US: Moreno wins Mamdani’s old seat amid growing Muslim political presence

Diana Moreno won special election to fill New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s former assembly seat

By Abdullahi Yusuf

Diana Moreno won a special election Tuesday to fill New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s former state Assembly seat, securing victory with the outgoing mayor’s endorsement in a race that also highlighted the growing political participation of Muslim women in Queens.

The Assembly District 36 special election concluded February 3, following Mamdani’s resignation after his mayoral election victory last year.

Moreno, running on the Democratic Party and Working Families Party lines, carried Mamdani’s endorsement into victory in the district encompassing much of Astoria and Long Island City in Queens. Born in Ecuador, she immigrated to the United States at age eleven and currently resides in Astoria.

Her campaign emphasized universal childcare, enhanced tenant protections, and passage of the New York For All Act, which would bar state and local officials from collaborating with ICE agents.

The race also featured Queens For All Party

candidate Rana Abdelhamid and People First Party candidate Mary Jobaida, both young Muslim women whose candidacies represented growing political participation from diverse communities in New York.

Abdelhamid brought experience building mutual aid networks, running a community safety center, and teaching self-defense.

Her platform aligned with Moreno’s on several progressive issues while additionally championing the Not On Our Dime Act and the REPAIR Act.

Jobaida, who was raised in Bangladesh before arriving in New York in 2001, later established Time Television, the city’s first Bangladeshi HD television channel. Her campaign featured distinctive policy positions including decriminalizing poverty and advocating for high-quality universal healthcare.

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