Nearly 100 candidates file petitions to run in Queens

By Ryan Schwach

It seems as though everyone and their mother is running for political office in Queens.

Nearly 100 people in the World’s Borough have submitted petitions to appear on the ballot in June’s primary elections for Assembly, State Senate and Congress.

With 92 filers seeking election, the borough is set to see 19 Democratic primaries – seven of which are for open seats – and at least two Republican primaries.

In total, Queens is currently poised for 25 contested races at some point in 2026.

It’s a busy election season by most measures. Last year, when the only local races unfolding in the borough were for the City Council, 27 people filed petitions.

But not all of the 92 filers will make it to election day. Now that they’ve collected and filed their petitions, those signatures must stand up to muster and make it through the arduous challenge process that will play out in Queens courthouses over the next few weeks.

So far, general challenges to petitions have been filed in 13 Queens races as candidates and their lawyers throw every attempt to get their opponents off the ballot at the wall in the hopes something sticks.

The objections are often as numerous as the signatures themselves, and involve one candidate taking legal issue with an opponent’s petitions in an attempt to invalidate their candidacy.

They can often be centered on mundane and seemingly innocuous mistakes – for instance, abbreviating street as “St.” or avenue as “Ave.”

Candidates have until next week to file judicial proceedings against their opponents.

“Campaigns and attorneys are working feverishly evaluating their opponents petitions, and there’s a lot of analysis and data entry always done every election during this time,” said Queens election attorney Ali Najmi. “It is a fast paced, high intensity moment.”

But in the time before candidates and their lawyers head to court, Queens still has at least 92 people filed to run for political office. The next few weeks will decide who actually has a bubble to fill in on June 23.

The free-for-alls

A few impending surprise retirements in Western and Southeast Queens have created a handful of open races this election season.

There are seven open races without an incumbent – five in the State Assembly, one in the State Senate and one in Congress.

In the Rockaway-centered Assembly District 23, three Democrats and one Republican have filed to succeed Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato, who announced her retirement earlier this year.

Both of the leading Democrats have run for office before.

Pesach Osina, who has been endorsed by both Pheffer Amato and the Queens County Democratic Party, has previously run for the City Council. As has his chief opponent, Queens attorney Mike Scala.

Electra Holmes, a Rockaway Park resident, had also filed as a Democrat, but petition objections invalidated the majority of her petitions, she told the Eagle.

Running unopposed as a Republican is another returning face, retired Army colonel Tom Sullivan, is making his fifth attempt at election to local office.

In Western Queens, Shamsul Haque, Somnath Ghimire and Patrick Martinez have all filed to run as Democrats in the race to replace Assemblymember Steven Raga, who has mounted a bid to replace retiring State Senator Michael Gianaris. Brandon Castro has filed petitions on the Republican and Conservative Party lines.

So far, none of the candidates’ petitions have been challenged.

Queens’ most crowded open race comes in Southeast Queens’ District 32, where six Democrats are filed to succeed retiring Assemblymember Vivian Cook.

Nathaniel Hezekiah, Latoya LeGrand, Tunisia Morrison, Queen Johnson and Mohammad Molla have all filed petitions to run as Democrats.

LeGrand has also filed to run on the Working Families Party line after the party endorsed her in February.

Only Molla’s petitions have been challenged.

District 34, which covers parts of Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and Astoria, is up for grabs as its incumbent, Jessica González-Rojas, runs for the Senate.

González-Rojas’ former chief of staff, Brian Romero, has filed petitions to run on both the Democratic and WFP tickets.

Democratic Socialist Aber Kawas initially filed for the seat, but later switched to run against Raga for the State Senate. That has left Roosevelt Avenue advocate Rosa Sanchez as Romero’s only competition.

There are currently no objections filed in the race.

There are also no current objections in the open race for Assembly District 37, where incumbent Claire Valdez is running for Congress. In that race, Democratic Socialist Samantha Kattan is running against community organizer Pia Rahman and Sunnyside advocate Melissa Orlando.

The only open race in the State Senate is the race to succeed Gianaris between Raga and Kawas.

Kawas has had her petitions challenged, a move she called “undemocratic” in a statement last week.

Sheryl Fetik is also running as a Democrat and Han-Khon To is running as a Republican in the race. Both have run for office previously and both also have challenges to their petitions.

The only open race in the House of Representatives is in Queens and Brooklyn’s 7th Congressional District.

The frontrunners are Queens Assemblymember Claire Valdez and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. There is an objection filed against Reynoso’s petition signatures on the Brooklyn part of the district.

Queens City Councilmember Julie Won has also filed to run for the congressional district.

The contested races

There are 18 contested races for state and federal office in Queens heading into peak campaign season.

In Assembly District 24, young progressive Mahtab Khan is challenging longtime Assemblymember David Weprin.

Both have objections filed against their petitions.

Assemblymember Nily Rozic does not have a primary opponent for her District 25, but Republican Kenneth Paek has filed to run against her in November.

There are currently objections filed against both of their petitions.

Assemblymember Ed Braunstein is also without a primary, but District 26 is home to Queens’ only Republican primary.

In that race, the Queens GOP is backing Robert Speranza, who is running against Philip Grillo, a former district leader convicted and then pardoned for his involvement in the January 6 insurrection.

Grillo is challenging Speranza’s petitions, and Braunstein surrogates are challenging the petitions of both of his potential Republican opponents.

Assemblymember Sam Berger has one Republican opponent in Whitestone civic leader Alfredo Centola. There are currently challenges against Centola’s petitions.

In District 28, Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi has a potential Democratic opponent in Jonathan David Rinaldi. The race has already sparked drama after Hevesi accused his opponent of falsifying documents to the Board of Elections in an attempt to change the incumbent’s party affiliation.

Rinaldi has filed multiple challenges against Hevesi’s petitions, and the Queens Democratic Party has filed objections to Rinaldi’s petitions.

Rinaldi, who has run numerous times as a Republican, passed his Republican petitions to a new candidate, David Kemp.

Another Republican candidate, Kevin Keating, declined to appear on the ballot after filing petitions.

In Southeast Queens, Assemblymember Clyde Vanel is being challenged in District 33 by Bryan Oster. There are no objections currently filed in that race.

In District 35, Assemblymember Larinda Hooks is being challenged in the Democratic primary by James Fogle. Neither have had objections filed against the Assembly petitions, but both have had challenges to the petitions they collected for their respective bids for district leader.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Assembly successor in District 36, Diana Moreno, has a primary to run after winning her special election in February.

Community advocate Mary Jobaida is challenging her again after finishing last in the special election for the seat earlier this year. Also running in the race is retired FDNY Lieutenant Kevin Pete Coenen.

Coenen has filed objections against Moreno’s signatures, and Moreno’s surrogates are challenging Coenen and Jobaida’s.

Edward Lee has filed to run on the Republican line in the race.

Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar is facing a primary opponent in democratic socialist David Orkin, and both are challenging each other’s petitions.

Republican Ruben Cruz has also filed to run.

Assemblymember Catalina Cruz has two challengers in District 29 – Democrat Yonel Sosa and Republican Ramses Frias. Objections have been filed against both of the challengers.

In the State Senate, Senator Toby Ann Stavisky had two Democratic opponents in Andrew Engel and Adam Azam, but Engel said on Wednesday that he is expecting to be kicked off the ballot.

“I got the challenges, I can’t overcome them,” he told the Eagle. “This is just a numbers game and at the end of the day, we didn’t have enough help to ensure we got the number of signatures to buffer us.”

The Republican filed in the race, Pamela Michos, has objections filed against her petitions to run on the Conservative Party line.

Senate District 13, is likely the most closely watched race in the borough.

Incumbent Senator Jessica Ramos is being challenged by González-Rojas and former elected Hiram Monserrate.

González-Rojas and Monserrate both have had their petitions challenged by the same person, YingChing Ng. A Ramos spokesperson said that Ng is not connected to the campaign.

All three candidates in District 15 – Senator Joe Addabbo, local leader Albert Baldeo and perennial Republican candidate Danniel Maio – have had their petitions challenged.

Baldeo has already filed to take Addabbo to court over an allegation that the incumbent doesn’t live within the district he represents.

State Senator John Liu has no primary opponent, but has a potential Republican challenger in Phil Wang.

Liu has challenges to his petitions for both the Democratic and Working Families line.

The only notable contested congressional race is in New York’s 5th Congressional District, where Grace Meng is being challenged by former Council staffer Chuck Park.

Both candidates have had their petitions challenged.

Candidates in all races had until Wednesday night to file specific objections against their opponents. They have until April 20 to commence court proceedings.