A rundown of all of Thursday’s IDC races follows.
11th District
This Queens race is a rematch between former comptroller John Liu and Avella, who Liu first challenged in 2014. Liu thinks he’s got him this time. He’s raised more money than Avella, and has the endorsement of both of the district’s congressional representatives and both of its assembly members. Liu made a late-game decision to run in July, meaning he had to get 3,000 signatures in the 10 days before the registration deadline. Liu sees his ability to accomplish that feat as evidence of strong voter support for his challenge. “That’s how much enthusiasm there is for beating the IDC,” said Kang.
13th District
A former aide to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Jessica Ramos is running to unseat Peralta in Queens. Ramos has the support of the mayor and has also been endorsed by the New York Times, Cynthia Nixon, and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as a number of progressive groups, including Our Revolution and People for Bernie. Notably, Gillibrand may be looking to absolve herself for her prior endorsement of Rep. Joe Crowley in his race against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (Ramos also endorsed Crowley).
Like Liu, Ramos has also out-earned Peralta, with $108,065.29 on hand as of September 11, compared to Peralta’s $101,114.35.
20th District
Zellnor Myrie, a lawyer, is going up against Hamilton in the 20th District, which encompasses parts of northern Brooklyn. Myrie, like Julia Salazar, is attacking his opponent’s ties to the real estate industry and questionable progressive credentials. Myrie, like Ramos, has been endorsed by the Times, Gillibrand, and de Blasio, among others.
23rd District
Staten Island’s Savino is up against Jasmine Robinson. Savino has significantly out-raised and outspent her opponent: Robinson’s July campaign filing shows a paltry $4,442.23, compared to Savino’s $141,777.90.
Despite endorsements from progressive groups like Our Revolution and Citizen Action, Robinson may be outmatched by Savino’s machine. And Robinson’s heart may not be in the race: She filed suit in July to be taken off the ballot due to fraudulent signatures on her own nomination papers, though she quickly reversed herself.
No IDC NY’s chief strategist Gus Christensen believes that Robinson was taken advantage of by a political team that didn’t have her best interests at heart. “She almost got knocked out,” said Christensen. “But she got right back up; she got a new team who have her best interests at heart.”
31st District
With more money on hand than Alcantara, despite her outspending him, challenger Robert Jackson could be poised to upset the Manhattan incumbent. Alcantara was a recent arrival to the state Senate, while Jackson, a former city councilor, has a long history in the district. Jackson’s efforts in the district include his work on public education: He co-founded the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, which sued the state in 1991 for not adequately providing funding to the city’s schoolchildren. The campaign finally won the lawsuit in 2006, but funding has still been hard to come by due to inaction by the state legislature and Cuomo.
Like the other candidates, Jackson can claim a long list of endorsements, including former Mayor David Dinkins and U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler.
“He’s running to help us overcome the biggest obstacle to progressive change here in New York,” said Jackson’s spokesperson Richard Fife, “an obstacle that’s been around for decades: the Republican-controlled state Senate.”
34th District
In the Bronx, Klein, the IDC’s leader, is facing off against political newcomer Alessandra Biaggi. Biaggi is no stranger to Democratic politics: She was Hillary Clinton’s deputy national operations director in 2016, and her grandfather, Mario Biaggi, was the congressional representative for New York’s 16th District from 1969 to 1988, when he resigned following corruption charges.
Biaggi’s challenge has made an impact on Klein: He has spent $836,172.64 in the last 30 days, including a $124,035.90 check to the Hamilton Campaign Network, a firm run by actor Lin-Manuel Miranda’s father, for “Digital Ad Production and Placement.” Meanwhile, Biaggi has been knocking doors in the district with Ocasio-Cortez, the reigning queen of Bronx upsets. Klein has a massive cash advantage over Biaggi, with $957,827.45 to her $263,113.17, but his significant spending, over $2.4 million in all, suggests he’s nervous.
A victory over Klein would not only bolster Biaggi’s profile, but defeating the IDC leader would be a major blow to the IDC and Cuomo (should Cuomo fend off the challenge from Nixon).
38th District
Carlucci is facing a challenge from Goldberg in Westchester. Goldberg got into the race late, and the 38th District presents unique challenges for an upstart campaign. The district is geographically spread out, making door-to-door canvassing more difficult. And Goldberg is hurt by her relative lack of personal political connections. “She has much less local political support from other elected officials than our candidates inside of New York City do,” said Christensen, “and it is that much harder for her to get the kind of media attention that would help build her fundraising base.” Carlucci has not recently received SICC money, but he still out-raised Goldberg by a factor of 24. This financial advantage suggests he is less vulnerable than some of his opponents, but as Ocasio-Cortez’s win showed, money isn’t everything.
53rd District
In New York’s northernmost district, the IDC’s former deputy leader, Valesky, is facing a challenge from Rachel May, a sustainability education coordinator at Syracuse University. May’s progressive campaign — she supports single-payer health care and campaign finance reform — could turn out voters on its own merits. But Valesky has outspent May by nearly 800 percent — $286,118.87 to her $35,847.32. Still, May believes she has a shot, citing her endorsement by Valesky’s own Oneida County Democratic Committee as an indication that her support is stronger than it appears.