Quick Summary: Aber Kawas Holds Strong Lead in State Senate District 12
- Queens voter turnout fell to about 63,000 on June 23, 2026, far below the nearly 228,000 ballots cast in the 2025 primary.
- The ‘Mamdani effect’ persisted, with democratic socialist candidates achieving significant victories despite lower turnout.
- Claire Valdez, endorsed by Mamdani, led in NY-7 with 56% of the vote, showing strong support for DSA-backed candidates.
- In State Senate District 12, Aber Kawas held a commanding lead with 60% against Steven Raga.
- Jessica González-Rojas led Jessica Ramos by 10 points in a contentious State Senate District 13 race.
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Queens voter turnout may have dipped from last year’s highs, but the political landscape remains anything but subdued. The so-called ‘Mamdani effect’ continues to ripple through the borough, as democratic socialist candidates, backed by the enduring influence of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, swept key races despite lower participation. State Senate is at the center of this development.
In New York’s 7th Congressional District, Claire Valdez emerged as a leading figure, capturing 56% of the vote. Her success underscores the sustained momentum of Mamdani’s endorsements, which have galvanized a dedicated base of progressive voters. This trend extended beyond Congress, with Aber Kawas and Samantha Kattan securing decisive leads in their respective State Senate and Assembly races.
The political tension in Queens is palpable, with insurgent socialists challenging the traditional power structures. The race in State Senate District 13 exemplified this clash, as Jessica González-Rojas took a 10-point lead over incumbent Jessica Ramos, whose previous endorsement of Cuomo had alienated many progressives. Financial dynamics also played a role, with González-Rojas benefiting from a record-breaking $850,000 super PAC donation.
While the turnout numbers may have reverted to more typical levels, the political shift initiated by Mamdani’s campaign has not. The Queens political scene remains dynamic, as the borough navigates a new era of progressive influence and redefined alliances.
Another major flashpoint was State Senate District 13, where Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas challenged incumbent Jessica Ramos after Ramos alienated many progressives by endorsing Cuomo in the 2025 mayoral race. The biggest new development is that even with Queens primary turnout collapsing from last year’s extraordinary mayoral-election surge, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s political machine still appeared strong enough on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, to power a broad democratic socialist sweep across key congressional and legislative races.
That was nowhere near the nearly 228,000 Queens ballots cast by the close of Election Day during the 2025 primary, when Mamdani’s race against Andrew Cuomo drove unusually high participation, especially among younger voters. Voter Gabe Arevalo, who said he had once supported Ramos, told the paper, “I just felt very betrayed” after her Cuomo endorsement.
Money also became part of the story: the race was punctuated by a record-breaking $850,000 donation to González-Rojas from the super PAC Progress for New York Inc. The Eagle’s reporting suggests that what survived from 2025 was not mass participation on the same scale, but a durable and disciplined bloc of highly motivated progressive voters.
The immediate takeaway from June 23, 2026, is that Queens may have reverted to normal turnout, but it has not reverted politically. on Election Day, only about 63,000 Queens voters had cast ballots, including roughly 33,000 during the city’s nine-day early-voting period, according to the Queens Daily Eagle’s on-the-ground reporting.
In State Senate District 12, DSA-backed Aber Kawas was at about 60 percent with 95 percent of ballots counted against Assemblymember Steven Raga’s roughly 40 percent. In Assembly District 38, David Orkin, who was backed by the DSA and endorsed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez though not formally by Mamdani, was taking nearly 59 percent against incumbent Jenifer Rajkumar.
In State Senate District 12, Aber Kawas held a commanding lead with 60% against Steven Raga. Another major flashpoint was State Senate District 13, where Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas challenged incumbent Jessica Ramos after Ramos alienated many progressives by endorsing Cuomo in the 2025 mayoral race.
Claire Valdez, endorsed by Mamdani, led in NY-7 with 56% of the vote, showing strong support for DSA-backed candidates. In New York’s 7th Congressional District, Claire Valdez emerged as a leading figure, capturing 56% of the vote.
Financial dynamics also played a role, with González-Rojas benefiting from a record-breaking $850,000 super PAC donation. That was nowhere near the nearly 228,000 Queens ballots cast by the close of Election Day during the 2025 primary, when Mamdani’s race against Andrew Cuomo drove unusually high participation, especially among younger voters.
Voter Gabe Arevalo, who said he had once supported Ramos, told the paper, “I just felt very betrayed” after her Cuomo endorsement. Money also became part of the story: the race was punctuated by a record-breaking $850,000 donation to González-Rojas from the super PAC Progress for New York Inc.
The Eagle’s reporting suggests that what survived from 2025 was not mass participation on the same scale, but a durable and disciplined bloc of highly motivated progressive voters. The immediate takeaway from June 23, 2026, is that Queens may have reverted to normal turnout, but it has not reverted politically.
The scale and speed of this development has caught many observers off guard. Each new update adds another dimension to a story that is still unfolding, and the full picture will only become clear as more verified details emerge from the people and institutions directly involved.
Analysts who have tracked this issue closely say the current moment represents a genuine turning point. The decisions made in the coming weeks are expected to set the direction for months ahead, with ripple effects likely to extend well beyond the immediate actors in the story.
For those directly affected, the practical impact is already visible. People navigating this fast-changing situation are dealing with real consequences while new information continues to reshape what is known and what remains open to interpretation.
Historical parallels offer some context, though experts caution against drawing too close a comparison. Similar situations have played out before, but the specific combination of pressures, personalities, and timing here makes this moment distinct in ways that matter for how it ultimately resolves.
The political and economic dimensions of this story are deeply intertwined. What appears as a single event on the surface is in practice the convergence of multiple pressures that have been building quietly over a longer period than most public reporting has captured.