DSA member Samantha Kattan hopes to succeed Claire Valdez in the Assembly

Socialist tenant organizer Samantha Kattan has filed to run for Assembly District 37 in western Queens, hoping to succeed Assembly Member Claire Valdez who’s planning to run for Congress.

“Assembly Member Valdez is a powerhouse fighter for the residents of AD37,” Kattan told City & State in a text message confirming her plans. “I’m exploring a run for assembly to ensure that the working class of Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, Maspeth, and Ridgewood continue to have excellent representation in Albany, should she choose to run for another office.”

Kattan filed with the state Board of Elections on Dec. 31 and has already launched an ActBlue page to begin raising funds for her Assembly run. She currently works as director of contracts at the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, a nonprofit organization that helps tenants create housing co-ops. Kattan said she’s lived in the district, in Ridgewood, for more than five years.

Both Kattan and Valdez are members of the Democratic Socialists of America. Kattan joined the socialist group in 2017 and has played a key role in its electoral strategy. In 2019, she helped launch fellow tenant activist Phara Souffrant Forrest’s successful Assembly campaign in Brooklyn.

With Valdez now widely expected to run for the open House seat in the 7th Congressional District following Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s planned retirement, DSA hoped to find a suitable replacement for her in the left-leaning district in the heart of the “Commie Corridor.” Mamdani beat former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by 54 points in the final round of the Democratic mayoral primary in Valdez’s district. That’s where Kattan comes in.

“As a tenant organizer, socialist and mother, I would be ready on Day 1 to fight for my community if the opportunity arises, and I would look forward to hearing from members during the DSA endorsement process,” she said.

DSA has scheduled a Jan. 14 candidate forum to consider endorsements for candidates in both NY-7 and AD-37. A DSA member familiar with the situation said Kattan is the only candidate being considered for endorsement in the Assembly district. No other candidates have filed campaign committees for the district.

Kattan is almost certain to receive the socialist group’s endorsement, which would make her the seventh active Assembly candidate (not counting incumbents) backed by the group this cycle.