We are excited today to endorse 19 candidates for the New York State Assembly!
Our endorsees include eight incumbents, seven candidates challenging sitting Assemblymembers, and four candidates seeking open seats. Three of the incumbents we're endorsing are not facing primary races, which we've noted below, so they won't appear on the ballot until November's general election. We also anticipate making additional Assembly endorsements this summer.
The majority of our endorsees, however, will appear on the Democratic Primary ballot on June 28th. In-person early voting begins this Saturday, June 18th. You can check your registration status, find out where to vote, and find other election info at vote.nyc. We've included links to district maps for each of the candidates we're endorsing.
As you probably know, New York State will hold a separate primary for State Senate races on August 23rd. We will be making endorsements in Senate races in the coming weeks.
We are delighted with the 2022 class of Assembly endorsees, and hope you'll join us in supporting their candidacies. Read on to meet them all, listed below chronologically by district number. You can also click the borough links to jump ahead.
2022 State Assembly Endorsees: Queens | Brooklyn | Manhattan | Bronx
Khaleel Anderson, 31st Assembly District, Queens (Incumbent) – Assemblymember Anderson won his seat in 2020 with StreetsPAC's endorsement, becoming the youngest African American to ever serve in the Assembly. He's been a vocal supporter of improved public-transit service since his days as a youth activist, especially better and more reliable buses. He's co-sponsored a number of bills aimed at improving safety and access for cyclists and pedestrians, and frequently bikes to meetings within his district. Assemblymember Anderson is also lead sponsor of a bill that would tax air travel to create an environmental justice fund. He's advocated for creating more open space within his district, including an effort to de-map several blocks beneath the elevated A train line to create a network of public plazas. Anderson does not face a primary challenge, a testament to his work in his first term.
Anthony Andrews, 32nd Assembly District, Queens (Challenger) – Dr. Andrews, an educator and community leader, is challenging long-time incumbent Vivian Cook in this eastern Queens district. He supports improving public transit, including the redesign of the Queens Bus Network and expansion of the Freedom Ticket for LIRR customers, and believes that use of bus-lane enforcement cameras and transit-signal priority should be broadened significantly. He also wants to see the area's haphazard bike lanes connected and expanded into a safe and contiguous network. Dr. Andrews supports allowing speed cameras to operate 24/7, and backs the deployment of specialized cameras to combat noise pollution from illegally modified mufflers.
Jessica González-Rojas, 34th Assembly District, Queens (Incumbent) – Assemblymember González-Rojas won her seat in 2020 with StreetsPAC's support. She was the lead sponsor in the Assembly of, and worked tirelessly to pass, the MTA Bike Access bill, which was signed into law late last year and mandates the creation of a strategic plan to facilitate access to the MTA's bridges and stations. She's proudly championed the 34th Avenue Open Street, and wants to see it turned into a linear park. Assemblymember González-Rojas has continued to advocate for the redesign of dangerous Northern Boulevard, pushing for dedicated bus lanes and protected bike lanes. She's certainly earned another term in Albany.
Juan Ardila, 37th Assembly District, Queens (Open Seat) – Ardila, whom StreetsPAC endorsed when he ran for City Council in 2021, is running to succeed Cathy Nolan, who is retiring from the Assembly. He wants to reduce the car culture in the eastern part of the district by improving transit access and making it easier and safer to bike, and supports the expansion of Citi Bike and the bike-lane network. He's excited about the prospects for the Interborough Express, and is supportive of operating speed cameras around the clock. He's also committed to pursuing reform of the Department of Motor Vehicles, including the periodic retesting or recertification of drivers, and ongoing education efforts.
Brian Cunningham, 43rd Assembly District, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Cunningham, who won a special election to succeed Diana Richardson in March, is running for re-election to a full term. A member of the Assembly's Transportation Committee, he co-sponsored the speed-camera reauthorization bill, and supports creation of a dedicated bus lane on Flatbush Avenue, something he looks forward to working toward with a fellow StreetsPAC endorsee, Council Member Rita Joseph. He's an advocate for Citi Bike expansion, in conjunction with a safer, more robust network of bike lanes. In an attractive field of candidates (we were especially impressed by Tim Hunter, a certain rising star), Cunningham, whom we endorsed for City Council in 2017, stands out for his experience.
Robert Carroll, 44th Assembly District, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Assemblymember Carroll, whom we've endorsed multiple times since 2016, has been a consistent champion for safer streets and better public transit. He continues to advocate for implementing congestion pricing as soon as possible, with no additional exemptions, and for improved bus service, especially a Brooklyn bus network redesign with more dedicated lanes. He's been a vocal supporter of expanding the city's allocation of speed and red-light cameras, and supports expanding the use of cameras to keep bus lanes and bus stops clear of parked cars. Assemblymember Carroll does not face a primary challenge.
Emily Gallagher, 50th Assembly District, Brooklyn (Incumbent) – Emily Gallagher pulled off perhaps the biggest upset of the 2020 election cycle, winning her seat by defeating 24-term incumbent Joe Lentol with StreetsPAC's endorsement and a platform that centered progressive transportation policies. Since taking office, she's continued to champion safer streets, serving on the Assembly's Transportation Committee and successfully lobbying New York City to invest $39 million in improvements to McGuinness Boulevard. She's been a staunch advocate for Open Streets, and her bill with Senator Andrew Gounardes requiring that New Yorkers taking the driver's pre-licensing course be instructed in pedestrian and cyclist safety passed the legislature last month. Next on Assemblymember Gallagher's agenda: advocating for major design changes to her district's Manhattan Avenue.
Samy Nemir Olivares, 54th Assembly District, Brooklyn (Challenger) – Samy Nemir Olivares, a Democratic District Leader, is challenging incumbent Assemblymember Erik Dilan in the 54th District, which includes parts of Bushwick, Cypress Hills, and East New York. He's committed to advocating for improved transit service, especially faster and more reliable buses by way of dedicated lanes, and believes buses should eventually be fare-free. A regular cyclist, he supports significant expansion of the district's bike-lane network. He'll also push for the speedy implementation of congestion pricing once in office.
Hercules Reid, 58th Assembly District, Brooklyn (Challenger) – Reid, a former aide to Eric Adams, joined Families for Safe Streets after he was struck by a driver while riding his bike in 2015. That experience shaped his advocacy for better pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, something he'll prioritize for the 58th District. He'll also push to bring Citi Bike to the area. Reid is committed to working to improve the area's transit options, like speeding up the B46 on Utica Avenue by reducing double-parking, increasing the reliability of the B8, a key east-west bus route, and identifying locations for busways. Monique Chandler-Waterman, who won the May special election for the 58th District Assembly seat, completed our questionnaire but did not schedule an interview.
Grace Lee, 65th Assembly District, Manhattan (Open Seat) – Lee, a neighborhood organizer and small-business owner, impressed us when she ran for this same seat in 2020 against Yuh-Line Niou, who is running for Congress. Lee will make upgrading public transit a priority, especially improving bus service and subway accessibility on the Lower East Side, and she's also interested in reforming the MTA board and making sure the agency is focused on enhancing service. A regular Citi Biker, she supports a safer and more robust bike network, speeding up fixes to Canal Street, and cracking down on the placard abuse that plagues the district's streets and sidewalks. Lee's main primary opponent, Illapa Sairitupac, also impressed us greatly with his enthusiasm around street-safety and transportation issues, but we believe Grace Lee has the experience and commitment to best deliver for the district.
Ryder Kessler, 66th Assembly District, Manhattan (Challenger) – Kessler, a progressive organizer and former social-impact entrepreneur who's challenging long-time 66th District Assemblymember Deborah Glick in the Democratic primary, has made transforming and improving the safety of the city's streets a central plank in his platform. He's an advocate for replacing free curbside car storage with more space for pedestrians, containerized trash receptacles, protected bike lanes, dedicated busways, and improved outdoor-dining setups. He believes the bike network should be expanded and universally hardened against incursion by drivers, and will advocate to end delays in the implementation of congestion pricing. Despite Kessler's robust agenda, this was not an easy decision for us. Assemblymember Glick has worked with Families for Safe Streets to champion speed cameras and other street-safety initiatives. Yet she was slow to come around on congestion tolling, and more recently, rallied with opponents of the Open Restaurants program. We believe the district is ready for new leadership, and we're confident that Ryder Kessler will be a leader in Albany on transportation issues.
Eddie Gibbs, 68th Assembly District, Manhattan (Incumbent) – Gibbs, the first formerly incarcerated person to serve in the State Legislature, was elected to succeed Robert Rodriguez in a special election in January. Assemblymember Gibbs supports implementing congestion pricing with no additional carveouts, and would like to see the MTA improve bus service with more Select Bus Service routes and crosstown busways. He backed the renewal and expansion of the city's speed-camera program and passage of the Crash Victims Rights & Safety Act, and would like to see more street space dedicated to cycling and pedestrian uses.
Delsenia Glover, 70th Assembly District, Manhattan (Challenger) – Glover, a long-time housing-rights activist and former Deputy Public Advocate for Housing Equity, is challenging incumbent Assemblymember Inez Dickens in this district that covers much of Harlem. Glover believes the city would be a much better place with fewer cars, and supports improving bus service with new busways, and expanding the bike network, including improving the greenway along the Harlem River. She supports the expansion of the city's speed-camera program, and will support efforts to pass noise-camera legislation. We believe voters in the 70th District would do well to elect this "big believer in changing the whole cityscape."
Adam Roberts, 73rd Assembly District, Manhattan (Open Seat) – There's a very competitive race shaping up to succeed past StreetsPAC endorsee Dan Quart in this Upper East Side district, but we believe Adam Roberts stands above the pack. Roberts, who directs policy for the American Institute of Architects' New York chapter and was an aide to former Council Member Ben Kallos, is committed to improving transit service and making it safer and easier for people to walk and bike. He supports converting all crosstown bus routes serving the district to Select Bus Service, completing the Second Avenue Subway, and expanding the congestion-pricing zone north of 60th Street, and is a proponent of wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes (including on 72nd Street), and containerizing trash in the street. Two of his competitors, Alex Bores and Kellie Leeson, also impressed us with their positions, but we believe Adam Roberts, with his commitment to transforming the district's built environment, is best positioned in this race.
Harvey Epstein, 74th Assembly District, Manhattan (Incumbent) – Assemblymember Epstein, whom we endorsed in 2018 and 2020, and who's seeking his third term in the Assembly, has been a reliable vote for safer streets and better public transit. He's championed automated camera enforcement, and has expressed an interest in authoring legislation that would increase the consequences for habitually dangerous drivers. He's an advocate for improving bus service, and as someone who often gets around by bike, he supports building more protected bike lanes across the city. He's also been a vocal supporter of Open Streets. Epstein does not face a primary challenge.
Tony Simone, 75th Assembly District, Manhattan (Open Seat) – Come January, the people of the 75th District will have a new Assemblymember for the first time in more than half a century, as Richard Gottfried is retiring. We believe Tony Simone is best qualified to succeed Gottfried. Simone, who's had extensive experience inside and outside government, believes fewer cars, better transit, and more people on bikes are key to a more livable city. He supports moving ahead quickly with congestion pricing, and taking steps to speed up buses. He also supports rethinking the way the city manages its curb space, and told us he thinks the Hudson River Greenway should be widened by taking a vehicular lane from West Street.
Patrick Bobilin, 76th Assembly District, Manhattan (Challenger) – Bobilin, a community organizer and digital-marketing expert, is challenging four-term Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright for this Upper East Side seat. Bobilin supports transit improvements, especially to bus service – he'd like to see a 14th Street-style busway on 86th Street – and ultimately envisions a fare-free transit system supported by progressive taxes. He'd like to improve ferry service by integrating it with the larger transit system, and plans to advocate for major improvements to the East River Greenway. He's also expressed an interest in pushing for reform of the State Department of Motor Vehicles.
Jeffrey Dinowitz, 81st Assembly District, Bronx (Incumbent) – Assemblymember Dinowitz has long been a champion for public transit, authoring the MTA "lock-box" bill that became law in 2019. Though he came later than some of his colleagues to support for congestion pricing, he now backs its implementation without any exemptions not already in the law, citing the need for revenue to improve service and accessibility. He wants the Bronx Bus Network redesign to lead to more frequent buses, especially on east-west routes, and he's expressed an interest in introducing a bill that would allow bus cameras to operate universally. He'd also like the city's Department of Transportation to restart the Neighborhood Slow Zone program, which he feels has improved safety in his district.
Jonathan Soto, 82nd Assembly District, Bronx (Challenger) – Soto, a former staffer for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a background in law and urban planning, is challenging incumbent Assemblymember Michael Benedetto, who's represented this East Bronx district for 18 years. Soto is concerned with the area's too-often "dangerous" car culture, and wants to make it much easier, and safer, for residents to get around without driving. He'll advocate for better biking infrastructure in the district, and would like to see ferries – critical for speeding up long Bronx commutes – made more environmentally friendly and integrated into the transit system.
