Astoria-LIC Election Guide: What To Know About Western Queens's Races

ASTORIA, QUEENS — We're still months away from November, but it's already election season in Northwest Queens — and in deep-blue New York City, the summer's primary elections tend to be the most consequential.

A slew of local races are on the ballot in Tuesday's primary election — from statewide contests for governor and lieutenant governor all the way down to neighborhood-level offices like State Assembly, state committee and more. (A second primary will be held in August for Congress and State Senate.)

Patch will bring you live coverage on Tuesday once the results start rolling in. (If you haven't voted yet, find your poll site or view a sample ballot here.)

In the meantime, here's everything you need to know about the Democratic primaries in Astoria and Long Island City.

State Assembly

District 37 (Long Island City, Sunnyside, Maspeth, Ridgewood, Fresh Pond)

The neighborhood's most competitive Assembly race is this primary, where four Democrats are vying to succeed Cathy Nolan — a 37-year incumbent who announced her retirement in February.

The bounds of this district changed slightly during the recent redistricting process, losing territory along the Long Island City waterfront while gaining ground in Central Queens.

The four candidates running are Juan Ardila, a Legal Aid Society staffer and former Department of Education employee; Johanna Carmona, an attorney and community board member; James Magee, a defense attorney; and Brent O'Leary, an attorney.

Patch reached out to all candidates to ask about their positions on local issues like affordable housing and public safety — Magee and O'Leary responded, while Carmona and Ardila did not complete the questionnaire.

Learn more about each candidate by clicking on their names below:

• Juan Ardila (campaign site only; did not complete Patch questionnaire)
• Johanna Carmona (campaign site only; did not complete Patch questionnaire)
• James Magee (Patch candidate profile)
• Brent O'Leary (Patch candidate profile)

Assembly districts 36 (Astoria, Dutch Kills) and 34 (Ditmars, east Astoria)

Voters in these two districts, which cover the entirety of Astoria and Dutch Kills, won't see any Assembly races on their ballots — both incumbents are running unopposed.

Zohran Mamdani, first elected in 2020 after unseating incumbent Aravella Simotas, is facing no primary or general election challengers in his bid for a second term. The bounds of Mamdani's 36th District changed under redistricting, shifting to the southwest to encompass the Astoria waterfront while losing most of its territory in Ditmars.

Ditmars, meanwhile, now falls under the 34th District, represented by Jessica González-Rojas — a fellow socialist also elected in 2020. Her district, formerly centered on Jackson Heights, has shifted west to include Ditmars and a chunk of Astoria east of Steinway Street. She, too, has no challengers in the primary or general elections.

Civil Court judge

Voters across Queens will choose two out of four candidates to serve on the borough's civil court, presiding over legal disputes that involve $50,000 or less.

The four Queens Civil Court Judge candidates are: Karen Lin, Devian Daniels, Maria T. Gonzalez, and Thomas Medardo Oliva.

Of that group, Lin and Oliva were both considered qualified by the New York City Barr Association, while Daniels and Gonzalez were not approved, based on their qualifications for the office.

State committee, district leader

All three Assembly districts in Northwest Queens also feature competitive races for state committee: an internal party position that nominates candidates for office, among other responsibilities.

In each Assembly district, voters elect one male and one female for the two seats.

District leader is a similar party position — an unpaid role charged with voting for party leadership, nominating judges and more. Only the 37th Assembly district has a competitive district leader primary.

To learn more about these offices, check out this guide by THE CITY.

Follow Astoria/Long Island City Patch on Election Night Tuesday for live coverage as the results roll in.