Explaining every faction in Queens politics, a borough of extremes
If Queens were its own city, it would be one of the largest in the country, but politically, Queens is a small town. It is a borough of neighborhoods that thrives on retail politics. Recounting what he tells some of his first-time candidates, Queens political strategist Eugene Noh said, “The ones who are impossible to coach – they’re the ones who grew up watching ‘The West Wing’ and really wanted to run for office. I tell my clients, watch ‘Parks and Rec.’ It is much more realistic.”
Queens is a borough of political dynasties: the Weprins, the Vallones, the Hevesis, the Addabbos, the Pheffers, the Crowleys, the Staviskys and (arguably) the Cuomos. People vote for the politicians who live down the block from them, who take care of that one pothole or whose kid is on their kid’s T-ball team. And often, those people have been in office for years and, sometimes, their parents were in office for years. For a borough of immigrants, it’s sometimes jarring that a place so transient can be so stagnant. And some people like it that way – but others can’t stand it. It’s a world with long-standing feuds, alliances and everything in between, a political arena that at times makes no sense at all, yet is often predictable and full of contradictions.
Queens is also a borough of extremes. It’s represented by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani on the left and New York City Council Members Vickie Paladino and Joann Ariola on the right. While Democratic officeholders far outnumber Republicans, there’s a strong undercurrent of centrist or conservative ideals. It was only four years ago that Eric Ulrich was holding on to the last Republican City Council seat in the borough. Now, the GOP is surging. President Donald Trump won 37% of the Queens vote last year, a 10-point jump over 2020. And in 2022, then-Rep. Lee Zeldin outperformed Gov. Kathy Hochul in parts of the borough. It’s not inconceivable that Republicans could flip more seats either this year or next year.
Through interviews with numerous Queens consultants and politicos as well as analysis of recent election results and area demographics, this broad roadmap – while not an exact science – lays out the power players in government, the influential institutions and the issues that are most important to voters.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2025/03/explaining-every-faction-queens-politics-borough-extremes/403787/?oref=csny-homepage-top-story