NY Assembly · New York - 36

PrimaryDemocratic Party

Open seat in NY-36 draws three Democratic primary challengers

The 2026 Democratic primary for New York Assembly District 36 is an open-seat contest with three candidates: Mary Jobaida, Kevin P. Coenen, and Diana C. Moreno. All candidates emphasize progressive priorities such as housing affordability, workers' rights, and fully funded public transportation, with Moreno additionally pledging to reject corporate PAC money. No fundraising or polling data is available, making the race's dynamics difficult to assess.

Overview Issues

Candidates

Mary Jobaida

Immigrant from Bangladesh

Housing Affordability — Mary Jobaida supports truly affordable housing for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, freezing rents for stabilized apartments, and establishing land trusts and other social housing models to secure affordability through community ownership of real estate. She also supports tenant protections and help for struggling homeowners, including transferring tax-break benefits from big developers to small homeowners who live where they rent, providing city assistance for needed upgrades, and allocating support for building and maintaining Community Land Trusts.

John Liu +5

Kevin P. Coenen

Volunteer petitioning for Assembly District 36

No major endorsements yet

Diana C. Moreno

Former deputy director of New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE)

Workers' Rights and Local Business Support — Moreno has a background organizing with the New York State Nurses Association and other unions, and she emphasizes her ties to organized labor. She has fought for fair contracts for nurses, baristas, and delivery workers.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani +2

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Issues

Protecting Democracy and Empowering Ordinary People

Mary Jobaida supports term limits, automatic voter registration, and safeguards against voter intimidation, while Moreno frames her candidacy as part of a movement to fight fascism and authoritarianism by building a multiracial working-class coalition.

Mary Jobaida supports term limits for all elected offices, automatic voter registration, publicly-run workshops on how to run for office and how to organize for change, and instituting safeguards against voter intimidation and public disinformation.

Mary Jobaida campaign website

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Housing Affordability

Mary Jobaida supports freezing rents for stabilized apartments and establishing land trusts for community ownership, while Moreno advocates for strengthening tenant protections and creating a Social Housing Development Authority.

Mary Jobaida supports truly affordable housing for the most vulnerable New Yorkers, freezing rents for stabilized apartments, and establishing land trusts and other social housing models to secure affordability through community ownership of real estate. She also supports tenant protections and help for struggling homeowners, including transferring tax-break benefits from big developers to small homeowners who live where they rent, providing city assistance for needed upgrades, and allocating support for building and maintaining Community Land Trusts.

Mary Jobaida campaign website

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Public Safety and Justice for Immigrants

Mary Jobaida lists public safety and justice for immigrants as a goal, while Moreno supports the New York For All Act to restrict ICE cooperation and has participated in civil disobedience against ICE.

Mary Jobaida supports public safety and justice for immigrants, as listed among her goals on her campaign website.

Mary Jobaida campaign website

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Researched & verified Jun 22, 2026. Compiled from verified public sources; claims that failed verification are excluded.

Sources (1)

ballotpedia.org