Steven Raga loses Queens Senate primary to Mamdani-anointed opponent

By Elton Lugay

Assemblymember Steven Raga lost his bid for New York State Senate for District 12, falling to Palestinian American community organizer Aber Kawas in a closely watched June 23 Democratic primary.

Kawas, a Palestinian American community organizer, is the Zohran Mamdani-backed progressive candidate. Her victory is being attributed to the so-called “Mamdani Effect” following the popularity of the mayor belonging to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) party.

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.

Kawas, a Democratic Socialists of America organizer, consolidated support on the Left after securing Mamdani’s endorsement in the race to represent Queens in the state Senate. Political analysts and community leaders said the mayor’s backing significantly boosted Kawas’ name recognition.

Civic leader and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis called the result “a big blow to the Filipino American community,” saying Raga’s loss underscored the power of the mayor’s endorsement and the limits of national FilAm support.

She said “Mayor Mamdani’s endorsement (of) his fellow Democratic Socialist Kawas, who just moved to the Queens district from Brooklyn, is the major reason for his loss, aside from the failure of the whole Filipino community in the United States’ lack of support.”

Lewis contrasted the fragmented backing for Raga with what she described as the “entire Democratic Socialist Party of the United States” mobilizing for its New York candidates, citing Mark Lander’s unseating of incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in Manhattan and Clare Valdez’s win in the Brooklyn–Queens seat vacated by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez.  

She said those races showed how coordinated organizational support can overcome incumbency and name recognition in low-turnout primaries.

In the weeks before the primary, Filipino American voters and local activists openly expressed nervousness that Raga could face a serious challenge from Kawas despite his incumbency and longstanding community ties.

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.

He said, “This campaign may be ending, but the work continues.”