News & Politics
Brian Romero hopes to succeed his former boss in the Assembly
He is running for Jessica González-Rojas’ seat, after serving as her chief of staff for more than four years.
Brian Romero, center, stands with his former boss Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, left, and his current boss state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez. Courtesy of Brian Romero
Brian Romero is filing to run for an open seat in Assembly District 34 in the hopes of succeeding Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, his former boss who is running for the state Senate. A member of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, Romero is applying for NYC-DSA’s endorsement in the race and plans to work closely with the socialist organization if he wins.
“I’m ready to assume this role, and I’m ready to fight unapologetically for our communities and demand that our state government and our leaders respond to the political moment and ensure that New Yorkers are able to access their most basic needs,” he told City & State.
Romero worked for more than four years as González-Rojas’ chief of staff before leaving earlier this year to become chief of staff to state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez. González-Rojas is challenging state Sen. Jessica Ramos in the 13th Senate District, which partly overlaps with Assembly District 34. After González-Rojas decided to run for Senate, she encouraged Romero to run for her Assembly seat.
“I am really thrilled that he’s decided to run to represent the community,” González-Rojas told City & State. “I think he will be a wonderful advocate and an amazing partner in the Assembly as I seek to gain the Senate seat.”
Like Romero, González-Rojas and Gonzalez are members of NYC-DSA. Gonzalez is also one of the group’s nine Socialists in Office – a group of lawmakers endorsed by the DSA who meet regularly with representatives of the organization and collaborate on legislation. Romero hopes to join the group if he wins his Assembly race.
For now, Romero plans to remain in Gonzalez’s office until after ballot petitioning ends in March – but not as her chief of staff. Gonzalez is bringing in Katie Loeb, who most recently served as chief of staff to then-New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera, to serve as her new chief of staff on Nov. 3, with Romero moving to a deputy chief of staff position.
Gonzalez praised Romero, who became her chief of staff in May, but stopped short of formally endorsing him to avoid getting ahead of NYC-DSA’s endorsement process.
“There is a process for endorsement with the Democratic Socialist of America,” she said. “There’s an application process and then a candidate interview forum that happens. I’ll be certainly looking to see what the chapter recommends.”
She added: “Obviously, if Brian were to receive the endorsement, I would be really proud to endorse someone like him who’s really been a champion for so many causes, and who I just personally know to be a really passionate and dedicated human being. I think he would certainly make a good democratic socialist in office.”
Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, another Socialist in Office, also expressed support for Romero, though she too said that she respected the DSA’s endorsement process.
NYC-DSA’s Electoral Working Group plans to hold a forum next month to consider whether to endorse in the Democratic primary for Assembly District 34. In addition to Romero, at least one other candidate has expressed interest in seeking the DSA’s endorsement in that primary.
Romero grew up in Assembly District 34 but only recently moved back to it, having spent the past few years living in neighboring Assembly District 36, which is represented by New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. Since 2022, Romero has served on the Democratic state committee in an unpaid position representing Assembly District 36.
González-Rojas said that Romero is no carpetbagger.
“He grew up in the district. I’ve seen his old homes, many of which were basement apartments, and he’s dedicated his every waking moment to the residents and community of Assembly District 34. … He grew up here. He served this district with love and care and compassion and dedication and tirelessness,” she said.
John Scott, a Democratic state committee member representing Assembly District 34, is endorsing Romero’s campaign.
Romero hopes to appeal to the same base of support in western Queens – which includes young progressives and working-class Latino and Asian communities – that have previously helped deliver wins to Mamdani, Gonzalez, González-Rojas, Assembly Member Claire Valdez and New York City Council Member Tiffany Cabán. Like Mamdani, Romero is an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights and has been arrested at pro-Palestinian demonstrations – once in Washington, D.C., and once outside U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s office in New York City.
Romero said that if he’s elected, he’ll support many of the DSA’s top legislative priorities, which include taxing the rich, creating a Social Housing Development Authority to fund the creation of affordable and publicly owned housing, and implementing a universal single-payer health care system.
Immigration is a particularly salient issue in Assembly District 34, a majority-Latino district home to many immigrants, and Romero said that he supports a number of bills aimed at combating President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown: the New York for All Act (which would bar local law enforcement from collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), the Access to Representation Act (which would guarantee legal representation to people facing deportation) and the MELT Act (which would ban ICE agents from wearing masks).
Romero also supports more controversial bills co-sponsored by DSA-aligned state legislators, including a bill to decriminalize sex work and the “Not on Our Dime” legislation that would prohibit New York-based nonprofit organizations from funding Israeli groups that contribute to illegal West Bank settlements or war crimes in Gaza.