In a busy election cycle with open congressional races at the top of the ballot, the District 30 race to fill the seat being vacated by Assemblymember Steven Raga – who lost his bid for the State Senate last week – didn’t draw the same level of interest or attention.
The race began in earnest when State Senate Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, whose district overlaps with District 30, announced his retirement. Raga decided to run to replace the longtime senator, opening his seat up.
Ghimire had filed to run in the race in October, long before Gianaris’ retirement announcement.
But both Haque and Martinez jumped into the race not long after the seat became one a new face could win.
Haque filed to run in February as a political contradiction – a former cop running with deeply progressive backing.
“We have to look at the whole criminal justice system in a way that would be beneficial for New York,” he told City & State at the time. “I cannot fathom how we are the richest nation, the strongest nation, and how we have so many people incarcerated.”
Like many other Queens candidates, Haque ran with the promise of pushing Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s agenda in Albany. He had helped the mayor gain Bengali support in western Queens during last year’s mayoral race, despite having a history of pushing for conservative causes.
While Haque didn’t get the support of Mamdani or the Democratic Socialists of America, he was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Mamdani’s heir in the Assembly, Diana Moreno.
With broad support from progressives and the Bengali community, Haque significantly outraised his opponents, and pulled in more money than any non-incumbent candidate in the borough.
Martinez filed to run just a few days after Haque. A sitting Queens Democratic district leader, community board member, former educator, and the nephew of former Queens political boss Joe Crowley, Martinez ran with the strength of the party establishment.
He was backed by the Queens County Democratic Party and powerful unions like DC37, 32BJ and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.
He also raised significant funds as a first-time candidate, and outraised Haque down the stretch.
On election night, Haque and Martinez largely split the district along Queens Boulevard.
Haque won most of the precincts north of the borough’s eponymous thoroughfare, characterized by the diverse communities in Elmhurst and Jackson Heights and along Roosevelt Avenue. Martinez dominated south of Queens Boulevard in the more moderate parts of Maspeth and Elmhurst bordered by the boulevard and the Long Island Expressway.
Ghimire pulled in double-digit percentages in the central part of the district, which is home to a significant Nepali community – areas almost entirely won by Haque.
It likely will take some time before the winner of the Democratic primary will be determined.
The last time a Queens legislative race was even remotely this close was 2022, when Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato prevailed over Republican Thomas Sullivan in the Rockaway-centered District 23.
In that race, it took more than a month after Election Day for a winner to be declared.