OD&A’s Primary Watch Update: Go Knicks! Special Edition

Checking on the “slugfest” in New York’s 61st state Senate District, the challenge to unseat Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, the race to replace Deborah Glick in AD-66, and more in this latest installment of our primary preview series.

By Ralph R. Ortega

Finally! Early voting in New York’s primary election started this past Saturday and continues through next Sunday. And to help get to the June 23 finish line, O’Donnell & Associates offers another installment in its 2026 Primary Preview series.

We couldn’t offer a preview without going back home to Western New York for a look at the contest in the state’s 61st Senate District, which includes parts of Buffalo and Tonawanda, the Towns of Amherst, Grand Island, and Tonawanda, along with the Villages of Kenmore and Williamsville.

Running in the June 23 Democratic primary to replace the former state Sen. Sean Ryan, now mayor of Buffalo, is Erie County Democratic Party Chair Jeremy Zellner, who won the district in a February special election, and Assembly Member Jon Rivera, who has served in the Assembly for five years.

How’s the race going? WGRZ characterized it as a “slugfest,” primarily because both candidates have tried to associate the other with the controversial Carl Paladino, a Republican and past gubernatorial candidate known for making “outrageous and racist remarks.” That’s the same strategy Ryan used to defeat Chris Scanlon in his mayoral victory last November.

“It’s really disappointing,” Zellner told WGRZ, claiming he wasn’t the first to pull the Paladino card in the race. “My opponent started his campaign with three straight, full, negative, full-size mailers nailing me for … for something that he’s just really misleading and lying to people about, and then he went on TV nailing me with the same stuff, so we have to respond.”

WGRZ reported that the Latino Victory Fund NYC PAC, which supports Rivera, paid for advertisements pointing out how Paladino, known for donating to both the GOP and Democrats, had given thousands to the Erie County Democratic Committee under Zellner.

Zellner has also tried to tie Rivera to Paladino via campaigns for the Assembly Member’s father, Buffalo Common Council Member David Rivera, claiming that David Rivera had accepted donations from Paladino during the same time in the early 2010s, and certainly not noting that Council Member Rivera donated that money to charity. Zellner has most of the major endorsements from elected officials, including Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Rivera, on the other hand, has almost universal support from organized labor and other progressive groups, including the Working Families Party, Our City Action Buffalo, and others that have partnered with Rivera’s grassroots campaign.

Rivera also has political connections in Buffalo to fall back on, including through his father’s seat on the Buffalo Common Council. Already looking ahead to November, Rivera was able to get on the ballot in the general election under the Working Families Party.

Jenifer Rajkumar versus the DSA

Jenifer Rajkumar certainly drew a lot of attention to herself over the past couple of years, and it wasn’t just because of her signature red dress.

First, the Queens Assembly Member and first South Asian American woman elected to the Legislature, ditched her 2025 run for New York City Comptroller, a primary race won by Mark Levine. Rajkumar, instead, chose to run for public advocate in a primary race that same year that went to the incumbent, Jumaane Williams.

While it was a long shot for Rajkumar, she argued her internal polling showed she had a good chance, as reported by City & State. But those polling results were not shared with the magazine, and even the polling that was released, and paid for by her supporters, still showed her trailing Williams, a progressive who handily won the primary.

Rajkumar, a former Mayor Eric Adams ally who criticized Williams as being too much of a lefty, has now pivoted back to the seat she’s held for five years in New York’s 38th Assembly District in Queens. The district represents Glendale, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood, Woodhaven, and parts of South Ozone Park and South Richmond Hill.

Her challenger? Another lefty: immigration lawyer and Democratic Socialist David Orkin, who pulled out the big guns in a failed challenge to Rajkumar’s petitions. A Queens judge threw out the challenge, based on procedural issues.

Born in Tarrytown and the child of doctors who immigrated from India and first settled in Queens, Rajkumar has strong support in the South Asian community and won the endorsement of labor unions, including the New York City Uniformed Fire Officers Association, as well as one from the South Asian Herald newspaper. She’s still in what’s considered a tough race against the DSA’s effort to unseat incumbents across the state.

Rajkumar told O’Donnell & Associates that she’s running on the “cost of living,” affordability and healthcare. She wants to drive down the costs of generic prescriptions, “so people can afford their life-saving medications,” she said in a telephone interview. “I am the daughter of doctors. So, making healthcare affordable is very important to me.”

“I also am focused on affordable housing,” she added. “Already in Albany, I passed my own legislation to make sure that we build housing faster. Because it is so important that New Yorkers can afford to live in the neighborhoods that they grew up in and that they can afford to stay in the city and not have to move.”

A half dozen Dems want Deborah Glick’s seat in AD-66

Assembly Member Deborah Glick is calling it quits after 35 years in the Legislature, and six Democrats have lined up to run for her seat in New York’s 66th Assembly District. The Manhattan district represents southwestern Manhattan, including Greenwich Village, Tribeca, SoHo, NoHo, parts of Battery Park City and the Meatpacking District.

Glick has handpicked a successor: Jeannine Kiely, a local district leader, member of Community Board 2 and co-founder of the nonprofit Literacy Academy Collective, serving Dyslexic kids. Glick told City & State that she was “very happy” Kiely, also president of Friends of the Elizabeth Street Garden, was running. Elizabeth Street Garden became the center of a dispute over its future and almost was to be razed for the construction of elder housing, until former Mayor Eric Adams City Council Member Chris Marte intervened and a deal was made to leave the property as is. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, however, has expressed interest in returning to the development plan.

Also in the running: Ryder Kessler, a Community Board 2 member and executive director of the political activism group Abundance New York; and civil rights lawyer and New York University Law School professor David Siffert, both endorsed by the Citizens Union.

Others in the crowded race are Furhan Ahmad, a former EMT, New York City police officer and member of the New York City Fire Department; Corinne Arnold, a co-op board president and founder of co-op election services contractor, EZ Election Solutions; and Ben Yee, one of the district’s Democratic State Committee members.

A progressive challenge comes to AD-129 in Central New York

Albany veteran and Assembly Member William Magnarelli must have partied like it was 1999 when he was first elected to represent New York’s 129th Assembly District—because it was 1999.

Now, the long-time member of the Legislature is running for reelection against Onondaga County Legislator Maurice Brown, in yet another progressive challenge to a long-time incumbent. The district includes Syracuse, as well as the towns of Geddes and Van Buren.

What are Brown’s chances against Magnarelli? City & State gives him “underdog” status, running against Magnarelli, who hasn’t been challenged in half of the reelections he’s sought. Magnarelli brings strong support from organized labor and local electeds, as well as an impressive record of delivering for Syracuse and Central New York.

Checking in with AOC, Ritchie Torres, Tom DiNapoli and more, in this latest installment of our primary preview series.

By Ralph R. Ortega

Thank goodness for the Knicks making it into the finals. New York’s NBA darlings have brought “harmony” to the five boroughs, as reported by the New York Times. The team’s recent successes are the city’s great unifier, but maybe a little too much for certain politicians, as evidenced by Brad Lander and Dan Goldman at their first debate last week.

The two vying for NY-10 in the upcoming June 23 primary election had a cringe-worthy moment, facing off in almost identical blue suits and Knicks orange ties. Well, that’s team spirit!

Lander and Goldman went on to spar over Israel in the debate, which did little to differentiate the two very similar candidates. Lander, who’s led in at least one recent poll, continues to lean heavily on his progressive support, while Goldman has his wealth to help keep his momentum going. O’Donnell & Associates will continue watching closely and has its sights on other competitive primary races.

For more, OD&A presents its next installment in a series of primary election previews. We’ve rounded up all you need to know about the races to replace several retiring incumbents, and highlighting those players already in office, aspiring to move up the political ladder. And as City & State reported, there are those running to fill the seats of electeds who may be leaving office in response to a cap being enforced on legislators’ outside income. Clearly, there are those who consider moola before public service.

To start off, let’s pivot over to NY-14, where Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has likely locked up the primary for the district representing both eastern parts of The Bronx and north-central Queens.

AOC’s big ambitions

This explains why the DSA rockstar had her attention focused on a much bigger political contest — the presidency in 2028 — but without exactly admitting it. She hasn’t said she’s running, but she’s just finished an official national tour, which some see as the latest sign that she’s considering a run for the White House.

As for the primary, she’s being challenged again by Marty Dolan, the retired Wall Street executive who lost miserably in his first run against AOC. As reported by City & State, Dolan launched a “doomed” bid against the Congress member, after she won 82% of the vote two years ago, versus his 18%.

Also in the running is first-timer Felipe Garcia, a Hunts Point native and former Mount Sinai executive. Garcia has characterized himself as the alternative to “woke and socialist” politics. As pointed out by the Bronx Times, Garcia has a “tiny campaign with almost no staff and just a few thousand dollars in the bank.”

NY-15 and Ritchie Torres, another likely winner

Rep. Ritchie Torres has got his staunch defense of Israel and a war chest of nearly $6 million on his side against a dwindling number of challengers.

Out is Assembly Member Amanda Séptimo, as well as DSA member and public defense attorney Dalourny Nemorin. Nemorin, in an interesting switch, instead chose to moderate a NY-15 debate back in April. Torres was a no-show.

Still in are former Bronx Assembly Member Michael Blake, who opposes unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel, and political organizer and activist Jose Vega, a follower of Lyndon LaRouche.

Filling Mike Gianaris’ shoes in state Sen. District 12

Mike Gianaris’ retirement has opened up this race to not one, but two DSA members duking it out for the Western Queens district: Assembly Member Steven Raga and Palestinian American organizer Aber Kawas, who has the support of the DSA’s city chapter and previously was running to replace Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas. Kawas ended that campaign after Democratic Socialist Brian Romero received the endorsement of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Kawas pivoted over to the race to replace Gianaris within days of his announced retirement after more than 25 years in the state Senate earlier this year. Kawas’ DSA’s blessing is seen as a strong advantage within the district, which as noted by City & State’s Rebecca Lewis, “birthed Mayor Zohran Mamdani and is home to ‘The People’s Republic of Astoria.’”

Kawas also has Make the Road Action New York and United Auto Workers Region 9A behind her, as well as support from local democratic socialists serving in elected office.

Meanwhile, Raga is running as a progressive, with backing from Richards, Assembly Member Catalina Cruz and several big unions.

Two Downtown Dems run to replace state Senator Brian Kavanagh

When state Senator Brian Kavanagh announced he would be retiring at the end of this term later this year, two well-known downtown Democrats threw their hats into the ring to replace him in New York’s 27th state Senate District, which covers most of Lower Manhattan: Assembly Member Grace Lee and Yuh-Line Niou.

Lee, elected in 2023, represents Assembly District 65, which includes the Lower East Side, Chinatown and FIDI.

Niou, who was Lee’s predecessor, held the seat for two terms and should be a familiar face with voters. However, she faces stiff competition from Lee, Kavanagh’s pick for a successor, and who has the backing of City Comptroller Mark Levine, Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, along with several New York City Housing Authority tenant association presidents.

And yes, there’s a vacancy to fill in AD-65

With Lee out, several candidates have lined up to replace her in Assembly District 65. Back is Illapa Sairitupac, who lost to Lee by 14 points when she won the seat in 2023. This time, Sairitupac returns endorsed by the local DSA chapter, several powerful unions, and is seen as the leader of the race.

Also in the running are Baruch Houses tenant and activist Jasmin Sanchez, who has endorsements from Rep. Nydia Velázquez and Citizen Action of New York; community organizer Lilah Mejia, endorsed by City Council Member Harvey Epstein; attorney Wei-Li Tjong, who received state Sen. John Liu’s backing.

Jay Jacky Wong, a well-known fixture in Chinatown and district leader, also has filed to run.

Jabari Brisport goes for a third

State Sen. Jabari Brisport, who holds the distinction of being the first LGBTQ+ person of color to join the Legislature, is vying for a third term representing New York’s 25th state Senate District in Brooklyn, and looks like he may pull it off.

Brisport is challenged by Marlon Rice, director of event services at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, where he works on community programming. So far, according to City & State, Rice has not lined up any key endorsements. On his side is that he is seen as a proxy for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries against the DSA.

Brisport, meanwhile, faced some recent negative news in a Politico article that reported he had gone back on his word when he promised to cut back his salary if elected in his failed 2017 City Council run. Politico found that Brisport reneged on that promise and took his full Legislative salary after he successfully ran for the state Senate in 2020. He in fact voted for a pay increase in 2023. That report hints at possible opposition research.

What? Tom DiNapoli faces a primary challenge?

It finally happened.

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is facing his first primary challenge since his first election to the office almost 20 years ago. And the contest is drawing a lot of attention as the only statewide race on the ballot in the June 23 primary election.

Challenging him are two progressive candidates: Raj Goyle, a former Kansas legislator and one-time Kansas Democratic Congressional nominee, is currently co-chair of the 5BORO Institute, a New York City think tank. Also running is Drew Warshaw, COO of the housing nonprofit, Enterprise Community Partners.

Both men have been portraying themselves as the more progressive, and have attacked DiNapoli as being a lackluster incumbent whose time is up.

DiNapoli, however, has the upper hand, having won the state Democratic convention overwhelmingly and securing key endorsements from labor, including from the state AFL-CIO. So, while he appears to have a solid path to victory, it’s not a moment for complacency.

Next up: In OD&A’s next installment of its primary preview series, we take a look at the bitter battle to replace Sean Ryan in Western New York’s state Senate District 61, the challenge to unseat Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, who can replace the retiring Deborah Glick in AD-66, and more!

Keeping up with what you need to know about the June 2026 contests across New York state

By Ralph R. Ortega

The June 23rd primary election is less than a month away, and O’Donnell & Associates is keeping a close watch on the hottest races. To help keep track, OD&A presents this first in a series of primary election previews.

This year’s primary is a mix of a few high-profile statewide contests and a high volume of district-wide legislative races.

Let’s start with some of the action happening in New York City, where voters will set out to decide key battles to replace two longtime members of Congress who are retiring, Jerry Nadler and Nydia Velázquez, and where a third, Adriano Espaillat, is fending off a progressive challenger endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The wide field for NY-12

Certainly, drawing the most attention is the contest to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler. The 78-year-old Nadler’s upcoming retirement has opened a wide, competitive field of candidates running to replace the Democrat in a district that includes Midtown Manhattan, the Upper West and East Sides and Central Park.

So far, it’s been tough to predict who might win in NY-12, with different polls showing Jack Schlossberg (the grandson of John F. Kennedy), and Assembly Members Alex Bores and Micah Lasher leading or trailing each other by only a few points. Also running is attorney and Donald Trump critic George Conway, who like Schlossberg, has celebrity power behind him to try and get ahead. It’s likely why Schlossberg was targeted by what appeared to be opposition research planted in the New York Times, which ran a story detailing “chaos” in his campaign and high staff turnover.

However, most observers believe the race is more a contest between Bores and Lasher, a literal battle between the East and West sides of Manhattan. Bores, who helped shape New York state’s landmark AI policy, has been targeted by the AI tech industry with a barrage of negative television ads and mailers that some believe are having a reverse effect, boosting him instead in the polls.

His AI efforts also are growing his progressive support, landing him an endorsement from Democratic Socialist, anti-gun activist and former Congressional candidate Cameron Kasky, as first reported by City & State’s new Heard Around Town newsletter.

Meanwhile, Lasher has landed several coveted endorsements, including those of both Nadler and Gov. Kathy Hochul. He also scored a victory when the New York City Board of Elections knocked another candidate with the same first name, Micah Bergdale, off the ballot. The decision came in response to a petition challenge backed by Lasher’s campaign.

Long shots still in the running are Laura Dunn, Nina Schwalbe, Chris Diep and Patrick Timmins. Among them, Schwalbe scored press coverage with a recent WNYC interview portraying her as the underdog female candidate running against a boy’s club, and who won’t give up.

What’s missing from NY-12? An endorsement from Mayor Zohran Mamdani. His most recent went to Darializa Avila Chevalier, a former organizing lead for the mayor’s campaign who is challenging Rep. Adriano Espaillat.

Mamdani announced the endorsement on Thursday and said it would be his last before the primary.

The primary is Adriano’s to lose

The House Democratic primary in NY-13 will see if there’s a challenger who can gain enough traction to unseat Espaillat, the powerful incumbent from New York’s Dominican community who’s chair of the Hispanic Caucus and has landed endorsements from DC 37 and the AFL-CIO.

Running against Espaillat are Oscar J. Romero Jr., Theo Bruce Chino-Tavarez and Chevalier, all who have lagged behind Espaillat’s fundraising. It’s too soon to tell what kind of boost Chevalier, who is backed by the DSA, will get from Mamdani’s endorsement. This comes after she recently appeared to be the victim of opposition research that showed up in the New York Post, which reported that she posted racist remarks about white women in 2019 on Twitter, before it became X.

Progressives battle over replacing Rep. Nydia Velázquez

Endorsements in NY-7 — which covers Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside, Maspeth, Ridgewood, and Woodhaven in Queens, as well as Bushwick, Clinton Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, East New York, East Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg in Brooklyn — have gotten messy.

First the retiring Nydia Velázquez, 72, now serving out her 16th term and who was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, named Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to be her successor. Reynoso, accepting her endorsement, called Velázquez “a hero, a mentor, and a friend,” as well as a “progressive pioneer.”

Mamdani, ever the Democratic Socialist, however, went his own way and chose to endorse DSA-backed Assembly Member Claire Valdez, in a surprising challenge to the powerful Velázquez, who has strong support from Puerto Rican voters within the district. The mayor’s blessing may not be enough though, since Reynoso also has the endorsements from the New York Working Families Party, Attorney General Letitia James, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and the Queens County Democratic Party. He also has union endorsements from 32BJ SEIU and District Council 37.

Also in the running for NY-7 is New York City Council Member Julie Won, who picked up several endorsements from Asian American and Pacific Islander New Yorkers and organizations.

Brad Lander makes a strong bid for NY-10

This race is a hot one. Former City Comptroller Brad Lander followed up his failed mayoral run by going back to his old neighborhood to challenge Rep. Dan Goldman for his seat in NY-10, which includes sections of Lower Manhattan and Western Brooklyn. Goldman won the seat in a crowded primary by a slim margin in 2023.

So far, Lander has scored with progressives, landing endorsements from Mamdani, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Assembly Member Robert Carroll and state Sen. Andrew Gounardes. He also was leading in an exclusive poll by PIX11 News, Emerson College and The Hill. The poll showed 57% of respondents said they would vote for Lander, compared to 23% who said they would vote for Goldman.

The advantage for Goldman, an heir to the Levi’s jeans empire, is the considerable wealth he has to help bankroll his campaign. City & State reported he was sinking $1 million of his own money into the race. He’s also landed endorsements from several political clubs, including from the Independent Neighborhood Democrats. He’s also won support from Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, City Comptroller Mark Levine, Assembly Member Grace Lee and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Both candidates are Jewish and have been critical of how Israel has defended itself in its war against Hamas in Gaza. They also recently were aligned on their opposition to a boycott of Israeli products at the Park Slope Food Coop, which they voiced in their first appearance together on the Brian Lehrer Show.

State Senate District 13: A tale of two Jessicas

State Sen. Jessica Ramos committed a major faux pas with New York’s progressives when she decided to endorse Andrew Cuomo for mayor, following her own failed mayoral run. That explains why the city’s left are passing on the incumbent and throwing their support behind the other Jessica running for state Senate District 13: Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas. The DSA member has racked up endorsements from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, state Attorney General Letitia James, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and the Working Families Party. Interestingly, the DSA has not endorsed González-Rojas in the race for the Western Queens district, which represents Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights. Financially, Ramos started off still on the hook for more than $140,000 she owed from her mayoral campaign. She qualified for matching funds and has been able to outraise González-Rojas.

Also in the running is Hiram Monserrate, the disgraced former City Council member who once held the state Senate seat. Monserrate was expelled from the Legislature after he pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault and later was convicted on corruption charges while he was on the Council.

Replacing Jessica González-Rojas in Assembly District 34

The race to replace Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas in New York’s 34th Assembly District, which includes Astoria, Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Woodside in Queens, started off with a sticky situation, pitting two Democratic Socialists against each other: Brian Romero and Aber Kawas.

Initially, Romero, González-Rojas’ former chief of staff, landed Nydia Velázquez’ endorsement, while the Working Families Party endorsed Kawas, a Palestinian American organizer. Then things cooled down when Kawas switched course and filed to run to replace outgoing Mike Gianaris in state Senate District 12, which includes Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside and Maspeth in Queens. The move came just before Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave her endorsement to Romero, “all but sealing his victory,” as City & State reported earlier this month.

Next up: Our primary preview series will continue next week with more local, state and Congressional races, including the contest in New York City Council District 3. Will Carl Wilson keep the seat he won to replace Eric Botcher, maintaining a tradition of gay leadership in the district? Also, the contests to unseat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ritchie Torres, the race to replace state Sen. Mike Gianaris and the battle for state Comptroller. Will Tom DiNapoli win a fifth term of office?