Candidates running to replace Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the 36th Assembly District in western Queens took part in a candidate forum Jan. 3 at Astoria’s Powhatan and Pocahontas Democratic Club.
Diana Moreno, who secured a nomination from the Queens Democratic Party shortly after Saturday’s forum, joined fellow candidates Rana Abdelhamid, Mary Jobaida and Shivani Dhir at the packed event to outline their campaigns for the upcoming special election to replace Mamdani.
Moreno, who is endorsed by Mamdani and the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), is the clear frontrunner ahead of the Feb. 3 special election after securing the nomination from the Queens Democratic Party on Monday.
But Abdelhamid and Jobaida have both signaled their intent to run in the special election along third-party ballot lines, while Dhir has dropped out of the special election to focus on the Democratic primary in June.
Moreno described receiving the Queens Democratic Party’s nomination as the “honor of a lifetime,” stating at Saturday’s forum that she was running to “delivery affordability” to working families and fight back against what she described as authoritarianism from the Trump Administration.
Dhir acknowledged at the forum that she was the “most unknown” of the four candidates running to replace Mamdani, describing her campaign as one that aimed to create economic power and stability in the community.
Abdelhamid, the founder of community non-profit Malikah and a member of the DSA, is running a campaign advocating for tenant and immigrant protection. In a statement confirming that she is remaining in the race issued after Moreno picked up the Queens Democratic Party nomination, Abdelhamid said her campaign is based in “grassroots organizing,” also touting her roots in the local community.
“As a lifelong Astoria resident, I was raised by this neighborhood and shaped by its struggles,” Abdelhamid said in a statement. “Astoria and Long Island City know a community candidate when they see one. My campaign is based in grassroots organizing, rooted in our families and standing against the weight of institutional power.”
She also insisted that her campaign is based “outside traditional establishment structures,” which she said shut out working-class voters.
“Establishment politics creates unequal processes that leave too many people behind,” Abdelhamid said. “We will petition and organize block by block, fighting until the very end.”
Jobaida, another DSA member, has not yet returned a request for comment but will run in the special election along the People First part line, according to Politico. Jobaida said at the candidate forum that she is running to “bring power to the people so that no one in the district feels unheard or unseen.”
“I have seen what can be done when people are included,” Jobaida said. “I’m fighting to make this district, make New York state very affordable, equitable and inclusive to each and everyone.”
At the forum, moderators Antonio Alfonso and Kimberly Mullarkey-Perez — two Democratic Disrict Leaders in the 36th Assembly District — quizzed candidates on a range of topics from legislative priorities to immigration policy.
All candidates agreed that the affordability crisis is the greatest challenge facing the district at present, with Jobaida also pointing to environmental injustice in the local community.
Moreno, meanwhile, said the district is facing a “dual crisis of affordability and a crisis of democracy,” arguing that democracy had been threatened by a wave of “federal attacks” against local residents.
Dhir stated that 16,000 people live below the poverty line in the district, adding that it is “imperative” to bring economic power to the local community, while Abdelhamid outlined the need to support small businesses through rent-stabilization and protect immigrant communities from the federal government.
Each candidate also expressed policies to deal with the housing crisis, with Moreno calling for investment in public housing such as NYCHA developments as well as investing in the long-term building of social housing and deeply affordable housing.
Abdelhamid, on the other hand, has vowed to fight for permanently affordable, mixed-income public housing as well as advocating for the rights of low-income tenants in the district.
Dhir called for creating more opportunities for people to own homes in the district, while Jobaida called for low-interest loans for developers to build social and truly affordable housing.
Saturday’s forum saw dozens of local residents cram into the Powhatan and Pocahontas Democratic Club to hear what candidates had to say, with lines forming around the block to enter the club.
Alfonso, one of the Democratic District Leaders who voted to nominate Moreno for the February special election, credited each candidate for bringing “thoughtful ideas” to Saturday’s forum. Alfonso said he voted to nominate Moreno because she will bring “real progress” for the local community.
“Diana is prepared to fight for affordability for New Yorkers and to work with our Mayor and our partners in government to deliver real progress for our community,” Alfonso said.
Mullarkey-Perez said all four candidates were “outstanding” but said she had voted to nominate Moreno because of her plans for a “safer and more affordable district.”
The Feb. 3 special election winner will earn the right to hold Mamdani’s old Assembly seat through the rest of the 2026 calendar year. The June Democratic primary will decide who will have the party’s backing for the Assembly seat in the 2026 general election.
