Steven Raga supporters blame ‘Mamdani effect’ for New York primary loss

NEW YORK CITY — In western Queens, Filipino American community leaders reacted with shock and disappointment Tuesday night as returns showed Assemblymember Steven Raga had lost the Democratic primary for New York’s 12th State Senate District to activist Aber Kawas.

Raga, the first Filipino American elected official in New York, finished with 8,166 votes, or 38.23 percent, compared with Kawas’ 12,460 votes, or 58.33 percent, according to the New York State Board of Elections.

The closely watched contest, seen as a test of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s influence and the political clout of immigrant communities in Astoria and Long Island City, drew an outpouring of reactions from Filipino American supporters who believe Raga should succeed outgoing Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris.

‘Disappointing’

Deirdre Levy, the first Fil-Am mayoral candidate in New York City, said the defeat was “disappointing for many who have seen (Raga’s) dedication to public service,” stressing that the Fil-Am assemblymember was raised in the district and spent years organizing diverse communities and advocating for vulnerable residents. 

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“I had hoped he would continue serving our community as a state senator, especially as the only Filipino elected official representing our voices in government,” she told Inquirer USA, adding that she still hopes Raga remains in public service because he has proven to be a thoughtful and compassionate leader.

Levy said Mamdani’s endorsement of Kawas was “particularly disappointing,” noting that Raga himself had previously endorsed Mamdani’s mayoral bid.

‘Betrayal’

“What I find particularly disappointing is that Steven Raga endorsed Mamdani for mayor, yet Mamdani ultimately endorsed Raga’s opponent in the State Senate race,” she said, describing the move as “a betrayal of the loyalty and support that Raga had shown.”

Levy said she became detached from the campaign after the endorsement, and suggested that Mamdani might have been taking “vengeance” on Raga for not initially taking his own earlier campaigns seriously, adding that Kawas’ loyalty to Mamdani may have played a role.

Transgender rights advocate Melissa Sklarz, a longtime Queens political activist, described the night as “a terrible disappointment” for those who saw Raga as a bridge between traditional politics and marginalized communities.

“Steve Raga was our best hope for the neighborhood and for our emerging Asian community here in Queens,” she said, noting that young people and marginalized residents “are desperate for champions working outside of the political system.” “Steve Raga has the résumé that should make him a perfect candidate to lead, but the voters felt otherwise tonight,” she said.

Michelle Amor, president of the Filipino American Democrats of New York, emphasized that community leaders remain proud of Raga’s record despite the loss.

“It’s a hard night, but we’re proud – not just of this campaign, but of everything Steven has built over years of showing up for this community,” Amor said. “There’s something to learn about the moment we’re in, and we’ll carry those lessons forward. If anything, tonight lit a fire – Filipino Americans deserve a voice in New York, and we’re going to keep fighting until we have it,” she said.

Raga congratulates Kawas

Assemblymember Steven Raga, the first Filipino American elected to the New York State Legislature, is running to succeed Sen. Michael Gianaris. Photo from Assemblymember Steven Raga/Facebook

In his first public comments after the loss, Raga struck a conciliatory but defiant tone, congratulating Kawas while vowing to continue organizing in Western Queens.

He told Inquirer USA that he remains “a proud son of Woodside” and said he congratulates Aber Kawas and “extends (his) hand to her in partnership and community.”

Hard-fought race

“This election was hard fought, but it was fought on principle, not personalities,” Raga said, adding that this is “how progressives should resolve our very real differences: through competing ideas about how we build power and how we fight on behalf of everyday New Yorkers.”

He urged supporters not to “lose sight of the real battle before us: confronting Donald Trump and his authoritarian agenda, protecting our neighborhoods from ICE, and resisting his efforts to squeeze every last dollar from working families so he can further enrich his billionaire allies.”

Raga framed the campaign as the beginning of “a people-powered movement rooted in the neighborhoods of Western Queens – immigrants, workers, families and neighbors united by a simple democratic principle: that the future of Western Queens ought to be shaped by the people of Western Queens.”

He said more than 150 volunteers knocked on over 60,000 doors and that his campaign earned more than 45 endorsements, including nearly 30 from labor organizations, helping “transform our immigrant communities into an organized political force.”

Reflecting on his own immigrant family’s struggles, Raga said his fight “will not end tonight.” “I will continue fighting for affordable health care, housing, immigrant justice, and human dignity, because no child in New York should have to endure what that seven-year-old boy endured,” he said. “This campaign may be ending, but our work is not. I will never stop fighting for the communities that raised me, and I remain hopeful about what we can build together. The movement we built belongs to the people of Western Queens. And its story is far from over.”

‘Kingmaker’ 

Community advocate and jeweler Reagan John Rada said Filipino Americans in the district “really supported in full force” but could not overcome what he described as two key factors behind Raga’s defeat.

“Mamdani’s endorsement really helped elect the other candidate, after all, he is one of the favorite mayors of New York especially with the Muslims and minorities,” he told Inquirer USA, referring to the progressive mayor’s growing base. “Steven’s career is quite young. Sometimes tenure creates more exposure especially if you’re planning to step up,” Rada added, arguing that Kawas benefited from a longer track record in activist circles.

Democratic congressional candidates, Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier gesture on stage with Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York’s primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

In a Facebook post, Medel Paguirigan captured the growing buzz about Mamdani’s role as a “kingmaker” after multiple candidates he had endorsed, including Kawas, prevailed in the primaries. 

“Congratulations to the new kingmaker: NYC Mayor Mamdani!” Paguirigan wrote.

Longtime Filipino American civic leader and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis called the result “a big blow to the Filipino American community,” saying Raga’s loss underscored the power of the mayor’s endorsement and the limits of national Fil-Am support.

She said “Mayor Mamdani’s endorsement (of) his fellow Democratic Socialist Kawas, who just moved to the Queens district from Brooklyn, is the major reason for his loss, aside from the failure of the whole Filipino community in the United States’ lack of support.”

‘Not the end of the road’ for Raga

Lewis contrasted the fragmented backing for Raga with what she described as the “entire Democratic Socialist Party of the United States” mobilizing for its New York candidates, citing Mark Lander’s unseating of incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in Manhattan and Clare Valdez’s win in the Brooklyn–Queens seat vacated by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez.

She said those races showed how coordinated organizational support can overcome incumbency and name recognition in low-turnout primaries.

Former Philippine Consul General in New York, Ambassador Mario de Leon Jr., who closely observed the race on the ground, said the results underscored how outside organizations and endorsements reshaped the contest more than community sentiment. 

He said, “tonight’s SD-12 primary result was not the outcome the Filipino American community expected. But it is not the end of the road for Assemblyman Steven Raga, who is the first Filipino American elected to the New York State Legislature.”

De Leon noted that in what he described as a low-turnout primary, “outside organizational forces proved decisive,” not only in SD-12 but also in two New York City congressional districts where Democratic incumbents fell to candidates backed by the mayor. 

Having watched the campaign “closely at the field level,” he said Raga’s bid had built something “lasting” – a loyal donor base, reliable community volunteers and experienced staff who “know Western Queens from the ground up.” Those assets, he said, “don’t disappear this election night.”

“There is no doubt that both Steven Raga and Aber Kawas ran on similar progressive platforms. The difference was external resources and dictates, not community roots,” de Leon said, adding that he believes “Raga will definitely be back” and that any future campaign will rest on “an even stronger foundation.”

George Conway

In Manhattan’s 12th Congressional District, former Republican and prominent Trump critic George Conway also fell short in his bid for the Democratic nomination in a crowded, high-profile primary to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler.

Congressional hopeful George Conway spends the final hours of primary day meeting voters and rallying backers in Manhattan. Screengrab from George Conway/Facebook

Preliminary tallies showed Micah Lasher, a former state and city official, leading the field in a race that featured eight Democratic hopefuls. 

The district, which includes the Upper West Side and the area surrounding Gracie Mansion, is considered safely Democratic, meaning the primary winner is widely expected to carry the seat in November.

Conway, who had only recently changed his registration to the Democratic Party and moved to Manhattan to run for the seat, framed his campaign around opposition to President Donald Trump’s foreign policy and a promise to hold the administration accountable. But his outsider status and limited roots in the district made it difficult to overcome Lasher’s institutional support and the local networks of other contenders, according to party insiders.

Kriselda Valderrama

Maryland Delegate Kris Valderrama addresses a crowd at a community festival. Photo from Kris Valderrama/Facebook

The mixed night for Filipino American candidates ended on a brighter note in Maryland, where Del. Kriselda “Kris” Valderrama won her Democratic primary for the House of Delegates in District 26 in Prince George’s County.

Unofficial results from the Maryland State Board of Elections showed Valderrama securing 7,110 votes, trailing only fellow incumbent Veronica Turner in a multi-seat Democratic race, with a total of 32,037 votes cast among the top three candidates. 

Valderrama, who serves as chair of the Economic Matters Committee in Annapolis, is widely regarded by Filipino American leaders as one of the longest-serving Fil-Am elected officials in the United States.

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