Queens Senate Contest Takes Shape with Raga, Kawas in the Running

QUEENS, NEW YORK — The race for New York State Senate District 12 is officially underway, with Assemblymember Steven Raga announcing his candidacy, setting up a closely watched contest that also includes progressive organizer Aber Kawas.

The seat is being vacated by longtime State Senator Michael Gianaris, who has represented Western Queens for decades.

Raga: “This Race Is Personal”

Raga formally declared his campaign, saying the decision came after extensive conversations with residents across Western Queens.

“After talking with neighbors across Western Queens and listening closely to what our communities need right now, I’m officially announcing my candidacy for New York State Senate District 12,” Raga said. “I’m running to deliver on day one with leadership shaped by this community and accountable to working families in Woodside, Astoria, Sunnyside, Elmhurst, Long Island City, Maspeth, Ridgewood, Glendale, and Jackson Heights.”

Raga thanked Gianaris for his “decades of principled leadership for tenants, working families, and progressive change,” pledging to carry that work forward.

The Queens lawmaker framed his campaign as deeply rooted in lived experience.

“This race is personal,” he said. “I was raised in Queens by a Filipina immigrant single mother who was also a proud Teamsters union member. We lived in basement apartments, faced eviction notices, and carried the constant instability of living paycheck to paycheck.”

Raga emphasized his more than two decades of organizing experience, including service on Community Board 2 before entering elected office. In Albany, he pointed to coalition-building, legislative victories, and constituent services as proof of effective leadership.

A member of the PSC-CUNY union, Raga highlighted education funding and labor advocacy as central to his legislative identity.

Policy Agenda: Affordability Front and Center

Raga’s campaign centers on affordability tying together housing, healthcare, childcare, and economic stability.

Among his legislative priorities:

• Protecting and expanding rent stabilization

• Fully funding the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP)

• Advancing social housing through SHDA

• Passing the New Deal for CUNY

• Defending immigrants through NY4All and Access to Representation

• Supporting the NY Health Act and universal childcare

• Backing “Invest in Our NY” to increase taxes on ultra-wealthy individuals and corporations

  
  

“Western Queens is home, from Little Manila in Woodside to Astoria and Sunnyside,” Raga said. “I’m proud of what we’ve delivered together as your Assemblymember, and I’m ready to keep delivering and fight even harder as your next State Senator.”

Kawas: Progressive Challenger

Raga’s announcement comes as Aber Kawas continues her campaign for the same Senate seat. Kawas, a Palestinian-American community organizer and democratic socialist, has built her campaign around grassroots activism, immigrant rights, housing justice, and working-class representation.

Kawas previously ran for the State Assembly and has positioned herself within progressive coalitions in Western Queens, appealing to voters energized by tenant advocacy and social justice movements.

A High-Stakes Contest in Western Queens

District 12 covers Woodside, Sunnyside, Astoria, Elmhurst, Long Island City, Maspeth, Ridgewood, Glendale, and Jackson Heights neighborhoods reflecting the borough’s demographic diversity and rising political engagement.

For Filipino American voters in particular, Raga’s candidacy carries historic weight. In 2022, he became the first Filipino American elected to the New York State Legislature. His Senate run could mark another milestone for the growing Fil-Am community in Queens.

With both candidates appealing to progressive values but bringing distinct backgrounds and political trajectories, the District 12 race is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched contests in Queens.