The primary is on August 23rd.
Early Voting is from August 13th through August 21st.
Due to redistricting shenanigans, New York has two primaries this year. The New York Assembly and Governors primaries already occurred on June 28th. The bigger-ticket State Senate and Congressional primaries have moved to August 23rd.
Use our guide below to get more information on some of the more hyper-local candidates running in your State Senate and Congressional districts in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn!
State Senate
State Senators pass legislation and act as one-half of the New York State Legislature, alongside the State Assembly, whose primary was in June. There are fewer state Senators and they generally wield more power in Albany. Four years ago, the State Senate passed into Democratic control for the first time in nearly a century, resulting in major reforms including the codification of Roe v Wade in State law.
State Senators handle state-wide legislation and are key to funding local infrastructural, judicial, and economic initiatives that New York City cannot undertake on its own.
Senate District 26: Bay Ridge (Except North-East Corner)
Andrew Gounardes
Website: AndrewGounardes.com
Current State Senator representing Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Gravesend, and Marine Park. Flipped seat from Republican Marty Golden in 2018.
Learn More: We interviewed Andrew in March about how bills get made in Albany, and back in 2018 during his first primary run.
David Yassky
Website: DavidYassky.com
Former City Councilmember for Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg from 2002-2009. Taxi and Limousine Commission chairman under Bill DeBlasio, Director of State Policy under Andrew Cuomo. Funded by Cuomo-affiliated donors.
Senate District 23: Fort Hamilton Army Base
Bianca Rajpersaud
Website: BiancaForSenate.com
President of North Shore Democratic Club. Former Communications Director for Assemblymember Michael Cusick. Government lobbyist.
Jessica Scarcella-Spanton
Website: JessicaForNewYork.com
Former MTA Assistant Director for Government & Community Relations. Former staffer and campaign manager for IDC member and outgoing State Senator Diane Savino.
Sarah Blas
Website: SarahBlasForSenate.com
Community activist and Urban Agriculture advocate. Director of Equity and Inclusion for Staten Island Women Who March.
Rajiv Gowda
Website: Gowda4Senate.com
Union organizer and former 1st Vice President for Civil Service Technical Guild Local 375, DC37.
Senate District 17: North-East Bay Ridge
Iwen Chu (Unopposed)
Website: IwenChu.com
Journalist and Chief of Staff for Assemblymember Peter Abbate.
Congress – House of Representatives Races
Our House of Representatives members are the highest-level federal elected officials that still represent specific neighborhoods and regions. While New York Senators represent the whole state, our representatives in New York’s 10th and 11th districts have the ability to secure federal funding for local projects, as well as advance and vote on major federal legislation.
Currently, the House of Representatives is controlled by Democrats, though NY11 is represented by a Republican, Nicole Malliotakis. Whoever wins in the NY11 primary will face her in November. NY10 is considered a “safe” Democratic seat and is newly created with no incumbent. This means that a large number of candidates are vying for the spot. Whoever wins the primary will likely win the general election in November.
NY11: South of Bay Ridge Ave.
Max Rose
Website: MaxRoseForCongress.com
Former NY11 Representative. Army Veteran.
Learn More: We interviewed Max during his first primary in 2018.
Brittany Ramos DeBarros
Website: BrittanyForCongress.org
Army Veteran and Anti-war activist.
Learn More: We interviewed Brittany about her anti-war activism in 2021.
Komi Agoda-Koussema
Website: Agoda4Congress.com
High School teacher with a doctorate in Education.
NY10: North of Bay Ridge Ave.
Mondaire Jones
Website: MondaireForCongress.com
Current congressperson for Putnam and Westchester county. First openly gay black member of Congress.
Jo Anne Simon
Website: JoAnneSimonForCongress.com
Current Assemblywoman for DUMO, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, and Park Slope. Law professor and former Borough President candidate.
Peter J. Gleason
Website: None
Yan Xiong
Website: YanXiongForCongress2022.com
Army Chaplain veteran and human rights activist.
Daniel Goldman
Twitter: @danielsgoldman
Former Assistant DA and lead Democratic counsel for the 2019 impeachment of Donald Trump.
Jimmy Li
Website: JimmyLiForNewYork.com
Podiatrist and former Sunset Park Community Board 7 member.
Maud Maron
Website: MaudMaron.com
Former City Council candidate and former Lawyer for Legal Aid (subsequently sued her employer). Barred from multiple debates due to TERF / Anti-Trans views.
Bill DeBlasio (Dropped Out)
Website: BillDeBlasio.com
Former Mayor of New York City. YMCA enthusiast.
Elizabeth Holtzman
Website: LizHoltzman.com
Former Congressperson in the 1970s for Crown Heights, Brownsville, and Sheepshead Bay. Brooklyn DA in the 1980s. Lawyer.
Yuh-Line Niou
Website: NiouForNewYork.com
Current State Assembly member for Chinatown, Financial District, and Battery Park.
Carlina Rivera
Website: CarlinaRivera.nyc
Current City Council member for the Lower East Side.
Quanda Francis
Website: QuandaFrancis.com
Former Comptroller candidate. Business Data Analyst & Entrepreneur.
Brian Robinson
Website: VoteBrianNYC.com
Former business owner and mental health advocate.
Notes: Candidates are listed in the order they appear on the sample ballot provided by Vote NYC. Candidate photos were taken from the official candidate campaign pages wherever possible, followed by any governmental photos, followed by candidate social media accounts. If a candidate’s webpage was not found, a social media account was instead used if available.