Working Families Party backs Brian Romero in NY Assembly race in potential rift with Mamdani
The New York Working Families Party is endorsing Brian Romero for a hotly contested state Assembly seat in Queens, putting the progressive group at odds with the Democratic Socialists of America and Mayor Mamdani, who are supporting another candidate in the race.
Romero, a DSA member and former chief of staff to outgoing Congresswoman Jessica González-Rojas, was initially considered a contender for the Jackson Heights-based seat after gaining the endorsement of his former boss.
That equation was muddied a bit when a Mamdani adviser, days after the mayor’s victory in the November election, informed DSA members in a closed-door meeting that the future mayor would support Aber Kawas, a Palestinian-American activist, in this summer’s Democratic primary for González-Rojas’ seat.
Although the democratic socialist mayor has not officially endorsed Kawas since, the DSA endorsed her after that meeting, giving her a boost within a group whose influence has grown significantly since Mamdani’s election.
Breaking with Mamdani and his DSA comrades, Working Families Party leaders voted Thursday morning in favor of Romero, WFP co-director Jasmine Gripper exclusively confirmed to the Daily News.
“[Kawas] is new to this neighborhood. Brian grew up in this district and has so many deep connections and for us it was about being rooted in the community,” Gripper said, noting that the district’s large Hispanic population faces “unique challenges” amid the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
In a statement, Gripper and his co-director, Ana María Archila, said Kawas had also sought their party’s approval. Despite their support against her, they praised Kawas’s “powerful record” in “defending justice.”
“We applaud his leadership and look forward to working alongside him in the future,” they said.
A representative for Kawas did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokeswoman for Mamdani declined to comment.
The WFP’s support for Romero is part of a broader divide developing in local left-wing circles, pitting progressives against socialists.
Incumbent Brooklyn and Queens Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a veteran of the city’s progressive movement whose district overlaps with the 34th Assembly District, also endorsed Romero’s campaign this week.
Her support comes as a battle within the left has begun to unfold in the race to replace her in Congress.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, a progressive, is running in the Democratic primary for Velazquez’s seat this summer in hopes of winning her support. Running against him is Rep. Claire Valdez, a democratic socialist who was recently endorsed for the seat by Mamdani and the DSA.
Addressing the broader trend, Gripper said it was “healthy” for the left to experience “a little bit of tension.”
“We are big fans of Zohran and excited about his tenure as mayor, but that doesn’t mean we negate our democratic processes for any given person,” she said of the WFP approval process. “It is not a dictatorship, it is a process rooted in our people and our movement.”
The PAM does not have its own ballot in primary elections. But he has the right to vote in general elections, which he generally grants to whoever wins the Democratic primary.
As for the 34th Assembly District, Gripper would not immediately commit to giving the PAM general election line to Kawas if she beats Romero. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” she said.
