Astoria, LIC Election Guide: 2 Congressional Races, New Senate Seats

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Make room on your Halloween costumes for an "I Voted" sticker: early voting started Saturday for dozens of races across the city, including several contested elections in Western Queens.

Below, find our roundup of who's running in the general elections for Congress, State Senate and State Assembly in Astoria and Long Island City.

Early voting runs from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6, with Election Day on Nov. 8. (If you're not sure how to vote, find your poll site and view a sample ballot here.)

Here's what to know about the upcoming races in Astoria and Long Island City:

Congress District 14: Ocasio-Cortez vs. Forte vs. Cuellar

Democratic U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is seeking re-election in District 14, which covers the northern part of Astoria above 35th Avenue as well as parts of Jackson Heights, Corona, College Point and the East Bronx.

She faces two opponents: Republican Tina Forte and Desi Cuellar, of the Conservative Party.

Ocasio-Cortez, a socialist with national standing, is seeking a third term in Congress after first upsetting Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018 and easily winning re-election two years later. Her campaign website mentions top policy goals including Medicare for All, tenant protections and the construction of more affordable housing, and ending police violence.

Forte, a conservative influencer and owner of a beverage distribution company, says she is running to stop "radical socialists from destroying the American dream." A resident of Rockland County, she was on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riots, but told NY1 she "didn't participate n anything that went on that day."

Cuellar, a Bayside native who lost to Forte in the August GOP primary, says his top issues include "securing our families" and supporting law enforcement.

The 14th District formerly covered more ground in Western Queens, running down 42nd Street and into Sunnyside, but its bounds were redrawn during New York's recent redistricting process.

Congress District 7: Velázquez vs. Pagan

Democrat Nydia Velázquez, who has represented North Brooklyn in Congress since 1993, saw her district lines shifted significantly during redistricting, now covering Long Island City and parts of Astoria, Sunnyside, and other neighborhoods in West and Central Queens.

Velázquez's campaign site has no official platform, but the progressive congresswoman has named climate change, reducing income inequality and providing universal healthcare as among her top policy goals.

She is being challenged by Republican Juan Pagan, who says his main concerns include inflation, unsafe streets and failing infrastructure.

State Senate District 11: Stavisky vs. Forte

On the state level, meanwhile, longtime State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky had her eastern Queens District shifted west to include the northernmost blocks of Ditmars-Steinway, above Ditmars Boulevard.

Stavisky, an 83-year-old Democrat who owns homes in Forest Hills and Beechhurst, has served since 1999. Stavisky chairs the Senate's education committee and has focused on elder issues, helping immigrants and aiding small businesses, according to her Senate website.

She is up against Republican Stefano Forte, a native of Astoria and Flushing who says he wants to make the city "hospitable to families, small businesses, and all manner of hard-working Americans."

Online, Forte has spoken in aggressive terms against efforts at LGBT inclusivity, once using the term "groomers" to deride an Old Navy t-shirt that mentions gender-neutral pronouns.

Unopposed: Gianaris, Gonzalez, Mamdani, González-Rojas, Ardila

Two other State Senate candidates are running unopposed in Western Queens.

Longtime incumbent Michael Gianaris faces no challengers as he seeks a seventh term in the Senate's 12th District, which shifted to the east to cover more of Central Queens after previously running along the East River in Astoria.

Kristen Gonzalez, a socialist newcomer who defeated Elizabeth Crowley in the August primary for the brand-new Senate District 59, is also unopposed in the general election. The district covers the western parts of Astoria and Long Island City, as well as Greenpoint, Brooklyn and a chunk of Manhattan's East Side.

\In the Assembly, all three Democratic candidates in Astoria and Long Island City are running unopposed. Incumbents Zohran Mamdani and Jessica González-Rojas will be re-elected to their Astoria-based districts 36 and 34, respectively. (González-Rojas's district previously centered on Jackson Heights, but has been shifted west to cover the Ditmars area.)

And Juan Ardila, who won the June primary to succeed retiring member Cathy Nolan, faces no challengers in Assembly District 37, covering parts of Long Island City, Sunnyside, Maspeth, Ridgewood and Fresh Pond.

Besides local legislative elections, the ballot will also feature statewide races for governor and lieutenant governor, comptroller, attorney general and U.S. Senate, plus four ballot questions and contests for local judgeships.

How to Vote

Early Voting

New Yorkers have nine days to cast their ballots early running from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6.

Hours:

• Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29 and 30: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 31: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 1 and 2: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 3: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 4: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 5 and 6: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Voters can type their information into this poll finder website to find their early voting location, as well as their Election Day polling location.

Likewise, the New York State Board of Elections website has a tool that shows voter information and links to polling locations.

An absentee ballot must be postmarked by Election Day and must reach the Board of Elections no more than 7 days after the election to be counted.

Voting On Nov. 8

Voters who choose to vote on Election Day itself can easily find their polling location by clicking here. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

What Happens After Nov. 8?

Nobody knows, but check Patch for updates.