Aber Kawas

Aber Kawas is the Democratic nominee for the open New York State Senate District 12 seat in western Queens, which Michael Gianaris is leaving.[3] A community organizer and member of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, she won the June 2026 primary over Assemblymember Steven Raga in her first run for elected office.[1][3] Her campaign focuses on affordable housing, universal healthcare, immigration reform and public transit.[1]

Kawas describes herself as the daughter of Palestinian refugees, born and raised in a working-class family in New York City, and her campaign website says her father was detained by ICE and deported from the U.S. when she was young.[1][2] According to the website, she has more than 15 years of community organizing experience, including the Fight for $15 minimum-wage campaign, efforts on police surveillance and harassment, and organizing for immigration reform.[1] She says she helped develop and launch the "Not On Our Dime" campaign alongside then-Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, which targets New York-based nonprofits that fund Israeli settler entities; in a Democracy Now interview she described working with Mamdani on a bill of that name.[1][2]

Kawas is a member of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and was endorsed in the primary by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.[3] On June 23, 2026, she won the Democratic primary for the open seat of retiring Senator Michael Gianaris, defeating Assemblymember Steven Raga with about 60% of the vote in unofficial results.[3] If elected, she would be the first Palestinian American and the first Muslim woman in the New York State Legislature, according to Democracy Now.[2]

Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.