Abundance on and off the ballot

Our voter guide covers some of the most competitive Democratic primary races in New York City this cycle and endorses the leaders we think deserve your vote. But not every abundance champion is in a tough fight this June. In fact, many races across the five boroughs are either uncontested or feature long-shot challengers. These races are not in our guide, and in some cases won’t be on the ballot. But even though they don’t have a competitive primary, their work is still worth celebrating.

Without a competitive citywide mayoral primary, it appears that turnout is lower than in 2025. But there’s still time to change that. We’re less than a week away from election day and early voting has already started, so if you haven’t yet, please go vote—and share our recommendations with others.

Brian Cunningham (AD-43): Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush

Assemblymember Cunningham has done important work to increase the supply of affordable housing and make our streets safer and more livable. He is the lead sponsor in the assembly of the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act, which would let houses of worship bypass restrictive zoning to build affordable housing on their own underused land and parking lots. Cunningham has also been a loud voice for automated camera enforcement and a co-sponsor for the Stop Super Speeders Act which are both vital to making our streetscape more pleasant. Cunningham will appear on the ballot in AD-43, as he faces a primary opponent (though he is the strong favorite).

Vanessa Aronson (AD-73): Midtown East, Upper East Side

Vanessa Aronson is running for the seat that Assemblymember Bores has given up in his quest for Congress. Last year, Aronson lost narrowly to Virginia Maloney in the race for City Council District 4. While we did not endorse her in that race, we were pleased when she answered our questionnaire, signed up for an interview, and had a thoughtful conversation with us, even as she was running unopposed in the primary. We believe she is aligned on the supply-side reforms that could make a meaningful impact on housing, as well as public transit and public space policies that would make our city more livable. As she is unopposed, you won’t see her on your ballot in AD-73, but we’re excited to see what she does once seated in the Assembly.

Keith Powers (AD-74): Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Stuytown/Peter Cooper Village, East Village, Lower East Side

Keith Powers, who won a special election for this seat in February, is up for reelection to his first full term. We have supported Powers in the past and we were excited to see him go to the Assembly. He has a long list of past accomplishments, including the Midtown rezoning plan, which legalized 10,000 homes, and support for the 34th street busway. We continue to support his work in Albany. He is unopposed in the primary, so you won’t see him on the ballot as well.

Tony Simone (AD-75): Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown

Tony Simone was first elected to represent Manhattan’s west side in Albany back in 2022. Since then, he has been a champion for an “all of the above” housing strategy. After the plan to use payments from newly constructed office buildings to pay for a renovated Penn Station fell through, Simone put forward an interesting alternative proposal which would focus largely on housing. He has also been a strong supporter of congestion pricing. Voters in AD-75 will see Simone on their ballot and we recommend sending him back to Albany.

Julia Salazar (SD-18): Bushwick, Cypress Hills, Williamsburg

Like the mayor, Salazar combines leftist politics with pro-supply policies. In 2022, she was the lead Senate sponsor of the law creating NYCHA’s Public Housing Preservation Trust, which let public housing developments tap private capital to make much needed repairs. It was a fight that put her at odds with parts of her own coalition, who saw it as a step toward privatization. We also appreciate her strong stances on public transit and clean energy. Salazar does not have a primary opponent this cycle, so you will not see her on your ballot if you live in SD-18.

Zellnor Myrie (SD-20): Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Prospect Heights, Windsor Terrace

We endorsed Myrie as our number one pick in his run last year for mayor, on the strength of his housing plan. Few legislators have spoken as forcefully about the need to build more housing. He has also made early voting easier and has consistently been an advocate for pragmatic, effective governance. He does not have a primary election this cycle; we look forward to his continued work in Albany.

Andrew Gounardes (SD-26): Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Park Slope, Gowanus, Red Hook, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO

Gounardes, first elected to the State Senate in 2018, has been one of the biggest champions of abundance in the legislature. He is the senate sponsor of the Faith-Based Affordable Housing Act and a proponent for the Interborough Express transit line between Brooklyn and Queens. He also sponsors both the bill that allows New York City to lower speed limits in school zones and the Stop Super Speeders Act. Both have been signed by the Governor. One only has to look at the NIMBYs and scarcity-minded elected officials who also represent these neighborhoods to know that his leadership is incredibly valuable. It’s an impressive record, and we’re glad he’ll have another term to keep adding to it. Gounardes does not have a primary challenger this cycle and similarly won’t appear on the ballot in June.

Erik Bottcher (SD-47): Upper West Side, Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Greenwich Village

Like Powers, Erik Bottcher made the switch from City Hall to Albany after winning a special election earlier this year to fill an open seat. Bottcher has been an effective champion of the abundance agenda in his time as an elected official. Along with Powers, his support for the Midtown South Mixed Use plan and the 34th street busway was crucial to pushing them forward. While in the Council, he also authored the Urban Forest Master Plan bill which aims to increase the city’s tree canopy to 30 percent, and now in the State Senate he recently introduced a bill that would incentivize more transit-oriented development. From the Council to the Senate, the throughline is clear: Bottcher builds and we’re glad to have him fighting for the city in Albany. He does not have a primary challenger this year.

Kathy Hochul (Governor)

It wasn’t long ago that this looked like it could be a bitter primary: Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado launched a primary challenge from the left, tapping democratic socialist India Walton as his running mate. That challenge fizzled, however, and now Hochul has a clear path to the general election.

And on the policy front, Hochul has had a mostly successful run over the past two years. Specifically, she has defended congestion pricing from federal attempts to shut it down, put the MTA on good financial footing while investing in the future, and championed major SEQRA reform in the latest budget which means housing developments of up to 500 units in dense areas of New York City now no longer need to go through a lengthy state environmental review.

We don’t agree with everything Hochul does—and her running mate, Adrienne Adams, has a mixed record on housing, supporting City of Yes for Housing Opportunity but opposing last year’s charter amendment ballot questions and finishing her term by passing several unhelpful housing bills. That being said, we believe the governor has strong abundance instincts and are eager to see the policy ideas she pursues after the midterms are over and she can focus squarely on governing.