Robert Speranza

According to his campaign website, Speranza is a lifelong resident of Bayside who attended Holy Cross High School and graduated from St. John's University with a B.S. in Criminal Justice.[4] He began his career as a NYC Probation Officer and then joined the NYPD, where he says he served for 20 years; he describes himself as a retired NYPD officer.[4] The site lists earlier volunteer and civic roles including the NYPD Auxiliary Police, the Bayside Ambulance Corps, Queens Community Board 11, an executive board seat at a local hospital, and the Fraternal Order of Police and Knights of Columbus as an officer.[4]

Speranza first ran against Edward Braunstein in the 2022 general election, receiving 45.5% of the vote on the Republican and Conservative lines. He ran again in 2024 on the Conservative and Common Sense lines and received 31.9%; Braunstein won both races.[2] On June 23, 2026, he won the Republican primary over Philip Grillo, 61.5% to 37.8%, to become the Republican nominee.[2][1] He received 38.5% of the vote to Edward Braunstein's 61.4%, according to unofficial results reported by Ballotpedia and Wikipedia.[1][3]