Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that New York’s Democratic presidential primary on April 28 will function as the special election date for the 27th Congressional District, one vacant Senate seat and three vacant Assembly seats — one of which is in Queens.
For Assembly District 31 in the southeast part of borough, this timeframe will jumpstart the election to replace former Assemblywoman Michele Titus, who vacated her seat after being elected to the Queen Civil Court bench.
The district extends out from JFK Airport into Arverne, Brookville, Edgemere, Far Rockaway, Hammels, Richmond Hill, Rosedale, South Ozone Park, Springfield Gardens and Wakefield.
Pressure has been building on Cuomo to call the special election to replace Rep. Chris Collins (R-27th District) after he resigned from Congress and pleaded guilty to insider trading. Cuomo’s announcement consolidated all the special elections on the same day Democratic voters will steam into the polls to pick a presidential nominee.
The candidates candidates running for the seat in alphabetical order include Chiedu “Shea” Uzoigwe, a former staffer for Senator Sanders; Derrick DeFlorimonte, member of Community Board 13 and a combat medic with the Army National Guard; Khaleel Anderson, a Rockaway community board member and activist; Lisa George, a staffer from Senator James Sanders’ Rockaway office; Richard David, a district leader and Indo-Caribbean history professor at CUNY; Tavia Blakley, a former staffer for Assemblywoman Titus; and Varinder Singh, a real estate consultant and construction manager with HS Development Group.
