Rana Abdelhamid, a community organizer and Democratic Socialists of America member, is officially kicking off a campaign for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s state Assembly seat, pitting her against a fellow DSA adherent who has already locked in the leftist group’s endorsement in the race.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily News on Monday, Abdelhamid, the founder of a self-defense group who has unsuccessfully campaigned for Congress, said she’s jumping into February’s special election for Queens’ 36th Assembly District because of her deep ties to the neighborhood.

“It’s home to my community, which is Little Egypt, that is the community that raised me, and one thing that is really motivating me to run is that I’m really tired to see that people are not able to stay here,” Abdelhamid said, vowing she would if elected fight to expand universal child care for city residents and enact other programs aimed at driving down the cost of living for New Yorkers.

“I want to create an Astoria and Long Island City that people can stay in.”

According to her team, Abdelhamid is expected to formally launch her campaign Tuesday with a video announcement as well as a press conference in Astoria. Having earlier this month opened an exploratory campaign account, Abdelhamid has raised about $140,000 so far, a portion of it being money left over from her failed 2022 congressional campaign, her team said.

Abdelhamid’s entry into the race for the Astoria-based Assembly seat could create an awkward dynamic for Mamdani, a DSA member who is as the district’s outgoing incumbent expected to chime in on the contest.

Diana Moreno, a former co-chair of the DSA’s Queens branch, is already running for Mamdani’s seat and expected to receive the DSA’s formal endorsement after its Electoral Working Group recently voted overwhelmingly to give her the nod.

  • SexUnderSocialism [she/her]@hexbear.net
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    4 months ago

    A lifelong resident of Astoria who is friends with Mamdani, Abdelhamid said she’s running for the seat no matter what. She said she at one point “pursued” DSA’s endorsement, but respects that the group had other “priorities” in backing Moreno.

    Last week, Mamdani also successfully convinced the DSA to not endorse City Councilman Chi Ossé’s 2026 campaign against Brooklyn Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, a centrist Democrat who is the U.S. House minority leader.

    Hmm… thonk

      • SexUnderSocialism [she/her]@hexbear.net
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        4 months ago

        Apparently, the guy is a former Black Lives Matter organizer and founder of an activist collective that called for an end to qualified immunity, defunding and demilitarizing the NYPD. He’s met Mamdani before, and previously joined the DSA in 2020, but left because he felt like they weren’t serious enough, then supported Mamdani for mayor and rejoined the DSA. He doesn’t exactly sound like a random nobody to me.

        • AssortedBiscuits [they/them]@hexbear.net
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          4 months ago

          Apparently, the guy is a former Black Lives Matter organizer and founder of an activist collective that called for an end to qualified immunity, defunding and demilitarizing the NYPD.

          He’s already more qualified than Mamdani lol

      • Alaskaball [comrade/them, any]@hexbear.net
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        4 months ago

        Hm that would make sense. I wouldn’t want to spend resources on an unknown element try to ride into power. If that challenger was serious about being in the DSA and challenging Jeffries, we’ll hear about him again in two years when he’s a more known element that’s loyal to their succdem party and not an opportunist.

        • MayoPete [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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          4 months ago

          The Americans who currently call themselves the left are too comfortable to do anything else. Implicating myself here too. We’re not gonna start any guerilla militias unless conditions get much worse.

          If you want to change thus figure out how to organize the more precarious class with a bunch of middle-class white needs…

  • Evilphd666 [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    4 months ago

    Blueberry - Someone who runs as a sucessful progressive/leftist campaign, but once elected turns into just another establishment defending Democrat.

    They ALWAYS become Blueberries 🫐 in the end. Oh well…the struggle continues.

    Then we have to have some morals teaching Oompa Lumpa song.