Democratic socialists vie for Mamdani’s New York Assembly seat after his mayoral victory

Several members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) appear to be lining up to win Zohran Mamdani’s New York State Assembly seat after the 34-year-old stunned the political landscape to become the city’s next mayor.

Rana Abdelhamid, an Egyptian-American and Muslim community organizer, filed to run for Assembly District 36, the western Queens district that covers the Astoria neighborhood, according to City and Stateciting State Board of Elections records.

Meanwhile, DSA leaders have already recruited former Queens DSA Co-Chair Diana Moreno to run for the seat, while local reports indicate that Mary Jobaida, a former candidate from a neighboring district, may also run.

Abdelhamid is a member of the New York chapter of the DSA. The chapter is the largest in the country, with more than 11,200 members, including Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. Tiffany Cabán, a city council member from the Astoria neighborhood, is also a member of the DSA.

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) appears to be lining up to land Zohran Mamdani’s seat in the New York State Assembly after the 34-year-old stunned the political landscape and became the city’s next mayor in January. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

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A DSA victory in this race would mark another milestone in the group’s growing influence over New York politics.

Abdelhamid had already launched a challenge in the 2022 primaries against then-Rep. Carolyn Maloney, whose district included both the Upper East Side and western Queens. She dropped out of the race after district boundaries were redrawn to exclude Queens, the outlet reported.

Abdelhamid is deeply involved in the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) community in Astoria and helped lead a successful campaign for the state to collect more accurate demographic data on MENA communities, according to City & State..

She also founded a women’s self-defense organization called Malikah and previously told the outlet that she grew up in Astoria, in a part of the neighborhood nicknamed “Little Egypt.”

Sources told the outlet that Moreno would likely receive approval from the DSA.

Left: Diana Moreno leading chants outside Senator Chuck Schumer’s home in Brooklyn during a protest for immigrant rights in 2021. Right: Rana Abdelhamid in Queens, New York, in 2022. Both are candidates to replace Mamdani. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Amir Hamja/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Moreno, who also lives in Astoria, served as co-president of the Queens chapter of NYC-DSA from 2021 to 2023 and was the organization’s communications coordinator from 2023 to 2024. She is also the former deputy director of the immigrant advocacy group New Immigrant Community Empowerment.

“I’m preparing to run for Zohran’s Assembly seat so our future mayor has a strong ally in Albany committed to helping him create an affordable New York!” Moreno posted on Instagram two weeks ago, sharing a story about his candidacy on City & State.

“As a Queens mother, immigrant organizer, and democratic socialist, I am ready to fight for the working people of Queens! LET’S WIN THIS.”

Moreno said she was initially approached by the DSA to run, but declined, citing the requirements of traveling to Albany, given that she had a young child.

Zohran Mamdani currently represents Assembly District 36, the western Queens district that covers the Astoria neighborhood. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

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She said she changed her mind because of what she described as the Trump administration’s “increasing authoritarianism” and the need to meet the needs of working families in her district. Its top legislative priority is free, universal child care.

Moreno’s profile shows her participating in several pro-Palestinian protests in the city.