Who’s running to replace Alessandra Biaggi in the state Senate?

State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi announced her campaign for Congress Monday, and a growing list of Democrats are getting ready to announce their own runs to replace her in Albany. 

At least four Bronx Democrats have expressed interest in representing the district. Biaggi first won the seat in 2018 after beating former state Sen. Jeffrey Klein in the Democratic primary. Klein was the leader of an erstwhile group of renegade Democrats known as the Independent Democratic Conference who infamously caucused with Republicans. Her victory over him was part of a wider blue wave that has increasingly pushed state politics to the left in recent years.

Now, a growing number of potential replacements appear eager to succeed Biaggi – who cannot legally run for reelection and Congress at the same time – as the latest outspoken progressive to land in the state Senate. 

The potential candidates include current elected officials who might be tempted by the additional platform that a seat in the upper chamber of the state Legislature can provide compared to the Assembly or City Council. “I’m seriously considering running for State Senate,” City Council Member Marjorie Velázquez, who won her first term in office just months ago, said in a text. “The State Senate provides a great platform to make the lives of our neighborhoods better. I look forward to the process.” She added that COVID-19 and housing would be key issues in a possible campaign.

Kate Theobald, chief of staff to Council Member Keith Powers, and District Leader John Doyle have also confirmed their interest in the race. A source close to Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez, a 2021 candidate for Bronx borough president, says she is also considering jumping in the race. As is Bronx Community Board 11 Member Christian Amato, a political consultant who was once Biaggi’s deputy chief of staff. Amato was already running for Democratic district leader in the East Bronx Assembly district now repped by Fernandez, and is also considering running for Assembly. Former City Council Member Mark Gjonaj did not respond to a request for comment about his possible interest in the state Senate seat. 

The current state Senate District 34 – which is being reassigned as District 36 in the new legislative map – is undergoing some changes due to redistricting though its partisan balance appears to be remaining the same based on the 2020 presidential election results, according to an analysis by the Center for Urban Research at the City University of New York Graduate Center. Rikers Island and parts of Hunts Point and nearby areas will no longer be located in the district, which will continue to include Riverdale and Woodlawn in the northwest Bronx as well as most of the waterfront in the borough facing the Long Island Sound. No significant changes appear to have been made to the Westchester part of the district. Republicans appear to have little chance of winning the district considering Biaggi’s 50-point margin of victory in the 2020 general election. 

More people could jump into the race as legislative candidates get ready to begin gathering signatures next month to get on the June primary ballot – but some possible candidates have already ruled out a run to replace Biaggi. Assembly Members Kenny Burgos and Amanda Septimo told City & State they are ruling out a run. Assembly candidate Jonathan Soto is sticking to his primary campaign against incumbent Michael Benedetto while Jessica Altagracia Woolford is still aiming to challenge Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz – who quickly put the kibosh on any talk of him eying any campaign for the upper chamber. "Why would I want a demotion?" Dinowitz said in a text. “I love being in the Assembly and I chair the Codes Committee. I don't think becoming a junior senator has much appeal to me."