3 Candidates Jump Into Western Queens Assembly Race: Report

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — The open State Assembly seat in Western Queens has already drawn three candidates hoping to succeed longtime lawmaker Cathy Nolan, according to an announcement and news reports.

Nolan, 63, surprised many by announcing her retirement last week after 38 years in the Assembly, since her district had recently been redrawn in ways considered favorable to her. The future 37th District will include the Hunters Point area of Long Island City, as well as Sunnyside, Maspeth, Ridgewood and Fresh Pond.

This week, three Democrats stepped forward hoping to replace Nolan — the highest-profile among them likely being Juan Ardila, a 28-year-old staffer at the Legal Aid Society who ran for City Council last year.

A self-described progressive, Ardila won 45 percent of the vote in last year's Democratic primary against conservative Democrat Robert Holden, who ultimately won re-election.

"I’m running for State Assembly because Queens residents deserve affordable housing, improved public transit, and a plan to combat climate change," Ardila tweeted, also touting endorsements from officials including State Sen. Jessica Ramos, Assemblymember Catalina Cruz and City Councilmember Jeniffer Gutiérrez.

Meanwhile, the Queens Post reported Thursday that two others had joined the fray: Jim Magee, an attorney who works in Sunnyside, and Vlad Pavlyuk, a business owner and resident of Hunters Point. Both men are relative moderates who have never run for office before, the Queens Post reported.

Two notable candidates have already withdrawn from the race: Huge Ma, the founder of TurboVax, who dropped out this month after the new district lines were drawn outside his Astoria home; and activist Mary Jobaida, who suspended her campaign in January.

Émilia Decaudin, a socialist district leader from Sunnyside who had openly considered a run, said Monday that she had opted against a campaign.

This year's Democratic primary will be held on June 28.

Related coverage: Cathy Nolan Retires From Western Queens Assembly Seat