Emily Gallagher: Campaigns and Elections
District Leader Race (2016)
In 2016, the New Kings Democrats progressive reform club approached Gallagher about running for Female District Leader in the 50th Assembly District . She challenged 32-year incumbent Linda Minucci for the Democratic party post. She was endorsed by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and City Councilmember Antonio Reynoso . Gallagher won 53 of 87 election districts but ultimately lost by 344 votes . The campaign gave her visibility in the neighborhood and served as a testing ground for a future Assembly run.
Campaign Launch and Platform
Gallagher launched her campaign against 23-term incumbent Assemblymember Joe Lentol on September 23, 2019, at Pete's Candy Store, a bar and performance space in Williamsburg . She ran on a progressive platform centered on housing justice, environmental protection, tenant rights, and anti-corruption, positioning herself as a grassroots challenger to a veteran lawmaker she characterized as friendly to corporate power . She was a member of Brooklyn Community Board 1 at the time of her campaign launch .
Endorsements and Support
Gallagher received endorsements from the Working Families Party, the New Kings Democrats, and Social Democrats USA, among other progressive organizations. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who had supported Gallagher's 2016 district leader run, provided early support that helped establish credibility . Notably, the NYC-DSA chapter did not formally endorse her 2020 campaign despite her DSA membership, a decision attributed to internal organizational dynamics .
Primary Election
On primary election night, June 23, 2020, Gallagher trailed Lentol by approximately 1,763 votes based on in-person returns, with Lentol holding 57.3 percent to Gallagher's 42 percent . An unprecedented volume of absentee ballots, submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic, reversed the result. By the time absentee counting concluded on July 21-22, Gallagher had pulled ahead . Lentol conceded on July 22, 2020 . The final certified result showed Gallagher with 10,386 votes (52.7 percent) to Lentol's 9,235 votes (46.9 percent), a margin of 1,151 votes .
General Election
Gallagher ran unopposed by any major-party challenger in the November 3, 2020, general election, winning with 38,278 votes (97 percent) on the Democratic line .
2022 Re-Election
Gallagher faced challenger Paddy O'Sullivan in the June 28, 2022, Democratic primary. She won decisively with 6,634 votes (79.5 percent) to O'Sullivan's 1,672 votes (20 percent) . In the general election on November 8, 2022, she received 20,724 votes on the Democratic line and 6,321 on the Working Families Party line, for a combined total of 27,045 votes (97.7 percent) .
2024 Re-Election
Gallagher faced two challengers, Anathea Simpkins and Andrew Bodiford, in the June 25, 2024, Democratic primary. She won the primary and advanced to the general election . The Working Families Party primary was canceled, with Gallagher advancing automatically . She won re-election in the November 5, 2024, general election, carrying both the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, receiving 29,622 votes on the Democratic line and 6,976 on the Working Families line for a combined total of 36,598 votes (98 percent) .
2026 Campaign
Gallagher is running for re-election to a fourth term in 2026. Her campaign website highlights the All-Electric Buildings Act, the McGuinness Boulevard redesign, constituent services including tenant clinics and community town halls, and the blocking of a 2023 redistricting attempt that would have divided the district 9. She supported Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander in the 2025 mayoral primary .