Here are the NYC seats DSA is eyeing in 2026

The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America has endorsed six new Assembly candidates, one new state Senate candidate and two new congressional candidates in this year’s midterm elections.

The socialist organization behaves less like a progressive advocacy group and more like a party surrogate – recruiting its own candidates, staffing their campaigns, shaping their policy platforms and organizing massive volunteer canvassing operations. Wary of overstretching itself, DSA chooses its endorsements very carefully after significant internal deliberation, rather than weighing in on every race.

Still, the socialist group has a full slate of candidates ready to run next year – in special elections, for open seats and against Democratic incumbents. Here’s a list of the state legislative and congressional seats that DSA is targeting next year.

This list doesn’t include races where a candidate was endorsed by DSA but later dropped out (sorry, City Council Member Alexa Avilés) or primaries where a DSA member is running but either didn’t apply for the group’s endorsement (as in the case of Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas) or didn’t receive it. It also doesn’t include DSA-backed incumbents who are just running for reelection (like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, state Sens. Julia Salazar, Kristen Gonzalez and Jabari Brisport and Assembly Members Emily Gallagher, Phara Souffrant Forrest and Marcela Mitaynes). This list was last updated on Feb. 13, 2026.

Assembly District 36

DSA candidate: Diana Moreno

DSA endorsement status: Official

Serious rivals: Rana Abdelhamid and Mary Jobaida

Democratic primary vote: 81% Mamdani, 19% Cuomo

What’s the deal?: Three DSA members vied to succeed Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the Assembly: Diana Moreno, a former co-chair of Queens DSA; Rana Abdelhamid, a local Muslim community organizer; and Mary Jobaida, who previously ran for Assembly in a neighboring district. But Moreno was the only one to apply for DSA’s endorsement, and she easily received it. The district, in the heart of the “People’s Republic of Astoria,” is very favorable to DSA, with more than 500 active NYC-DSA members.

Moreno, who was born in Ecuador and moved to the U.S. when she was 11 years old, also has good relationships with immigrant advocacy groups and organized labor, having previously served as deputy director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment and communications director for the New York State Nurses Association. On Jan. 5, the Queens Democratic Party chose Moreno as the party’s nominee in the Feb. 3 special election. Five days later, the New York Working Families Party also nominated Moreno to be its nominee.

On Feb. 3, Moreno won a blowout in the special election – with 74% of the vote, with Abdelhamid winning just 17% and Jobaida winning just 8%. She took office the next day, but to hold onto the seat, she’ll still need to win the June primary and the November special election.

The Zohran factor: Mamdani has organized alongside Moreno for years and formally endorsed her at a rally in Astoria on Dec. 20.

Assembly District 37

DSA candidate: Samantha Kattan

DSA endorsement status: Official

Incumbent: Claire Valdez, who’s running for Congress

Serious rivals: Pia Rahman

Democratic primary vote: 77% Mamdani, 23% Cuomo

What’s the deal?: DSA-backed Assembly Member Claire Valdez only won this Assembly seat in 2024, but she’s now running for Congress – which means DSA needs to find a candidate to succeed her in the Assembly.

That candidate is Samantha Kattan, a longtime DSA member and tenant organizer who currently works as director of contracts at the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, a nonprofit organization that helps tenants create housing co-ops. Kattan sought DSA’s endorsement, and NYC-DSA’s Electoral Working Group voted overwhelmingly, 94.5% to 3.5%, to recommend endorsing her.

But she’s not the only one running for Valdez’s seat. Pia Rahman, a former DSA member who most recently served as the campaign manager for Assembly candidate Brian Romero, filed to run for the seat on Jan. 9 – the day after Valdez launched her congressional campaign.

The district is fairly friendly to DSA; it’s home to more than 460 NYC-DSA members, and it just sent Valdez to the Assembly two years ago.

The Zohran factor: Now that DSA has endorsed Kattan for the seat, the mayor has little to lose from endorsing her in an open race.

Assembly District 38

DSA candidate: David Orkin

DSA endorsement status: Official

Incumbent: Jenifer Rajkumar

Democratic primary vote: 70% Mamdani, 30% Cuomo

What’s the deal?: DSA and the broader left have been searching for some time for a candidate to challenge Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, a moderate Democrat and frequent critic of the progressive left who was a strong ally to outgoing Mayor Eric Adams. They finally found one in David Orkin, a DSA member and staff attorney at the influential immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New York.

Following a DSA candidate forum on Dec. 10, the Electoral Working Group voted overwhelmingly, 92% to 3%, to recommend endorsing Orkin. On Dec. 23, NYC-DSA formally endorsed him.

The Zohran factor: There’s no love lost between Mamdani and Rajkumar, and Mamdani will almost certainly endorse Orkin in this race.

Assembly District 54

DSA candidate: Christian Celeste Tate

DSA endorsement status: Official

Incumbent: Erik Dilan

Democratic primary vote: 70% Mamdani, 29% Cuomo

What’s the deal?: In 2018, Julia Salazar defeated then-state Sen. Martin Dilan, becoming the first DSA-backed elected official in the state Legislature. Since then, DSA has repeatedly tried to unseat Erik Dilan, Martin’s son, but with less success. In the 2020 cycle, Salazar’s former chief of staff Boris Santos launched a primary challenge, only to drop out for personal reasons. In 2022, Samy Nemir Olivares – with support from both DSA and the Working Families Party – ran against Dilan and lost by 5 points (about 200 votes). DSA’s latest hope for defeating Dilan is Christian Celeste Tate, an anti-poverty activist who led canvasses for Mamdani’s mayoral campaign in the district.

The Zohran factor: Dilan endorsed Mamdani in the general election and has been named to the mayor’s elected advisory council, which could make it less likely that Mamdani will endorse Celeste Tate’s primary challenge against him.

Assembly District 56

DSA candidate: Eon Huntley

DSA endorsement status: Official

Incumbent: Stefani Zinerman

Democratic primary vote: 75% Mamdani, 25% Cuomo

What’s the deal?: After challenging Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman in 2024 and losing by just 6 points in 2024, Eon Huntley is back. This time around, he actually lives in the district (he was a few blocks outside of it the last time he ran against Zinerman) and he has the support of popular New York City Council Member Chi Ossé, whose district overlaps with Zinerman’s. 

DSA endorsed Huntley in 2024 and is endorsing him again this cycle. Zinerman has some powerful forces in her corner; in 2024, she was endorsed by both House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and state Attorney General Letitia James and received significant financial support from super PACs affiliated with major real estate figures and pro-charter school interest groups. DSA is hoping that momentum from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory will be enough to carry Huntley across the finish line this time.

The Zohran factor: Mamdani endorsed Huntley’s 2024 challenge against Zinerman, but he’s also reluctant to alienate James, who has become a prominent ally, or start a war with Jeffries. If the Black political establishment rallies around Zinerman, Mamdani may decide that endorsing Huntley is too much trouble. 

Assembly District 70

DSA candidate: Conrad Blackburn

DSA endorsement status: Official

Incumbent: Jordan Wright

Democratic primary vote: 63% Mamdani, 37% Cuomo

What’s the deal?: Assembly Member Jordan Wright was elected to the Assembly in 2024, taking over the seat once occupied by his father Keith Wright, now the leader of the Manhattan Democratic Party. The younger Wright is clearly being groomed for party leadership as well and was just named the head of the Manhattan Young Democrats.  

But Conrad Blackburn, a DSA member and staff attorney at The Bronx Defenders, is challenging Wright from the left. Blackburn helped to found and remains a leader of the Bronx Defenders union, which is part of UAW Local 2325, and he’s already been endorsed by United Auto Workers Region 9A. Following a DSA candidate forum on Dec. 10, NYC-DSA’s Electoral Working Group voted overwhelmingly, 93% to 3%, to recommend endorsing his campaign. On Dec. 23, NYC-DSA formally endorsed Blackburn.

Blackburn identifies as a Black radical socialist in the mold of former Council Members Charles Barron and Kristin Richardson Jordan and is a fierce critic of the overpolicing and over-incarceration of Black communities. Like Mayor Zohran Mamdani, his electoral strategy focuses on mobilizing disengaged voters. It will be an uphill battle for DSA, which has made relatively few inroads into the area. The district is home to just under 200 NYC-DSA members.

The Zohran factor: Mamdani is unlikely to want to pick a fight with the Wrights, both of whom backed Cuomo in the primary but endorsed Mamdani in the general election and have since been named to Mamdani’s elected advisory committee.

State Senate District 12

DSA candidate: Aber Kawas

DSA endorsement status: Official

Incumbent: Michael Gianaris, who’s not running for reelection

Serious rivals: Steven Raga

Democratic primary vote: 75% Mamdani, 25% Cuomo

What’s the deal?: When state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris announced he will not run for reelection this year, it presented a golden opportunity for Palestinian American socialist organizer Aber Kawas. At the time, Kawas was locked in a contentious race with fellow DSA member Brian Romero for an open Assembly seat in a Latino-majority district that overlapped with Gianaris’ district. The race split the left, with NYC-DSA endorsing Kawas even as WFP and most other progressive groups lined up behind Romero. 

On Feb. 12, Kawas switched from the Assembly race to the state Senate race and instantly went from an underdog to a front-runner. NYC-DSA quickly endorsed her for Senate, as did CUFFH Action, which is backing Romero in the Assembly race. Other groups that endorsed Romero – including WFP and Make the Road Action – also indicated they will likely back Kawas in the Senate race.

Kawas has been an outspoken critic of Israel and an advocate for the civil rights of Muslim communities in New York. Before running for office, she worked at a CUNY legal clinic that represents people – particularly Muslims and immigrants – who have been targeted by the national security state and federal immigration authorities. Her past statements defending the rights of Muslim New Yorkers accused of terrorism have already caused some controversy.

Although progressives are coalescing around Kawas, she may not be running unopposed. Assembly Member Steven Raga, whose district overlaps with Gianaris’ Senate district, has said he is seriously considering running for the seat as well.

The Zohran factor: The mayor reportedly supports Kawas and is likely to endorse her.

7th Congressional District

DSA candidate: Claire Valdez

DSA endorsement status: Official

Incumbent: Nydia Velázquez, who is retiring

Serious rivals: Antonio Reynoso

Democratic primary vote: 76% Mamdani, 24% Cuomo

What’s the deal?: When “La Luchadora” Rep. Nydia Velázquez announced she wouldn’t run for reelection, a House seat opened in the heart of the “Commie Corridor.” The district is one of the most left-wing in the country and has the largest concentration of DSA members in the city, with more than 2,600 active NYC-DSA members calling it home. Two elected officials were widely seen as potential Velázquez successors: state Sen. Julia Salazar, who was the first DSA member elected to the state Legislature, and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. After Salazar decided not to run for Congress, the field seemed to be clear for Reynoso, who has been endorsed by a number of high-profile progressive politicians and groups: Velázquez, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Make the Road Action, New York Communities for Change and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council. 

But DSA isn’t giving up without a fight. Assembly Member Claire Valdez, a soft-spoken former UAW Local 2110 leader who was elected to the state Legislature with DSA’s support in 2024, launched her congressional campaign on Jan. 8. The next day, she was endorsed by both Mamdani and UAW President Shawn Fain. Valdez is leaning heavily on her experience as a union organizer as she runs on an explicitly socialist and pro-labor platform, which includes Medicare for All, the PRO Act (which would make it easier to unionize) and an end to all aid to Israel.

Both Valdez and Reynoso applied for DSA’s endorsement, but the group overwhelmingly preferred Valdez – with the NYC-DSA Electoral Working Group voting 94%-3% to recommend endorsing Valdez over Reynoso. In a later vote open to all NYC-DSA members, 97% voted in favor of endorsing Valdez. On Jan. 22, NYC-DSA voted to formally endorse her.

The Zohran factor: The mayor endorsed Valdez on Jan. 9, the day after she announced her congressional run.

13th Congressional District

DSA candidate: Darializa Avila Chevalier

DSA endorsement status: Official

Incumbent: Adriano Espaillat

Democratic primary vote: 60% Mamdani, 40% Cuomo

What’s the deal?: Remember Justice Democrats? The progressive group that helped get Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez elected in 2018 has been dormant for a few years, but they’re making a splashy comeback this cycle – and one member of their new slate of candidates is Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Harlem-based organizer who played an active role in pro-Palestinian encampments at Columbia University. Chevalier recently joined DSA and applied for DSA’s endorsement. 

She is challenging Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the first formerly undocumented immigrant elected to Congress and an influential Upper Manhattan power broker. Espaillat has a large base of support within the Dominican American community and has tried to build out his own political machine to counter the influence of Manhattan county party boss Keith Wright, his chief rival. Though Espaillat is a reliable progressive, his staunch support for Israel has put him out of step with younger, left-leaning Democratic voters. 

On Dec. 20, DSA’s Electoral Working Group voted 69% to 28% to recommend endorsing Chevalier. A vote of all NYC-DSA members also showed significant support for Chevalier, with 82% voting to endorse her. On Jan. 22, NYC-DSA voted to formally endorse her.

The Zohran factor: Although he endorsed Cuomo in the primary, Espaillat was a key endorser for Mamdani in the general election and has now been named to the mayor’s elected advisory council. Mamdani is unlikely to want to go to war with Espaillat, who has influence over key City Council members.