NEW YORK — Assemblymember Steven Raga lost his bid for New York State Senate District 12 on Tuesday, falling to Palestinian American community organizer Aber Kawas in a closely watched Democratic primary that tested the strength of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s progressive coalition in western Queens.
With all 150 election districts reporting, Kawas led with 58.3 percent of the vote to Raga’s 38.2 percent, according to unofficial results from the New York State Board of Elections. Kawas received 12,460 votes to Raga’s 8,166 in the open-seat contest to succeed retiring state Sen. Michael Gianaris.
Raga, the first Filipino American elected to the New York State Legislature, entered the race as a sitting Assembly member from District 30, representing parts of Woodside, Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Sunnyside and Maspeth. He ran on a platform centered on immigrant rights, affordable housing, transit improvements and expanded health care access, positioning himself as a “people-powered” progressive focused on working families and small businesses.
But Kawas, a Democratic Socialists of America organizer, consolidated support on the left after winning Mamdani’s endorsement in the race to represent Queens in the state Senate. Political analysts and community leaders said the mayor’s backing (delivered as part of a slate of progressive candidates in Queens) significantly reshaped the contest and boosted Kawas’ name recognition and volunteer base.
In the weeks before the primary, Filipino American voters and local activists openly discussed the impact of Mamdani’s endorsement, with some expressing nervousness that Raga could face a serious challenge from Kawas despite his incumbency and longstanding community ties. The race drew heightened attention as a symbolic test of how far Mamdani’s influence could extend downballot after his move from the Assembly to City Hall.
Raga’s supporters pointed to his record in Albany, including work on tenants’ rights, language access and pandemic-era relief, and his historic role as the first Filipino American in the state Legislature. Born to a working-class single mother in Queens, Raga has often cited his upbringing and multiple graduate degrees as evidence of what public investment in education and community services can achieve.
Following the loss, Raga thanked volunteers and voters and signaled he would remain engaged in public service and grassroots advocacy in western Queens, emphasizing that issues such as housing stability, immigrant protections and health care access remain urgent for his constituents.
Raga was previously honored by The Outstanding Filipino Awards (TOFA) in New York for his community leadership and trailblazing achievements in state politics.
