Queens Voters Face 16 Contests and Five Charter Amendments in Tuesday Election

Queens voters will decide the outcome of 16 local races and five state charter amendments on Tuesday.

The borough is part of a statewide election that includes contests for governor, attorney general, and state comptroller. Early voting concluded on Thursday, with 95,982 Queens residents casting ballots in the first six days. That figure represents an increase of roughly 4,500 votes compared to the same period in the last general election. Across the state, 400,137 New Yorkers voted during that initial window. Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. on election day.

Incumbent Governor Kathy Hochul faces Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman in the top statewide race. Recent polls from Siena and Marist show Hochul ahead by 14 points. Hochul, whose running mate is former City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, campaigns on her record as governor and her support for universal childcare. Blakeman, who runs with upstate sheriff Todd Hood, promises lower taxes and utility bills. Both candidates have recently visited Queens to court voters.

Statewide, incumbent Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli challenges Republican Joseph Hernandez, while incumbent Attorney General Letitia James faces Republican Saritha Komatireddy. Hernandez is an entrepreneur who escaped Cuba as a child, while Komatireddy served as an assistant district attorney in the Eastern District of New York.

Most local races are expected to be one-party affairs, with only two potentially competitive. The 23rd Assembly District, covering the Rockaway Peninsula and Broad Channel, features a contest between Democrat Pesach Osina and Republican Thomas Sullivan. Osina, a moderate Democrat, received the endorsement of retiring incumbent Stacey Pheffer Amato. Sullivan, an Army veteran and business owner, is backed by local Republican groups. Both candidates focus on the QueensLink and the Rockaway trauma hospital plan. The 3rd Congressional District, which includes a small portion of northern Queens, pits incumbent Democrat Thomas Suozzi against Republican Mike LiPetri. Suozzi won this district by three percentage points in 2024.

Several Democratic Socialists of America candidates are expected to win seats in Western Queens. David Orkin, Claire Valdez, and Aber Kawas are likely to defeat their conservative opponents, while Samantha Kattan and Brian Romero face no opposition. In other areas, Nathaniel Hezekiah will succeed Assemblymember Vivien Cook, and Patrick Martinez is positioned to replace Assemblymember Steven Raga.

Judicial races feature candidates for Supreme Court and various Civil Court districts. Three Democratic candidates, Edwin Novillo, Oma Phillips, and Gail Adams, run for open Supreme Court seats alongside Republican attorneys Gary Muraca and David Bellon. Civil Court races span multiple districts, including the 2nd and 3rd Municipal Districts, which cover neighborhoods from Elmhurst to Howard Beach. Edward Irizarry runs unopposed for the 4th Municipal District.

Five ballot proposals from the Commission on Government Efficiency appear on the two-page ballot. Created by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in May, these measures aim to improve government efficiency. Proposal 1 simplifies permitting for public sidewalks, Proposal 2 alters contracting rules, Proposal 3 accelerates transportation projects, Proposal 4 centralizes construction permitting, and Proposal 5 sets savings targets for the city’s Rainy Day Fund.