DSA, WFP and Make the Road likely to back Kawas for Gianaris’ state Senate seat

After state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris announced that he will not run for reelection, progressives are already moving to clear the field for Aber Kawas, a Palestinian American organizer with the Democratic Socialists of America, who is currently running for an Assembly district that overlaps with Gianaris’ western Queens district.

In a statement praising Gianaris’ career, Kawas said that she is considering switching her Assembly campaign to a state Senate campaign.

“With his retirement, I am actively exploring a run for Senate District 12. While the Majority Leader leaves enormous shoes to fill, I believe my deep roots and relationships in the district can advance a bold agenda in Albany and take his work further,” she said, promising an update on her plans “soon.”

Right now, Kawas is locked in a contentious Assembly campaign against fellow DSA member Brian Romero. And Kawas’ claimed “deep roots” in the district are being questioned, since the Brooklyn native just moved to the district in 2024. The primary campaign has become bitter, with baseless accusations that Kawas accidentally moved into the Assembly district. The race has also split the socialist and progressive left, with NYC-DSA backing Kawas and the New York Working Families Party and other progressive groups like Make the Road Action backing Romero.

On Tuesday night, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Romero. It is rare – possibly unprecedented – for Ocasio-Cortez, NYC-DSA’s sole congressional representative, to endorse against a fellow DSA-backed candidate. But Ocasio-Cortez may have felt pressure to endorse Romero, a Latino progressive running in a Latino-majority district that overlaps with her own congressional district – and the timing of the announcement could be intended to put pressure on Kawas to switch to state Senate. 

The tension on the left could be healed if Kawas ran for Senate instead, ceding the Assembly district to Romero. NYC-DSA, Make the Road Action and WFP himself all signaled that they would likely support Kawas if she ran for state Senate.

“Mike Gianaris has been a strong partner to our organization in his career, and I think a democratic socialist should be replacing him,” NYC-DSA Co-chair Gustavo Gordillo told City & State. “We want to maximize our strength in Albany, and this could end up being a good way to do it.” Gianaris’ left-leaning district, which covers much of the “People’s Republic of Astoria” represents a natural pick-up opportunity for DSA, which is already running multiple Assembly and congressional campaigns.

Romero said he would also be happy to see a democratic socialist succeed Gianaris. “I’m excited at the prospect of another democratic socialist in the Senate, especially a Palestinian rights activist like Aber,” Romero told City & State in a text message.

“I think this is really good news,” Perla Silva, political coordinator at Make the Road Action, told City & State. Silva said that although Make the Road ultimately endorsed Romero in the Assembly race, they were still very impressed with Kawas. “In the interviews and reaching out for their endorsement for Assembly, everything went well. You know, they really liked her. They were amazed at how young and bad ass and an amazing organizer she was,” she said.

“The reality is that I think my members would definitely be excited to endorse her for this open seat,” she added.

WFP Co-executive Director Jasmine Gripper echoed that sentiment. “Our folks were definitely impressed by her. We all thought she was a strong contender and would make a good addition to the legislature,” she said. 

“We're always really careful about infighting amongst the left, and we try to have a united front as much as possible,” Gripper added. “If we are all in alignment around Brian in the Assembly, potentially Aber in the Senate, it does make for stronger campaigns for the candidates and stronger outcomes for the left overall.”

All three organizations are just waiting on Kawas to make a final decision about whether to run for state Senate.

While their support in the left-leaning district would almost certainly make Kawas the front-runner, she may not be the only candidate in the race. Assembly Member Steven Raga said Monday was exploring a campaign for Senate. 

And while City & State previously reported that former New York City Jimmy Van Bramer was a potential candidate, he pulled himself out of contention Tuesday night after Kawas publicly declared her interest, saying life with his husband is great and he doesn’t want that to change.