Kristen Gonzalez: Campaigns and Elections
2022 Democratic Primary
Gonzalez initially announced her candidacy for the proposed 17th State Senate District on February 2, 2022 . Following court-ordered redistricting that reshaped the state's legislative map, she shifted her candidacy to the newly drawn 59th Senate District, which runs along the East River from Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria through Long Island City and down to Williamsburg in Brooklyn, with an additional section covering Midtown East in Manhattan .
The five-candidate Democratic primary was held on August 23, 2022. Gonzalez's principal opponent was Elizabeth Crowley, a former New York City Council Member and cousin of former Congressman Joe Crowley, who had been defeated by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a 2018 upset . Crowley was backed by Mayor Eric Adams, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Congressman Gregory Meeks, Congressman Ritchie Torres, and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, and outspent Gonzalez by a margin of approximately four to one . Real estate-aligned political action committees spent significant additional sums on negative advertising against Gonzalez .
The other candidates were Mike Corbett, a former staffer for Astoria Council Member Costa Constantinides who was endorsed by Congresswoman Maloney; Nomiki Konst, a progressive commentator who withdrew before election day and endorsed Gonzalez; and Francoise Olivas, who also withdrew and endorsed Crowley . In the final days of the race, a business-friendly PAC ran false online advertisements purportedly supporting Konst, which critics described as a deliberate attempt to split the progressive vote .
Gonzalez won the primary decisively with 13,115 votes, approximately 58 percent of the total, defeating Crowley by more than 25 percentage points . She performed particularly well in Brooklyn and in the Long Island City and Astoria neighborhoods of Queens . Her campaign was powered by DSA's volunteer infrastructure, which deployed canvassers across the district .
2022 General Election
Gonzalez ran unopposed by a major-party candidate in the November 8, 2022, general election, receiving the Democratic and Working Families Party nominations . She received 56,339 votes on the Democratic line and an additional 12,711 on the Working Families line, for a combined total of 69,050 votes, representing approximately 99 percent of all ballots cast . Her election made her the youngest woman ever to serve in the New York State Senate .
2024 Democratic Primary
Gonzalez faced challenger Gus Lambropoulos, an Astoria-born business and real estate advisor, in the June 25, 2024, Democratic primary . Lambropoulos positioned himself as a moderate alternative, criticizing Gonzalez's DSA affiliation and opposing congestion pricing, which Governor Hochul had recently paused . At a candidate forum hosted by the Astoria Homeowners, Tenants and Business Civic Association, Lambropoulos argued that Gonzalez was pushing a reckless and radical agenda .
Gonzalez won the primary with approximately 85 percent of the vote, earning nearly 90 percent in Long Island City and Astoria and approximately 81 percent in the Manhattan portion of her district . She cited endorsements from more than 50 elected officials, unions, and organizations as evidence of the broad coalition supporting her reelection .
2024 General Election
Gonzalez won the November 5, 2024, general election, securing a second full term representing the 59th Senate District . The district's heavily Democratic registration advantage made the general election outcome expected .
2026 Reelection Campaign
Gonzalez launched her campaign for a third term with a kickoff event at Pig Beach BBQ in Astoria on January 16, 2026 . She was joined by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, U.S. Representatives Nydia Velazquez and Jerrold Nadler, and a number of city and state representatives . Diana Moreno, running to succeed Mamdani in the 36th Assembly District, and Brian Romero and Aber Kawas, running in the 34th Assembly District, were also present . Gonzalez pledged to hold billionaires accountable, stand up to the Trump administration, and fight for a more affordable New York . She credited supporters for demonstrating overwhelming support for her campaign and the achievements of the previous four years .
Campaign Finance and Fundraising Approach
Gonzalez's campaigns have been distinguished by their reliance on small-dollar donations and grassroots volunteer operations rather than corporate or institutional fundraising . Her campaign explicitly rejects corporate and fossil fuel donations, a commitment she frames as central to her accountability to working-class constituents rather than private interests . Despite being outspent four to one in the 2022 primary, she won by more than 25 points, a result she has cited as evidence that grassroots organizing and direct voter contact can overcome financial disadvantages .