Who is Running for Zohran Mamdani’s State Assembly Seat?

Mary Jobaida on 36th Avenue in Astoria, Queens. (Credit: Dalya Turunç)

When Mary Jobaida stepped into Aladdin Sweets, a popular Bengali eatery in Astoria, Queens, a chorus of “salaam alaikum” rose from nearby tables, leading to lively discussions between her and local business owners, supporters, and residents.

A Bangladeshi-American mother who moved to New York in 2001 at age 20, Jobaida is now preparing her campaign for the New York State Assembly seat representing Queens District 36 – the seat currently occupied by Zohran Mamdani, which he will vacate in January if he wins the mayoral election in November.

Under state law, once a vacancy arises in the Assembly, the governor has ten days to issue a call for a special election. A vote would likely take place in February under state election timelines.

Unlike a regular election, there would be no primaries. The Democratic nominee – which Jobaido hopes to be — would be selected by the Queens County Democratic Party, which endorsed Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary and has yet to get behind Mamdani in the general election. The party has not yet weighed in on possible candidates for the Assembly seat and did not respond to phone and email requests for comment.

Despite the uncertainties surrounding her candidacy in a potential special election, Jobaida is working to increase community support.

“People know me, and the day Zohran’s primary election result was out, I received a lot of calls to run for office,” she said at a Sept. 28 campaign event hosted on Zoom by Social Democrats USA.

“I gave a brief pause to think about it, and I feel like I’m ready to lead again, to advocate for my community. And here I am.”

During the event, Jobaida also said that local party leaders have struggled to connect with voters.

“You can see that they are having issues with the people at this moment. A lot of party figures did not endorse Zohran Mamdani when people voted for him to become the Democratic nominee,” she said.

This is not Jobaida’s first run for state office. She ran for the State Assembly in Queens District 37 in 2020 and lost by 1,511 votes to Catherine Nolan, according to New York State Board of Elections documents. After new Assembly district boundaries took effect on January 1, 2025, Jobaida became eligible to run for the seat that Mamdani may soon vacate.

Jobaida has already launched a campaign website and started raising funds through the state’s Public Campaign Finance Program. A spokesperson for the New York State Board of Elections confirmed that she has registered a campaign committee for the general elections 2026 race in District 36 and noted that it’s premature to assume Jobaida’s candidacy in a special election.

When Jobaida arrived from Baliatali, a village in Bangladesh, she spoke little English. She began her studies at LaGuardia Community College and graduated from New York University on a scholarship, later working across education, media, and local government.

“I was raised by life and community. I came here with zero exposure to American culture and no English background. The community accepted me. They helped me. And this state made me educated,” Jobaida said.

Now, Jobaida says she wants to give back to the community that supported her for the past two decades by addressing what she sees as the district’s most urgent issues.

“My goal is to treat the root causes where the problem is emanating,” she said.

One issue she highlights is environmental justice, particularly the concentration of New York City Housing Authority housing near Astoria’s power plants.

“We have been victims of environmental racism because our communities are placed next to fossil fuel power plants and generators that continuously hurt us. We have the highest emergency room visits among the elderly and children for respiratory and health-related issues,” Jobaida said during the Zoom campaign event.

City data support this concern: the Environmental & Health Data Portal reports that fine particle pollution from boilers and combustion in Astoria and parts of Long Island City is significantly higher than the Queens average.

Another key issue for Jobaida is accessible higher education. She plans to keep pushing for free SUNY and CUNY tuition for all.

“Education is actually an equalizer. It’s one way that people can change their economic status, and it should be available to everyone who wants to change their future and meet their potential,” she said at the Socialist Democrats USA event.

Her message continues to resonate with community members who have followed her work over the years. Joynal Abedin, president of the Bangladeshi American Advocacy Group, expressed support for her current campaign.

“Mary knows the community. She is always vocal on these issues and knows how to face challenges,” Abedin said.

Shamsher Ali, a Bangladeshi insurance broker in Astoria, also voiced his support.

“We always support our community people. Yes, like Mamdani. He’s not from my community, but we support him,” Ali said.

Like Mamdani, Jobaida is trying to rally a diverse range of supporters. Jobaida’s past endorsements, from groups such as the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club (an LGBTQ organization) and The People for Bernie, suggest her policies appeal beyond the Bangladeshi community.

“We are here to create an inclusive community. The state should make sure everyone has access to what they need and can thrive the way they are, for who they are,” she said.

For now, with the Assembly seat not yet open and Jobaida’s candidacy far from certain, she spends her time canvassing for Mamdani’s mayoral campaign.

“We both are focused on this win,” she said, noting that her own prospects depend on it. “He has to win first; the seat has to be vacant. Even though we wholeheartedly believe he’s going to win in November.”