Harlem's Senate Race Heats Up: Who Will Replace Brian Benjamin?

HARLEM, NY — Now that Harlem State Sen. Brian Benjamin has been announced as Gov. Kathy Hochul's pick for lieutenant governor, the neighborhood's eyes have turned to who will prevail in the competitive battle to take over Benjamin's seat.

One by one, politically-minded Harlemites are throwing their hats in the ring to replace Benjamin in the 30th Senate District, which covers Central Harlem and parts of East Harlem, Hamilton Heights, the Upper West Side and Washington Heights.

But voters will not get the chance to choose Benjamin's successor — at least not immediately. Instead, members of the Manhattan Democratic Party vote to pick a nominee from the list of interested candidates. A special election will then be held in November — the same day as the citywide contest for mayor — in which the party's pick will be heavily favored in deep-blue Harlem.

Benjamin, 44, gained his senate seat through the very same process after it was vacated by Bill Perkins in 2017. The choice of Benjamin, who was a local community board chair at the time, fueled accusations of "voter suppression" due to his personal ties to party bigwigs.

Manhattan Democratic Party Chair Keith Wright, himself a big name in Harlem politics, argues the county committee is "not some secret society," noting that the people voting will be several hundred local party leaders from across Harlem.

"These are just regular folks that make up the political backbone of the Democratic Party," he told Patch.

No date has been set for the party's meeting, which must take place 10 days after the governor calls the election — likely after Benjamin is sworn in. Whoever wins will have to run again for a full term next year, following the statewide redistricting process.

Wright says well over a dozen people have expressed interest in the seat. Rumored candidates range from big names to lesser-known candidates — here's a partial rundown.

Cordell Cleare

Cleare, who finished fourth in the recent District 9 City Council race won by Kristin Richardson Jordan, is one of several recent Council contenders rumored to be considering a run. She formerly worked as chief of staff for Bill Perkins during his tenure in the City Council and State Senate.

Inez Dickens

Likely the biggest name to signal interest thus far, a spokesperson for the Harlem Assemblymember told City & State that she is running, and is "in it to win it."

A former City Council member, Dickens has served in the Assembly since 2017, and her district overlaps significantly with the 30th Senate district.

Ali Diini

Diini launched her candidacy this week with the support of Jordan, the District 9 Council nominee. Diini, like Jodan, is a democratic socialist and said her top priorities include prison abolition, housing rights and environmental justice.

I am very excited to announce my support and endorsement of Ali Diini for NY State Senate District 30. @AliDiini2022 pic.twitter.com/wVIFiOSoXt
— Kristin Richardson Jordan (KRJ) NY City Council 9 (@Kristin4Harlem) August 30, 2021

Shana Harmongoff

Harmongoff, who works as Benjamin's director of community affairs, became one of the first to publicly announce her senate bid on Tuesday. Described by City & State as a "strong, young candidate," she told the magazine that she felt "just as prepared, if not more prepared, than the two other electeds" that have expressed interest.

Athena Moore

Moore, who finished third in the District 9 Council race, is said to be contemplating a run. She currently serves as director of Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer's Northern Manhattan office.

Mario Rosser

Rosser, who finished fifth in the District 9 race, confirmed to Patch that he is interested in running. The 29-year-old works as a partnerships manager at LinkedIn and focused his recent campaign around preventing evictions.

"This is a community that needs a collaborative advocate on housing justice, youth opportunities and economic empowerment," he said in a message.

Keisha Sutton-James

Sutton-James most recently worked as campaign manager for Alvin Bragg's successful primary run for Manhattan District Attorney. The founder of a video production company focused on African-American culture, Sutton-James confirmed in a text message that she was "exploring" a run.

Al Taylor

Taylor has served Harlem in the State Assembly since 2017, representing a district that covers much of the West Side above West 140th Street.

Taylor announced publicly last week that he plans to run. He previously sought the same senate seat in 2017, coming in second place to Benjamin in the party vote.

@assemblymanalt1 says he plans to run for @NYSenBenjamin State Senate seat now that Benjamin will vacate it to serve as Lieutenant Governor pic.twitter.com/TlRIRZWuzH
— Zack Fink (@ZackFinkNews) August 26, 2021

Kim Watkins

Watkins, a self-described schools advocate, recently finished seventh in the race for Manhattan Borough President. A 12-year resident of the 30th Senate District, Watkins confirmed in a message that she was considering a run, saying she was "really inspired for big change."

Email Harlem Patch reporter Nick Garber at nick.garber@patch.com.