2026 New York state elections
The 2026 state legislative primary races to watch
New York’s most competitive contests in a year of immense turnover
Diane Chappell
With hotly contested midterm elections at the congressional level and a testy Democratic state comptroller contest, there’s already plenty to talk about ahead of next month’s primary elections. But in the ongoing game of musical chairs that is New York politics, there’s also no shortage of competitive state legislative races this primary season. While that’s in part due to retirements and incumbents looking to move up the ladder, it’s also due to the upcoming enforcement of a cap on legislators’ outside income, leading some to prepare to leave public office in favor of hanging on to their side hustles.
There’s sure to be an unmistakable changing of the guard in Albany come January, but less certain is what that will look like. Many of these races are in New York City, but there are plenty throughout the state too. While some races pit establishment Democrats against the left, others pit the left against the far left. And affordability will continue to be a major theme across the board. Here are the 2026 state legislative primary races to watch.
– Sophie Krichevsky
Senate District 12
Incumbent: Michael Gianaris (retiring)
Candidates: Aber Kawas and Steven Raga
What you need to know: There’s a running theme to many of this year’s must-watch state legislative races: Democratic Socialists of America take on the Democratic establishment. But in the race to replace retiring state Sen. Michael Gianaris in western Queens, it’s a more unique story of DSA versus DSA. The New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America is backing Aber Kawas, a Palestinian American organizer, over Assembly Member Steven Raga, who became the first Filipino American elected to the state Legislature in 2022, and who also happens to be a dues-paying member of the DSA but is not a Socialist in Office (more on that distinction here). Who would expect anything else in a district Mayor Zohran Mamdani won by a landslide 44 points in last June’s Democratic mayoral primary?
Kawas, who was originally going to run in a neighboring Assembly district, has won support from other lefty groups like Make the Road Action New York and United Auto Workers Region 9A, as well as local democratic socialist elected officials. Kawas was born and raised in southern Brooklyn but lived in South Africa for several years and moved to Queens in 2024. She goes up against Raga, a relatively new Assembly member with longer ties to the district who is backed by heavy-hitting unions and other local elected officials, including Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Assembly Member Catalina Cruz. As of early May, Raga had a slight edge in fundraising, with matching funds included.
– Annie McDonough
Senate District 13
Incumbent: Jessica Ramos
Challenger: Jessica González-Rojas
What you need to know: Two Jessicas, one state Senate seat. Incumbent state Sen. Jessica Ramos committed what turned out to be an unforgivable sin in progressive circles when she endorsed Andrew Cuomo for New York City mayor last year as her own mayoral campaign sputtered. Though many other elected officials and the city’s most powerful unions had made the same endorsement, Ramos was instantly shunned and quickly drew a primary challenge from Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas. González-Rojas is endorsed by much of the city’s progressive left, including the Working Families Party, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and state Attorney General Letitia James. González-Rojas is a DSA member, but she’s not endorsed by the group. Both candidates have qualified for the public matching funds program, but González-Rojas leads in fundraising overall.
Ramos, who is backed by a collection of smaller unions, has represented Senate District 13 since she unseated conservative Democrat Jose Peralta in 2018. She became a thorn in then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s side and a darling of the left, but she eventually alienated colleagues and allies, distancing herself from the progressive movement even before she launched an ill-fated bid for New York City mayor. As chair of the powerful Labor Committee, she has sponsored some marquee legislation, including an effort to raise the minimum wage in New York that Hochul included in her budget in 2024. And the deep connections she has forged in the district are not to be underestimated. Ramos has also been a vocal opponent of billionaire Steve Cohen’s casino project in her district – a political minefield.
– Holly Pretsky
Senate District 25
Incumbent: Jabari Brisport
Challenger: Marlon Rice
What you need to know: While NYC-DSA is focused on picking up seats, state Sen. Jabari Brisport is having to defend his from a more mainstream Democrat, Marlon Rice. Active in the district as the event director at the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corp., Rice has come up short on key endorsements so far, but he’s seen as a proxy for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries against DSA – and is angling to earn Jeffries’ formal support before the primary. And Rice is pounding the pavement, arguing he’s the more locally focused candidate versus Brisport, who’s more interested in pushing the socialist policy agenda. Rice has also nearly kept pace with Brisport’s fundraising.
But the incumbent, a former teacher, has easily cruised to reelection twice before, including when he defeated two similarly anti-socialist challengers in 2022. And he’s not sweating this one. In fact, his campaign website hasn’t been updated since that 2022 race. And this year, Brisport has a trump card: a close friendship with the popular mayor, who won the district by 38 points in the first round of the Democratic primary last year.
– Jeff Coltin
Senate District 27
Incumbent: Brian Kavanagh (retiring)
Candidates: Yuh-Line Niou and Grace Lee
What you need to know: It’s a rematch for the ages in New York City’s Chinatown as onetime Assembly contest rivals now compete for an overlapping state Senate district. While there is no incumbent, Assembly Member Grace Lee’s status as a sitting elected official could give her a leg up she did not have when she unsuccessfully challenged Yuh-Line Niou in 2020 for the seat she now holds. Lee also enjoys a significant fundraising edge, as well as more public matching funds so far.
Lee has notably picked up some of Niou’s old backers, including the influential Chinatown political club United Democratic Organization. The group helped launch Niou’s career in elected office as she sought to become the first Asian American to represent Manhattan’s Chinatown. And while Lee has the backing of more moderate lawmakers and groups, she also has support from powerful unions like the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, District Council 37 and New York State Nurses Association, as well as the progressive group Citizen Action of New York.
Niou, attempting to reenter elected office following her congressional loss in 2022, is running as a progressive. She recently received the endorsement of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and enjoys the backing of the New York Working Families Party, as well as a number of other notable left-wing groups and officials.
– Rebecca C. Lewis
Senate District 61
Incumbent: Jeremy Zellner
Challenger: Jonathan Rivera
What you need to know:
Things are getting messy in Western New York, and the showdown between state Sen. Jeremy Zellner and Assembly Member Jonathan Rivera is coming to a head. The former political allies are now engaged in a bitter fight over the state Senate seat previously held by now-Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan.
Zellner raised eyebrows earlier this year when the Erie County Democratic Party chose him in the special election to replace Ryan. The reason: Zellner has chaired the organization for nearly 15 years. Zellner isn’t the only party leader in the state Legislature, but it’s much rarer for a chair to have their own name put forward during the party-controlled special election process. (Zellner technically recused himself from the nominating process.) Still, he defends the move. “I think it actually helps the district to have somebody who has relationships across the state of New York that I have,” Zellner told City & State. “I think it makes (me) a stronger senator, makes the district have a little more clout and stature by having me be the chair.”
He now enjoys the lion’s share of endorsements from elected officials – including the governor.
Despite Rivera having his own political influence, including through his Buffalo Common Council member father who was recently accused of trying to strong-arm candidates for the Erie County Democratic Committee into dropping their bids, Rivera is running an outsider campaign that paints Zellner as an insider and self-annointed lawmaker. “I think at the end of the day, voters are tired of old ways around, the way that the party has attacked other Democrats,” he said, when asked about intraparty fighting. “And I think that people know what people are going to measure us by what we stand on, and people know what I stand on.”
Rivera vied to be the party’s pick earlier this year, but decided to focus his attention on the primary race in June rather than try to run an independent special election campaign against Zellner in February. Now, unions have lined up behind the Assembly member, who also has the endorsement of the New York Working Families Party.
Zellner won the February special election handily, dispatching Republican Dan Gagliardo by over 19 percentage points.
The race – and its underlying tensions – will have ripple effects throughout Western New York, starting first with the race to replace Rivera in the Assembly, and next year in the elections for Buffalo Common Council. And with Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz forgoing reelection, the Zellner/Rivera battle may extend out countywide.
– Rebecca C. Lewis
Assembly District 32
Incumbent: Vivian Cook (retiring)
Candidates: Nathaniel Hezekiah III, Latoya LeGrand, Tunisia Morrison, Queen Johnson, Mohammed Molla
What you need to know: It came as little surprise when Assembly Member Vivian Cook announced she would not seek reelection, opening up her seat for the first time in over three decades. Latoya LeGrand, a former staffer for Cook, became the first person who filed to run – before Cook officially announced her retirement – and has since picked up the support of the New York Working Families Party. But that doesn’t mean LeGrand is the heir apparent for the seat.
Queens factions are split over who they want to succeed Cook. The Queens Democratic Party endorsed Nathaniel Hezekiah III, who serves as deputy chief of staff to party boss Rep. Greg Meeks. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards decided he’d do something different, and instead has backed Tunisia Morrison, a former chief of staff to Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman and his chief of staff’s sister. Democratic socialist Queen Johnson and Mohammed Molla round out the candidates in a crowded race that promises plenty of internal political jockeying for the future of Southeast Queens.
– Rebecca C. Lewis
Assembly District 38
Incumbent: Jenifer Rajkumar
Challenger: David Orkin
What you need to know: Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar – a close ally of former New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the first South Asian American woman elected to the state Legislature – faces a challenge from NYC-DSA-backed candidate David Orkin, a staff attorney at influential immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New York. Rajkumar is running an anti-DSA campaign, and the primary will test whether Mamdani voters in the district prefer South Asian identity or socialist politics. Orkin sued to get Rajkumar kicked off the ballot after her campaign was accused of forging petition signatures – including from a journalist and from one of Orkin’s own volunteers – but the court dismissed the case, so they’ll both be on the ballot in June.
– Peter Sterne
Assembly District 54
Incumbent: Erik Dilan
Challenger: Christian Celeste Tate
What you need to know: NYC-DSA and the New York Working Families Party are backing anti-poverty activist Christian Celeste Tate’s challenge to Assembly Member Erik Dilan, who has already beaten back two challenges from DSA members in previous cycles. (His father, former state Sen. Martin Malavé Dilan, wasn’t so lucky, losing to DSA’s Julia Salazar in 2018.) Dilan is not going down without a fight, and he has secured the support of powerful unions like 1199SEIU, District Council 37 and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.
– Peter Sterne
Assembly District 56
Incumbent: Stefani Zinerman
Challenger: Eon Huntley
What you need to know: NYC-DSA’s Eon Huntley is taking another shot at unseating Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman, after falling short by less than 6 points in 2024. This time around, Huntley actually lives in the district, and he has the support of popular New York City Council Member Chi Ossé, whose district overlaps with Zinerman’s. But 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. This year, she has received support from an independent expenditure committee associated with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, as well as one other known as Moving Brooklyn Forward.
– Peter Sterne
Assembly District 59
Incumbent: Jaime Williams
Challenger: Jibreel Jalloh
What you need to know: Assembly Member Jaime Williams is fighting to hold on to her southeast Brooklyn seat as she faces a challenge from community organizer Jibreel Jalloh.
As an incumbent who has represented the district since 2016, Williams has the advantage of name recognition. But the conservative Democrat has come under fire in recent years for aligning with Republicans, such as her prior support for Republican Curtis Sliwa, her advocacy against an emergency migrant shelter at Floyd Bennett Field and her ardent opposition to the City of Yes local zoning overhaul. She’s also running on the Conservative Party line this year. Several years ago, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and then-Rep. Jamaal Bowman even mistook Williams for a Republican.
Jalloh, by contrast, the young founder and executive director of the nonprofit The Flossy Organization, is positioning himself as a new, more progressive leader for the district. With support from the New York Working Families Party and the powerful District Council 37, he has become a real contender.
– Sahalie Donaldson
Assembly District 65
Incumbent: Grace Lee (running for state Senate)
Candidates: Jasmin Sanchez, Illapa Sairitupac, Mariama James, Wei-Li Tjong, Lilah Mejia, Jay Jacky Wong
What you need to know: In this crowded primary, Illapa Sairitupac has received the bulk of endorsements, including from NYC-DSA and politically powerful unions like the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and 32BJ SEIU. He ran for the seat four years ago, losing by 14 points to current Assembly Member Grace Lee – whose run for state Senate has left the seat open. Meanwhile, Jasmin Sanchez has the support of Rep. Nydia Velázquez and Citizen Action of New York, Lilah Mejia just picked up an endorsement from New York City Council Member Harvey Epstein and Wei-Li Tjong is backed by state Sen. John Liu. And Jay Jacky Wong is well-connected in the Chinatown portion of the district. Both the WFP and Mayor Zohran Mamdani could also weigh in on the race before June. Sairitupac is endorsed by the mayor’s political home, NYC-DSA, and Sanchez worked with his former attorney and close ally, Ali Najmi, to avoid getting booted from the ballot due to a residency challenge.
– Peter Sterne
Assembly District 66
Incumbent: Deborah Glick (retiring)
Candidates: Ryder Kessler, David Siffert, Benjamin Yee, Furhan Ahmad, Jeannine Kiely, Corinne Arnold
What you need to know: When history-making Assembly Member Deborah Glick – the first out gay member of the state Legislature – announced she would retire, at least one person wanted to keep the seat that represents Stonewall gay. Ryder Kessler, co-founder and former executive director of pro-housing group Abundance New York, is running in part on his identity as a gay person. But when he declared himself the only gay candidate running to represent a queer district, it raised eyebrows given David Siffert, a civil rights lawyer, is nonbinary and would make history if elected.
Glick has decided to endorse neither of them, though. She instead has backed Jeannine Kiely, a district leader and a founder of Friends of Elizabeth Street Garden – a fellow NIMBY in the hottest hyperlocal housing development fight in the entire city.
Also in the mix are state Democratic Committee member Ben Yee and Corinne Arnold, who runs an election services business.
– Rebecca C. Lewis
Assembly District 68
Incumbent: Eddie Gibbs
Challengers: Diana Ayala, Tamika Mapp and William Smith
What you need to know: A handful of candidates are looking to unseat Assembly Member Eddie Gibbs in East Harlem, sensing a potential opening in wake of several controversies the East Harlem Democrat has found himself embroiled in in recent years.
Former New York City Council Member Diana Ayala, who served as deputy speaker for several years, has mounted a challenge against Gibbs. She’s already well-known in the district, having represented a large swath of it in the City Council. District leaders Tamika Mapp and William Smith, who previously challenged Gibbs in 2024, are also in the running.
Gibbs made history in 2022 as the first formerly incarcerated person to win a seat in the state Legislature, but a series of recent challenges have rendered him vulnerable. He sued the Manhattan Democratic Party in 2023 after losing a close district leader race only for the judge to throw out his lawsuit. A year later, he generated controversy for making derogatory remarks about Rep. Jerry Nadler. More recently, the Assembly censured Gibbs for making sexually explicit comments on the floor about this mother and the late former Rep. Charlie Rangel.
– Sahalie Donaldson
Assembly District 69
Incumbent: Micah Lasher (running for Congress)
Candidates: Eli Northrup and Stephanie Ruskay
What you need to know: With Assembly Member Micah Lasher running for Congress, the race is on for his seat in Albany. Public defender Eli Northrup, who ran for the seat two years ago but lost to Lasher by 19 points, is making another attempt, with the support of the WFP and other progressive groups. His competition is Stephanie Ruskay, a rabbi and the associate dean of the Jewish Theological Seminary who has the support of much of the Upper West Side’s political establishment, including New York City Comptroller Mark Levine and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal. The super PAC Westside Progress, which helped defeat a City Council candidate backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani earlier this year, and pro-Israel groups like the New York Solidarity Network are also backing Ruskay. Northrup is close to the mayor, and a big unanswered question is whether Mamdani will weigh in on this contentious race.
– Peter Sterne
Assembly District 70
Incumbent: Jordan Wright
Challenger: Conrad Blackburn
What you need to know: Assembly Member Jordan Wright was elected to the Assembly in 2024, taking over the seat once occupied by his father, Keith Wright, the leader of the Manhattan Democratic Party. The younger Wright is clearly being groomed for party leadership, as well, and was recently elected the head of the Manhattan Young Democrats. But he faces a strong challenge from Conrad Blackburn, a staff attorney at The Bronx Defenders who’s running with the support of NYC-DSA and United Auto Workers Region 9A. Blackburn grew up in Florida, and a super PAC supporting Wright has knocked him for a brief internship working for U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi when she was Florida’s top prosecutor.
– Peter Sterne
Assembly District 129
Incumbent: William Magnarelli
Challenger: Maurice Brown
What you need to know: It turns out the trend of primary showdowns between the establishment candidate and a progressive challenger isn’t isolated to downstate. Assembly Member William Magnarelli is a longtime fixture of Albany who has represented Assembly District 129 in Central New York for nearly 30 years. And as chair of the Assembly Transportation Committee, it’s easy for him to campaign on his recent focus on housing and securing downtown revitalization funds for the city of Syracuse. But Onondaga County Legislator Maurice Brown is making an appeal to further-left Syracuse voters, urging them to upend the status quo and unseat Magnarelli, the incumbent more than twice his age he has labeled as a threat to progress. Brown is running on issues like lowering utility costs and building protected bike lanes, and most differs from Magnarelli on taxing the wealthy to fund better infrastructure. But Brown is still the progressive underdog in this fight – taking on a sitting Assembly member who hasn’t had an opponent in half of his elections.
– Kate Lisa
Assembly District 149
Incumbent: Jonathan Rivera (running for state Senate)
Candidates: Adam Bojak, Karen Hoak and Kevin Deese
What you need to know: We told you things were getting messy in Western New York, and that’s bleeding into the race to replace Assembly Member Jonathan Rivera in the lower chamber. Although there are three candidates running, the main battle serves as a proxy war between Jeremy Zellner and the Erie County Democrats, and the Riveras. On one side, the local Democratic organization has thrown its weight behind Karen Hoak, a former Hamburg Town Council member with a long track record in government. Alex Burgos, a young politico with ties to the local party machine, dropped out to back Hoak, and now may run for Jonathan Rivera’s father’s Buffalo Common Council seat.
Supported by Rivera on the other side is attorney Adam Bojak, a Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed candidate who recently gained the backing of Bernie Sanders. A third candidate, Hamburg resident Kevin Deese, has also thrown his hat in the ring, and will be a wild card among the feuding factions.
– Rebecca C. Lewis