said the decision to run was not an easy one, adding that she was doing so out of a “duty” to neighbors and communities “who have been left out of the process.”
“This time last year, I never would have believed you if you told me I would be running for any office, let alone the state Senate,” Kawas said in a statement announcing the campaign. “I did not make this decision lightly, but it comes from the conviction that we have a duty to our neighbors and communities who have been left out of the process in Albany for too long.
“Today, we are changing that process, and fighting to make sure working people get to shape the future of this state at every level. State Senator Michael Gianaris will leave big shoes to fill as a steadfast defender of the working people of Queens, and I am excited to take his work further together.”
Kawas’s campaign has already been endorsed by the DSA, while a number of prominent members of the organization joined her in Woodside last week for the official kick-off, including Assembly Member Claire Valdez, Assembly Member-elect Diana Moreno and Assembly candidates Samantha Kattan and David Orkin.
NYC DSA co-Chair Grace Mausser described Kawas as the “perfect candidate” to succeed Gianaris in the district.
“When this opportunity opened up, we knew Aber was the perfect candidate to take on this seat and be another leading voice for working class people in the State Senate,” Mausser said in a statement.
Kawas’s pivot to Senate District 12 came after Ocasio-Cortez made the surprise decision to endorse Romero in the 34th Assembly District, backing a Latino candidate over a fellow DSA candidate. However, Kawas had raised over $101,000 in the race – the most of any candidate -before her decision to run for the Senate.
Mausser said the DSA is proud of its ability to remain “flexible” in an “ever-changing political landscape.”
