Rise Bar was packed Thursday night as the Hell’s Kitchen Democrats held their Annual Winter Gala — a two-hour blur of candidates, activists, neighbors and drag royalty at one of the neighborhood’s most popular gay bars.
The crowd at Rise Bar for the HK Dems Gala this week. Photo: Phil O’Brien
We went along to take an early pulse-check on this year’s unusually stacked political calendar: the wave of special elections and crowded primaries that will shape the West Side through 2026.
In the growing NY-12 congressional scrum, Assemblymember Micah Lasher and Assemblymember Alex Bores were among the most visible candidates working the room — although we also spotted Jami Floyd and Chris Diep.
Drag hosts Marti Gould Cummings and Jackie Cox kept the energy up — and offered a reminder that name recognition means a lot in politics. At one point, they gave a shoutout to George Conway, who was in the throng sipping on a Moscow Mule as the night unfolded.
Micah Lasher talks to his old boss Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Alex Bores and George Conway exchange phone numbers, Chris Diep, Jami Floyd, and Conway sips his Moscow Mule as Jackie Cox entertains. Photos: Phil O’Brien
But the contest that felt most immediately local is the one about to open up: the looming fight for Councilmember Erik Bottcher’s seat, as he heads for the State Senate.
It took nearly the full two hours — and a bit of coaxing (thanks fellow photographer Max Guliani for help with the herding) — to get the four declared candidates for District 3 to climb on stage together for a group photo: Carl Wilson, Layla Law-Gisiko, Leslie Boghosian Murphy and Lindsey Boylan.
Once they finally did it, though, something kind of wonderful happened: they stepped down from the stage… and promptly couldn’t stop talking to each other.
The four candidates for councilmember seat — (from left) Carl Wilson, Lindsey Boylan, Leslie Boghosian Murphy and Layla Law-Gisiko — chat after their photo call. Photo: Phil O’Brien
The special election for the 47th Senate District begins Saturday with early voting and runs through Election Day on February 3, when Bottcher will face Republican candidate Charlotte Friedman. Democrats expect Bottcher to win, but the race is now officially underway.
Bottcher wasn’t able to make the gala, even though he was listed as the event’s top sponsor. We caught up with him by phone to ask about the $700,000 he raised within 24 hours of launching a congressional bid — before pivoting to the State Senate.
He told W42ST that all donors were offered refunds; some asked for their contributions back, but most were comfortable letting their money continue to support him. He said the remaining funds will be transferred into his state campaign account, under the applicable rules. The Bottcher 2026 campaign’s first full federal disclosure report — its 2025 Year-End filing — is due January 31 and will be posted for public review on the FEC’s website.
The more formal photo — (from left) Layla Law-Gisiko, Leslie Boghosian Murphy, Carl Wilson and Lindsey Boylan — taken by Max Guliani Photo: Phil O’Brien
And yes: we’re still keeping an eye on the broader NY-12 circus — and we still haven’t bumped into Jack Schlossberg on the campaign trail. Hard to understand how the lure of drag in Hell’s Kitchen couldn’t even pull him out of Chelsea.