{"id":227693,"date":"2026-05-11T21:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T21:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/227693\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T21:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T21:02:10","slug":"chuck-park-hosts-comedy-fundraiser-for-congressional-campaign-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/227693\/","title":{"rendered":"Chuck Park hosts comedy fundraiser for Congressional campaign \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chuck Park<\/a>, a candidate for Congress running against incumbent Grace Meng<\/a>, hosted a comedy fundraiser at Yant Art Space in Forest Hills<\/a> on Friday to bring together community members for an evening of laughs with Queens locals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a packed house, great performers and great fun,\u201d Park said. \u201cIt was a fun break from doomscrolling, terrible headlines, fear and the horrible things happening in the world. It\u2019s great to be in a room with a lot of laughs and locals just enjoying themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event was produced by Paid Protest<\/a>, which hosts a monthly comedy show and fundraiser for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA<\/a>) to fund left-leaning causes and local candidates like Park.<\/p>\n

Among the evening\u2019s performers were Ginny Hogan \u2014 who emceed the two-hour event \u2014 Sharif Hasan, Anders Lee, Annette Mulaney, Felipe Torres Medina, Freddy G, James Mwaura and five comedians from FoHi Improv.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Park opened the show talking about his platform while poking fun at himself. Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

Park opened the show with a brief two-minute speech discussing his campaign and his hope for improving the quality of life if elected into office.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s my life as a candidate \u2014 I\u2019m exhausted and knocking on doors talking to other people who are exhausted,\u201d Park said. \u201cThey\u2019re exhausted with bills, with not having health care, and with kids and no after-school care. It\u2019s serious, but it\u2019s also funny and absurd because we are the richest f\u2014ing country in the world. We have enough, and we can be a lot less exhausted and a lot happier if we didn\u2019t have these clowns in the White House and Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many of the comedians who performed poked fun at Park and openly discussed the sociopolitical issues dominating this year\u2019s election, such as immigration, war and conflict in the Middle East, and Park\u2019s opponent, Meng.<\/p>\n

Park even participated in an improv segment in which the comics were tasked with \u201creenacting\u201d photos from a family slideshow. Park and the group contorted themselves into funny positions while two of the comics \u2014 pretending to be a husband and wife \u2014 began describing \u201cmemories\u201d from family vacations.<\/p>\n

\"\"Park participated in one of the improv skits during the comedy fundraiser. Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

Hogan, who lives in Congressional District 6, which is currently represented by Meng, said she isn\u2019t happy with the congresswoman\u2019s leadership and was excited when she saw Park running for office against her.<\/p>\n

After checking out his platform, Hogan reached out to him on Instagram and now runs his campaign\u2019s social media accounts.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI really liked what he was running on,\u201d Hogan said. \u201cHe\u2019s really met the moment in terms of his willingness to speak up about dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party in general \u2014 especially in Queens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among her top issues this election cycle are abolishing ICE, Medicare for All, and getting big money out of politics \u2014 which are all pillars of Park\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n

The comic expressed distrust of Meng\u2019s leadership, explaining that she does not like that the current congresswoman accepts money from Political Action Committees (PACs).<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think she pushes hard on the legislation she claims to support,\u201d she said. \u201cIn general, I think she\u2019s kind of absent.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

She said she felt as though this were a broader issue with establishment Democrats, whom she said have not actually stood up to Trump with an affirmative vision \u2014 something she said Park, on the other hand, does possess.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ginny Hogan, a comic that runs social media for Park\u2019s campaign, emcee\u2019d during the comedy event Friday evening. Photo by Renee DeLorenzo<\/p>\n

The goal of the comedy show, Hogan continued, was to show that politics can be more than depressing headlines and dry speeches.<\/p>\n

She said as a comic herself, who performs all over Queens often posts clips to her social media accounts at @ginnyhogan_<\/a>, she often connects with local comics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many funny people in Queens,\u201d Hogan emphasized. \u201cI think politics can be a downer sometimes, but we wanted to make it joyful because [Park\u2019s] campaign really is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Park said that\u2019s precisely what his goal was for the comedy show.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a comedian, and I think there\u2019s a lot going on that\u2019s not so funny,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I think humor is such a powerful way to cut through the B.S. It\u2019s the opposite of smarminess, and it\u2019s the opposite of inauthenticity. When it\u2019s done right, it speaks truth to power.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information about upcoming events for Park\u2019s campaign, visit ChuckForQueens.com<\/a> or check out his Instagram account, ChuckForQueens<\/a>.<\/p>\n