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  • 2026 primaries, candidates, events

    Assembly Candidate Forum
    Wednesday, Feb. 25, 7:00 pm

    RSVP

    The 2026 primary season is here, with a ton of moving parts.

    • Right now there’s a primary expected in our Congressional district, but also a lawsuit challenging the district lines of a neighboring district that may change our district lines, rearrange the candidates, and/or postpone the primary.
    • State Sen. Brian Kavanagh announced that he is not seeking re-election, and two well-known candidates have thrown their hats in to campaign for that seat.
    • With Grace Lee now running for that open State Senate seat, there is now an open primary for State Assembly in our district with several first-time candidates.
    • One party position representing our Assembly district on the NY State Democratic Committee also has a primary this year.

    All this uncertainty affects the timing of our club activities. For the June 23 primary, GSD wants to hear from all candidates, have a discussion among members, and vote on endorsements so that we can participate in petitioning for our endorsed candidates. Our meeting on Feb. 12 with candidates for State Senate and U.S. Congress was the beginning of this process, and we will finish that on Feb. 25 with additional candidates and our endorsement votes.

    Statewide primaries

    We’ve already participated in a forum for statewide candidates (Governor, Comptroller, and Attorney General) with other downtown Democratic clubs and received statements from some of the candidates. (Watch video below.)

    Governor

    Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking a second full term in office. The Lt. Governor, Antonio Delgado, has ended his challenge, so Hochul has a clear path to the Democratic nomination.

    OfficeCandidateLinks
    NY GovernorKathy Hochul (incumbent)Website

    Comptroller

    Tom DiNapoli is facing his first primary challenge since becoming Comptroller nearly 20 years ago.

    OfficeCandidateLinks
    NY ComptrollerTom DiNapoli (incumbent)Website
    NY ComptrollerAdem BunkedekkoWebsite | Statement
    NY ComptrollerRaj GoyleWebsite
    NY ComptrollerDrew WarshawWebsite

    Attorney General

    Letitia James faces no primary challenge.

    OfficeCandidateLinks
    NY Attorney GeneralLetitia James (incumbent)

    District primaries

    We also have contested races in our local districts.

    U.S. Congress (NY 10)

    Incumbent Dan Goldman faces a primary challenge from Brad Lander and Nickie Kane. We heard from those candidates at our Feb. 12 candidate forum (scroll down to watch video).

    OfficeCandidateLinks
    U.S. Congress (NY 10)Dan Goldman (incumbent)Website | Statement
    U.S. Congress (NY 10)Brad LanderWebsite | Statement
    U.S. Congress (NY 10)Nickie KaneWebsite | Statement

    NY State Senate (SD 27)

    State Senator Brian Kavanagh is not running for re-election. Assemblymember Grace Lee and former Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou are competing to succeed Kavanagh. Sommer Omar, who spoke at our Feb. 12 meeting, has suspended her campaign. (Scroll down to watch video.)

    OfficeCandidateLinks
    NY State Senate (SD 27)Grace LeeStatement
    NY State Senate (SD 27)Yuh-Line NiouStatement
    NY State Senate (SD 27)Sommer OmarStatement

    NY State Assembly (AD 65)

    With Grace Lee joining the race for State Senate, our Assembly seat also faces an open primary. Candidates will be added to this list as they officially announce. RSVP for our forum on Feb. 25 to hear from the candidates directly.

    OfficeCandidateLinks
    NY State Assembly (AD 65)Jasmin SanchezWebsite | Statement
    NY State Assembly (AD 65)Mariama JamesWebsite | Statement
    NY State Assembly (AD 65)Wei-Li TjongStatement
    NY State Assembly (AD 65)Jacky WongStatement
    NY State Assembly (AD 65)Lilah MejiaStatement
    NY State Assembly (AD 65)Illapa SairitupacStatement

    NY State Democratic Committee (AD 65)

    The state Democratic Committee meets in February to makes nominations for statewide primaries. Each Assembly district gets to elect two representatives to this body, one female and one male. Those seats also are open with some challenges in the works. (Scroll down to watch video.)

    OfficeCandidateLinks
    NY State Democratic Committee (AD 65)Morton MinsleyStatement
    NY State Democratic Committee (AD 65)Grauven OlivaresStatement
    NY State Democratic Committee (AD 65)Fannie IpStatement

    Watch our candidate forums on YouTube

    Statewide primaries

    All four candidates for NY State Comptroller spoke to GSD and other downtown Democratic clubs in January.

    District primaries

    Candidates for State Senate, State Democratic Committee, and U.S. Congress joined GSD and 3 Bridges Democratic Club on Feb. 12.

  • Join us for our 2026 Winter Party — January 22 at Donnybrook

    GSD Winter Party 2026
    Thursday, January 22, 2026
    6:30 – 9:00 pm
    Donnybrook
    35 Clinton Street

    Celebrate the new year with Grand Street Dems! All sponsors will be acknowledged, and all tickets include a free drink.

    Please RSVP through Stripe:

  • Saturday at noon: Get out the vote info table with Dem candidates

    GOTV on Grand Street
    Saturday, Nov. 1, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
    Corner of Grand & Clinton

    Join Democratic elected officials and candidates on Saturday afternoon to get out the vote — make sure your neighbors have a plan to vote by Nov. 4 and are committed to our Democratic candidates.

  • Get out the vote for Mamdani: Wednesday at 5:30 pm

    Mamdani Canvass
    Wednesday, Oct 29 @ 5:30 pm
    Meet at Ahearn Park (Grand & East Broadway)

    Join your Grand Street neighbors to canvass in the co-ops for Zohran Mamdani. Every vote counts! Contact GSD executive board member Ellen Garvey at 917-613-9150 if you have any questions.

  • Stroll to the Polls: Vote early with GSD Wednesday after work

    Early voting is open late on Wednesday, so let’s meet at 7:00 pm at Ahearn Park (Grand & East Broadway) to vote together!

  • GSD recommends mixed votes on 2025 ballot proposals

    This November’s ballot will include six ballot proposals seeking voter approval: one to amend the New York State Constitution, and five more that would amend the New York City Charter.

    GSD members recommend the following votes:

    Proposal 1

    Allows skiing and related trail facilities on state forest preserve land. The site is 1,039 acres. Requires State to add 2,500 acres of new forest land in Adirondack Park.

    👍 YES

    Proposal 2

    Fast track applications delivering affordable housing in the community districts that produce the least affordable housing, significantly reducing review time. Maintain Community Board review.

    👎 NO

    Proposal 3

    Simplify review of modest amounts of additional housing and minor infrastructure projects, significantly reducing review time. Maintain Community Board review, with final decision by the City Planning Commission.

    👎 NO

    Proposal 4

    Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board with the Council Speaker, local Borough President, and Mayor to review Council actions that reject or change applications creating affordable housing.

    👎 NO

    Proposal 5

    Consolidate borough map office and address assignment functions, and create one digital City Map at Department of City Planning. Today, the City Map consists of paper maps across five offices.

    👍 YES

    Proposal 6

    Move the City’s primary and general election dates so that City elections are held in the same year as Federal Presidential elections, when permitted by state law.

    👎 NO

  • NYC Charter Amendment Proposals in 2025

    This November’s ballot will include six ballot proposals seeking voter approval: one to amend the New York State Constitution, and five more that would amend the New York City Charter.

    Prop 1: Allowance for sports activity on forest preserve land in exchange for acreage added to Adirondack Park

    For over 125 years, the “forever wild” clause of the NY State Constitution safeguards the overall acreage of state-owned forest preserve by requiring any use of such land to be replaced by undeveloped land and approved by the voters. In this case, forest preserve land would be used to expand the Olympic complex at Lake Placid and be replaced by 140% more forest in Adirondack Park.

    Pro: Both Republican and Democratic state representatives from Essex County support the proposal in order to bring already-developed forest preserve land into compliance with the “forever wild” clause and add a substantial amount of land to Adirondack Park.

    Con: Opponents say that any exception to the “forever wild” clause undermines environmental protections, though no organized effort to defeat this proposal has emerged.

    Read more about Prop 1 from NYC Votes.

    Prop 2: ‘Fast track’ approval process for affordable housing developments that are publicly financed or are in community districts that produce the least affordable housing

    Most developments that seek to build beyond current zoning must go through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), with advisory review by the relevant Community Board and Borough President, determination by the City Planning Commission, review by City Council, and potential veto and override by the Mayor and City Council. This proposal would make two new processes for certain affordable housing projects.

    The first process would allow the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) to approve publicly financed affordable housing projects, with advisory review by the relevant Community Board but no City Council input.

    The second process would create a faster review for projects in the 12 community districts with the lowest rates of new affordable housing over a 5-year period, with advisory review by the relevant Community Board and Borough President and final approval by the City Planning Commission instead of the City Council.

    Pro: Some housing proponents argue that the ULURP process is too long, unpredictable, and expensive for developers, exacerbating the city’s shortage of affordable housing. They also argue that the City Council’s tradition of “member deference” — in which the vote of a single Councilmember in whose district the proposed development resides influences the votes of the full City Council — results in onerous additional requirements for developers to get approval, further reducing the prospects of new housing.

    Con: Opponents highlight the fact that the number of affordable housing units and level of affordability of those units are not specified in the Charter proposal, meaning that developments could fit the new review criteria without meaningfully adding to the supply of affordable housing in the city. Also, bypassing the City Council for approval removes any leverage that elected representatives have for negotiating better terms from developers for more affordable units and other community needs.

    Read more about Prop 2 from NYC Votes.

    Prop 3: ‘Fast track’ approval for modest amounts of additional housing and minor infrastructure projects

    Similar to prop 2, this proposal creates a streamlined review process that bypasses City Council approval for certain kinds of developments. In this case, proposals that increase residential capacity by no more than 30%, along with small infrastructure projects, could be approved by the City Planning Commission.

    Pro: Supporters argue that the full review process for zoning exceptions is too burdensome and expensive for smaller projects and stops them from being built at all. This proposal would allow the city to be more flexible to support building new residential units of all types.

    Con: Opponents say a 30% increase in residential capacity above what is already zoned cannot be considered “modest” (in some cases that could mean a building rising ten stories higher than currently allowed), and there are no affordability requirements to meet this threshold (those additional units could all be market rate). In addition, bypassing the City Council for other infrastructure and land acquisition proposals undermines the checks and balances of our form of government.

    Read more about Prop 3 from NYC Votes.

    Prop 4: New appeals board established with the power to overrule City Council determinations on affordable housing proposals

    This proposal would establish a new appeals board that would have the power to reverse the City Council’s rejection or alteration of any development seeking zoning changes that include affordable housing. Currently, the Mayor can veto the City Council’s decision in these situations, and the City Council can vote to override the Mayor’s veto; if approved, this proposal would give that veto power to a three-person board made up of the Mayor, the City Council Speaker, and the relevant Borough President, and remove the City Council’s power to override.

    Pro: Supporters believe that a City Council beholden to “member deference” does not keep citywide housing goals in mind and rejects too many new housing proposals because of hyper-local resistance to change.

    Con: Opponents say this proposal would undermine the basic structure of representation in NYC by essentially eliminating the City Council’s role in decision-making around important developments. They also highlight that “member deference” is not a strict rule and that the City Council has in fact voted against a local member’s opposition if the project clearly supports citywide housing priorities. Finally, since again this proposal does not stipulate how much or what type of affordable housing triggers the new appeals board, it will create a loophole for developers to get favorable treatment from City Hall.

    Read more about Prop 4 from NYC Votes.

    Prop 5: Consolidate separate borough maps into a centralized digital map at the Department of City Planning

    Official maps are critical for any land use issue, building, property dispute, or city planning initiative. Currently each borough is responsible for its own, mostly paper, maps. This proposal would require the Department of City Planning to consolidate these maps into one centralized and digitized map.

    Pro: Supporters believe this is an important step to modernize a critical city planning resource, which will result in more access to public information.

    Con: Opponents say that local borough offices are more attuned to the needs of local residents, and that the expense and effort of consolidation is unnecessary.

    Read more about Prop 5 from NYC Votes.

    Prop 6: Move local NYC elections to coincide with presidential election years

    Local elections in many states, including New York, were moved to odd years during the Progressive Era of the late 19th and early 20th Century in order to allow voters to focus on local, often non-partisan, issues without being overshadowed by highly partisan and media-heavy presidential campaigns. Unfortunately, the gap in turnout between presidential and local election years has grown significantly, leading to an impression that local elections are not decided by a representative-enough set of voters.

    Approval of this proposal would not immediately move local elections to even years; a state constitutional amendment would also have to be passed in order for that outcome to be realized.

    Pro: Supporters believe that having more voters participate in local elections would make the winners more representative and more accountable. Several U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Baltimore, Phoenix, El Paso, Austin — have made this change recently and the result has been, as expected, higher turnout.

    Con: Opponents say that bundling local elections with presidential elections would detract from any voters’ ability to pay close attention to local issues. Also that in NYC, engagement and turnout for the primary remain high even while local general election turnout has declined, reflecting the importance of primaries and, in many cases, the foregone conclusion of the general election.

    Read more about Prop 6 from NYC Votes.

  • Early voting starts Saturday 10/25

    Early voting begins on Saturday, October 25 and continues for nine days through Sunday, November 2.

    You can vote at St. Augustine Episcopal Church at 290 Henry Street.

    Saturday, October 259:00 am – 5:00 pm
    Sunday, October 269:00 am – 5:00 pm
    Monday, October 279:00 am – 5:00 pm
    Tuesday, October 2810:00 am – 8:00 pm
    Wednesday, October 29
    Stroll to the Polls with GSD    		10:00 am – 8:00 pm
    7:00 pm — meet at Ahearn Park, Grand Street and East Broadway
    Thursday, October 309:00 am – 5:00 pm
    Friday, October 318:00 am – 4:00 pm
    Saturday, November 19:00 am – 5:00 pm
    Sunday, November 29:00 am – 5:00 pm

  • Sept. 18: Mamdani Town Hall

    Mamdani Town Hall
    Thursday, September 18
    6:15 – 7:30 pm

    Democratic Candidate for Mayor Zohran Mamdani will be participating in a Town Hall exclusively for members of the downtown Democratic clubs.

    RSVP for Zoom

  • Sept. 16: Rep. Goldman Virtual Town Hall

    Rep. Goldman Virtual Town Hall
    Tuesday, September 16
    6:30 – 7:30 pm

    Join Representative Dan Goldman for a September town hall to discuss the Trump Administration’s policies and orders that have continued to impact nonprofits, education, citizenship, immigration, health care, LGBTQ+ rights, federal employment, and more.

    RSVP for Zoom