Cathy Nolan Retires From Western Queens Assembly Seat: Report

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Catherine Nolan will retire from the State Assembly after nearly 40 years representing Queens, she told Newsday on Friday, setting off a sudden scramble for her soon-to-be-open seat.

Nolan, 63, has served in the Assembly since 1985, representing a district that now includes Long Island City, Sunnyside and parts of Astoria, Ridgewood, Woodside, Maspeth and Queensbridge.

Though Nolan had been seen as vulnerable to a primary challenge, her retirement is still something of a surprise, since her district's lines were recently redrawn in ways considered favorable to her. Starting in time for the June primary elections, the 37th District will lose much of its Astoria territory while gaining ground in Central Queens neighborhoods that are whiter, more conservative — and likely less favorable to a progressive challenge.

Nolan's office did not respond to Patch's request for comment. Though she was diagnosed with cancer last year, Nolan told Newsday that her health was not a factor in her decision.

"A number of issues we worked on have been resolved," Nolan told the newspaper. "There are still things we need to do, but it needs to be a new person."

A longtime champion of tenants' rights, public schools and labor protections for farmworkers, Nolan nonetheless drew some progressives' ire for her support for Amazon's proposed Long Island City campus, and her slow response to last year's sexual harassment allegations against ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Nolan's most high-profile challenger, TurboVax founder Huge Ma, withdrew from the race last week after the new district lines were drawn outside his Astoria home. Émilia Decaudin, a socialist Sunnyside district leader, told City & State Friday that she was "strongly considering a run."

In 2020, Nolan survived a Democratic primary with just 47 percent of the vote, in a three-way race against progressive Mary Jobaida and Danielle Brecker. Jobaida had previously planned to run again this year before suspending her campaign in January.

Nolan's other noteworthy moments in the Assembly included a 2015 bid to become the body's first female speaker — a race she ultimately lost to Carl Heastie.