Several notable establishment Democrats have tapped into identitarian sentiments to explain their steep losses, claiming DSA candidates are not representative of New York communities.

Those attacks were exemplified by Manhattan Democratic Party First Vice-Chair Mariama James, who recently came fifth in the race for Assembly District 65, 26 points behind DSA victor Illapa Sairitupac.

James’ semi-viral post says that DSA “members share a collective White supremacist I know better for you than you know for yourself mindset,”, and that DSA is anti-woman, anti-Jewish, anti-East Asian, and anti-Black. The Portland, Oregon DSA called the post “unhinged.”

In June, DSA elected 5 additional women (Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Diana Moreno, Aber Kawas, Samantha Kattan), a queer Jewish person (David Orkin), and three black candidates (Darializa Avila Chevalier, Eon Huntley, Christian Celeste Tate). NYC-DSA has not publicly commented on James’ posts.

Mariama James did not respond to State of the Left’s multiple requests for comment.

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards launched a similar attack last week, writing on X: “White Supremacy comes in all forms.” Richards was reposting an image from NY1 Anchor Errol Lewis in which Lewis posted a screenshot from a recent New York Times article that cites an unverified 2021 survey of DSA members claiming 85% of members were white. The DSA does not collect member data, and it is not clear what the other metrics of the alleged survey are.

Richards proceeded to share an image of Malcolm X with a quote about the dangers of “white liberals.”

Richards made two big endorsements in the 2026 election cycle: Antonio Reynoso against Claire Valdez in NY-7 and Steven Raga against Aber Kawas in State Senate District 12. Both of his candidates went on to lose in blowouts to their DSA-endorsed opponents.

When asked by State of the Left if he believes the DSA is a white supremacist organization, Richards never responded. Richards also did not respond when asked why he used a Malcolm X quote in attacking the Democratic Socialists of America, given Malcolm X was known to be highly critical of Capitalism.

Clare Collins

Clare Collins, a 25-year-old Filipino-American and volunteer for Steven Raga’s campaign for New York State Senate District 12, recently featured in a semi-viral video from America Listen, where she articulated her frustrations with DSA. Raga was defeated by DSA-endorsed Aber Kawas in SD-12 in western Queens by a margin of 20.8%.

Collins’ video echoes James’ and Richards’ attacks on DSA members:

“Ever since Mamdani got elected, it’s been moving very cult-like. It’s gotten a little culty—and I’m saying this as a blue hair, DSA member. Very white, privileged people, going into these communities of color and knocking on the doors and telling them, “You need to vote for this person, I know what’s best for you.” There were certain candidates they did not need to be running against that were very progressive and actually from those communities. Zohran’s not a god, he’s a politician. Hold him accountable, every step of the way. Don’t idolize any politician.”

It’s true that all politicians should be held accountable, but what about the other parts of her claim? Is DSA white and privileged, and is canvassing in a community white saviorism?

State of the Left reached Collins for an extensive phone interview, where she clarified that a key concern for her was that local communities should decide for themselves what they want. This, to her, is fundamentally at odds with canvassing outside of one’s district. Collins also added that while many DSA members may not be wealthy, they are mostly college-educated and able to move anywhere, unencumbered by their immigration status.

According to membership numbers sent in to Brian Lehrer’s radio show by NYC-DSA on July 24, 2026 and read on air, the city-wide chapter sits at around 50% people of color. The Bronx and Upper Manhattan branch (BUM) has 65% POC membership according to the figures. State of the Left has not independently reviewed these numbers or any other source document. Brian Lehrer reads the figures starting around 24:30 in the episode.

State of the Left would like to acknowledge that River Shi, a cadre DSA member and editor with State of the Left, edits under a pseudonym out of concern for their current immigration status amidst the Trump Administration’s federal crackdowns.

DSA endorsement processes and the Senate District 12 Campaign

Clare Collins made it clear many of her frustrations articulated in the video stem from the recent race between Aber Kawas and State Assemblymember Steven Raga in State Senate District 12.

Collins became a DSA member in 2025 and canvassed for Zohran’s mayoral campaign in 2025. While actively involved in community board meetings through her job with a local elected official, and on the board of a Filipino-American non-profit, she is not involved in her local DSA chapter or working groups, and has not voted in any DSA endorsement processes, which are open to all members in good standing.

Collins feels that DSA should have endorsed Raga because he is a DSA member who had been previously elected in the community, and expressed frustration, feeling that DSA “only trust the people that have been in their organization for a very long time to receive the endorsement.”

She also noted that Raga is the only Filipino ever elected in the state of New York, to any office. “[His office is] the only government office that gives services in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. I don’t know where those constituents are gonna get help now.”

Heavily-involved Queens DSA member Sara Abiboutrous, who voted to endorse Aber Kawas, said she supported Kawas based on her track record, and expressed concern with Raga’s early lack of support for Not on Our Dime.

“I put my support behind Aber because her track record earned my trust. She has taken positions that are morally correct but politically unpopular, and that type of selflessness is important to voters. She helped draft Not On Our Dime with then Assemblyman Mamdani. It’s important to elect leaders who have that courage. Unfortunately, the candidate she was running against seemed to lack the bold leadership we need right now.

He declined to sponsor Not On Our Dime as an Assemblyman and defended that position as he sought endorsements from progressive organizations that championed the bill. He finally chose to sponsor it during the primary and it seemed more for his own political gain. That switcharoo, combined with also voting for the Casino in Queens, left people wondering what he even stood for. ”

Assemblymember Raga did not return State of the Left’s request for comment.

Making Sense of the Election Results

Collins pointed to a myriad of factors in her explanation of the June results, in which communities across New York chose to vote for NYC-DSA candidates by overwhelming margins:

• low voter turnout (particularly in NY-7 and among lower-income constituents in SD-12)

• low awareness

• waning union influence (particularly in SD-12). “I think in this particular race, those people weren’t voting. For whatever reason, they did not vote.”

State of the Left was unable to verify Collins’ claims that: NY-7 saw historically low voter turnout; that Steven Raga received over 50 union endorsements; and that union members did not vote in SD-12 or across New York.

Clare Collins said she is a member of DC37 and is about to begin her masters at the CUNY School of Labor, a decision “largely informed by the result of this race.”

What Does the Future Hold for DSA and New York Politics?

Looking at the words of Mariama James, Donovan Richards, and Clare Collins together, there is a mixture of anger and confusion as different factions, groups, and types of people try to make sense of NYCDSA’s overwhelming victories on June 23, 2026.

Figures of the Democratic Establishment like James and Richards are lashing out as their place in the political system as ideologically conservative Democrats becomes increasingly untenable in the new political reality. In the case of Mariama James, her ascendency to Assemblymember was literally blocked by Illapa Sairitupac, and three other candidates who collected more votes than her.

Clare Collins presents a more nuanced case, where someone who signed up to pay DSA dues with an affinity for another paper DSA member ended up on the opposite side of a DSA-endorsed candidate.

Ultimately, when asked if she felt that the attacks on the DSA were productive or warranted, Collins said: “Probably not. I’m sure it would be in the best interest of the Republican Party if the Democratic Party moved more moderate, like they did in the last election, so they lose again.”

It is not clear where people like Collins will land in the future, with the establishment or with DSA. What is clear, however, is that DSA has emerged as an electoral force mobilizing a genuinely massive coalition within Democratic primaries on a scale New York politics has not seen in many decades, if ever.

I was proud to support the full slate of DSA candidates in Sunnyside, doing 2 turfs there while going on to knock around 1000 doors across the whole City. On a rainy Sunday in mid-April on my first turf of the cycle in Sunnyside, one of my first conversations was an older man who was a member of the local Carpenters union. My canvassing partner from Jewish Voices for Peace, Jordan, was with me as we were the first canvassers to be out speaking to these voters, and we had a lovely conversation with the union member. I stressed how deeply Claire, Aber, and Samantha care for unions and how they will work to support greater union density and union empowerment. We spoke about many subjects and he committed to vote for all of our candidates without too much convincing, to be honest. He was simply happy to see younger people who cared so passionately, trying to make the world a better place with Democratic Socialist principles that actually made a lot of sense. I cannot know if he actually ended up voting or not. But if he did, I am certain it was for us.

I am also certain Clare Collins, and perhaps others who share her convictions, may have strong feelings reading these words. After all, I don’t live in Queens. Why should I have been canvassing there? It is a fair point, and here is my answer.

This world is on fire. Headed towards a dark and unsustainable future unless we drastically change course, and quickly.

This campaign saw legitimate villains like Jenifer Rajkumar. There were also candidates like Antonio Reynoso or Steven Raga who, in my view, are not bad people, but actively good people. They simply would not go as hard against the increasingly powerful special interests suffocating our society in pursuit of their various nefarious goals.

As Queens DSA member Sara Abiboutrous said: “This idea that candidates and politicians are owed endorsements or votes is opposite to how a democracy should function. It’s pretty clear that voters across the country want leaders who are authentic and who are capable of being courageous leaders. Aber proved she fit that criteria.”

With Antonio Reynoso, we would’ve had a well-intentioned guy who might consider the viewpoints of the worst special interests of our time, or consider endorsing other far less Progressive Democrats for important seats in the future, before making a decision. For those special interests and untrustworthy individuals, Claire Valdez is an absolute brick wall. I believe she, and the rest of the victorious DSA slate, will lead us in opposing these forces at all costs—and there is no greater battle of our time.

While I respect Clare Collins’s perspective, there is no way I will be on the sidelines as the future of our country, and our very world, is determined. I committed hundreds of votes to the DSA slate in 2026 across the city. Regardless of where I was from, or what my demographic identity is, every one of those voters were just happy someone, anyone, CARED.

This upcoming weekend, my NYC-DSA comrades and I are traveling to Detroit, Michigan to canvass, combating AIPAC’s obscene tens of millions of dark money funds against Abdul El-Sayed and Donovan McKinney. When it comes to making a better world, nobody said it better than Christian Celeste Tate at Nowadays last Friday at NYC-DSA’s victory party: “If we wait for somebody to bring that world to us…we will never see it.”

So, the next canvass awaits. And maybe, just maybe, Clare Collins will be at our side for it. We would be lucky to have her.

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Editing Credit: River Shi

Writing Credit: River Shi

Thank you River!

Released Monday, the letter was addressed to Senate Minority Leader Schumer and House Minority Leader Jefferies following the recent murders of two immigrant fathers, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Guerrero, at the hands of ICE.

After naming other victims murdered by ICE, and describing cruel or illegal offenses committed by the agency during the second term of US President Donald Trump, the letter writes that abolishing ICE is a matter of ensuring public trust and rule of law: “For the safety of our constituents and to restore public trust and the rule of law, we call on you and all congressional Democrats to publicly support the abolition of ICE and to leverage your positions to defund and dismantle this rogue federal agency.”

Per a PBS story, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed on July 10, 2026 while driving his construction crew to a work site in Houston, TX after ICE agents stopped his vehicle looking for someone else. Joan Sebastian Guerrero was killed in Biddeford, Maine on July 13, 2026. ICE agents were not seeking him out when they stopped his vehicle, leading to the murder, per a CNN article.

The two deaths have triggered yet another wave of national outrage and protests against ICE, renewing scrutiny of where congressional Democrats stand on abolishing or reforming ICE from the Democratic base. According to a public “Abolish ICE Tracker,” only 32 Democrats in the US House of Representatives currently support abolishing ICE. Neither Minority Leader Schumer or House Minority Leader Jefferies have come out in favor of abolishing ICE.

Moreno, Salazar, Hanif, and their office staff took the lead on organizing the letter and securing the sign-ons from across the state. The full list of electeds who signed on is below.

Julia Salazar- State Senator, District 18

Diana Moreno- State Assemblymember, District 36

Shahana Hanif- NYC Councilmember, District 39

Michael Gianaris- State Senate Deputy Majority Leader

Jessica Ramos- State Senator, District 13

Zellnor Myrie- State Senator, District 20

Jabari Brisport- State Senator, District 25

Andrew Gounardes- State Senator, District 26

José Serrano- State Senator, District 29

Robert Jackson- State Senator, District 31

Luis Sepúlveda- State Senator, District 32

Gustavo Rivera- State Senator, District 33

Nathalia Fernandez- State Senator, District 34

Patricia Fahy- State Senator, District 46

Samra Brouk- State Senator, District 55

Jeremy Cooney- State Senator, District 56

Kristen Gonzalez- State Senator, District 59

Michaelle Solages- State Assemblymember, District 22

Steven Raga- State Assemblymember, District 30

Khaleel Anderson- State Assemblymember, District 31

Jessica González-Rojas- State Assemblymember, District 34

Claire Valdez- State Assemblymember, District 37

Catalina Cruz- State Assemblymember, District 39

Ron Kim- State Assemblymember, District 40

Robert Carroll- State Assemblymember, District 44

Emily Gallagher- State Assemblymember, District 50

Marcela Mitaynes- State Assemblymember, District 51

Maritza Davila- State Assemblymember, District 53

Phara Souffrant Forrest- State Assemblymember, District 57

Grace Lee- State Assemblymember, District 65

Manny De Los Santos- State Assemblymember, District 72

Alex Bores- State Assemblymember, District 73

Keith Powers- State Assemblymember, District 74

Tony Simone- State Assemblymember, District 75

Rebecca Seawright- State Assemblymember, District 76

George Alvarez- State Assemblymember, District 78

Amanda Septimo- State Assemblymember, District 84

Emérita Torres- State Assemblymember, District 85

Yudelka Tapia- State Assemblymember, District 86

Karines Reyes- State Assemblymember, District 87

MaryJane Shimsky- State Assemblymember, District 92

Dana Levenberg- State Assemblymember, District 95

Sarahana Shrestha- State Assemblymember, District 103

Gabriella Romero- State Assemblymember, District 109

Jonathan Rivera- State Assemblymember, District 149

Shaun Abreu- NYC Council Majority Leader

Nantasha Williams- NYC Council Deputy Speaker

Christopher Marte- NYC Councilmember, District 1

Harvey Epstein- NYC Councilmember, District 2

Carl Wilson- NYC Councilmember, District 3

Virginia Maloney- NYC Councilmember, District 4

Gale Brewer- NYC Councilmember, District 6

Elsie Encarnación- NYC Councilmember, District 8

Carmen De La Rosa- NYC Councilmember, District 10

Shirley Aldebol- NYC Councilmember, District 13

Pierina Sanchez- NYC Council Member, District 14

Althea Stevens- NYC Councilmember, District 16

Justin Sanchez- NYC Councilmember, District 17

Amanda Farías- NYC Councilmember, District 18

Tiffany Cabán- NYC Councilmember, District 22

Shekar Krishnan- NYC Councilmember, District 25

Julie Won- NYC Councilmember, District 26

Ty Hankerson- NYC Councilmember, District 28

Lincoln Restler- NYC Councilmember, District 33

Jennifer Gutiérrez- NYC Councilmember, District 34

Crystal Hudson- NYC Councilmember, District 35

Chi Ossé- NYC Councilmember, District 36

Sandy Nurse- NYC Councilmember, District 37

Alexa Avilés- NYC Councilmember, District 38

Rita Joseph- NYC Councilmember, District 40

Kayla Santosuosso- NYC Councilmember, District 47

Alexandria Wojcik- Village of New Paltz Mayor

Rob Cantelmo- Mayor of Ithaca

Kristofer Munn- Asst. Majority Leader, Dutchess County Legislature

Abe Uchitelle- Majority Leader, Ulster County Legislature

Lisa Kaul- Dutchess County Legislator, District 6

Alix Winsby- Dutchess County Legislator, District 14

Carolyn D. Hoffman- Monroe County Legislator, District 25

Maurice Brown- Onondaga County Legislator, District 15

Genesis Ramos- Orange County Legislator, District 6

Stephen Hunter- Orange County Legislator, District 16

Greg McCollough- Ulster County Legislator, District 6

Veronica Pillar- Tompkins County Legislator, District 2

Jorge DeFendini- Ithaca Common Councilmember, Ward 1

Kathy Nolan- Ulster County Legislator, District 22

Ducson Nguyen- Ithaca Common Councilmember, Ward 2

Kayla Matos- Ithaca Common Councilmember, Ward 1

Michael Tierney- Kingston Alderman, Ward 2

Hannah Shvets- Ithaca Common Councilmember, Ward 5

Giselle Martinez- Newburgh City Councilmember, Ward 1

Michele Hirsch- Kingston Alderwoman, Ward 9

Evan Menist- Poughkeepsie Common Councilmember, Ward 2

Ernest Henry- Poughkeepsie Common Councilmember, Ward 1

Daniel Atonna- Poughkeepsie Common Councilmember, Ward 8

Ondie James- Poughkeepsie Common Councilmember, Ward 5

Mary Lupien- Rochester City Councilmember, East District

Stanley Martin- Rochester City Councilmember, At-large

Natalya Lakhtakia- Board of Education President, Saratoga Springs City School District

Greg Campbell-Cohen- Troy City Councilmember, District 6

Emma Arnoff- Dutchess County Legislator, District 2

Joseph Donaldson- Ulster County Legislator, District 8

Paloma Wake- Beacon City Councilmember, At-Large

Nate Hotchkiss- Binghamton City Councilmember, District 4

Claire Cousin- Hudson Common Councilmember, Ward 5

Nedra Patterson-Thompson- Poughkeepsie Common Councilmember, Ward 7

Tamika Stewart- Newburgh City Councilmember, Ward 3

Andrew Zink- Village of Saugerties Board Trustee

Editing Credit: River Shi

Thank you River!

Primary election day in New York may be almost a month past, but the grassroots left just added another win to their column, with David Siffert declaring victory in the race for New York’s 66th Assembly District on Manhattan’s Lower West Side last Wednesday.

On election night, Siffert was 56 votes behind Community Board 2 Chair, Jeannine Kiely, who was endorsed by outgoing assemblymember Deborah Glick. The recount declared Siffert the winner by just 15 votes, with a final tally of 17,172 votes cast.

Siffert attributed the win to the grassroots nature of the campaign. “I literally wore a hole through my shoe walking the district. This campaign didn’t just go door-to-door. It went park-to-park, community meeting-to-community meeting, and living room-to-living room. It was a true grassroots operation.”

A civil rights lawyer, founding Executive Director of NYU’s State Government Initiative, NYU professor, and lifelong Manhattanite, Siffert was endorsed by a broad coalition of entities and figures, including local Democratic clubs, The Jewish Vote, New York Progressive Action Network, Our Revolution, State Senator Jabari Brisport, and State Assemblymember Emily Gallagher.

While they were not endorsed by the NYC-DSA, they were a founding member of the Invest in Our New York coalition, which calls for more taxes on corporations and expanded investments in social services. Additionally, Siffert attended the Tax the Rich rally in Albany on February 25, 2026, aiming to pressure Governor Hochul to support many of the platform planks in the Invest in Our New York package.

In a statement, Siffert told State of the Left one of their top legislative priorities is housing.

“We have to figure out how to make housing more affordable. There isn’t a silver bullet to solve that problem, but the state needs to take a much more active role in the process, including building social housing and increasing voucher funding, rather than simply leaving it to private developers and hoping the free market trickles down. We need to protect New Yorkers from a cruel federal government hellbent on hurting the most vulnerable among us. Making New York a sanctuary state is a good start. And we need to get serious about regulating AI and big tech. As AI evolves, its impact grows exponentially, and we need laws to protect our privacy, civil rights, education system, environment, and jobs, and ultimately to protect against catastrophic risks. These laws exist; we just need to pass them.”

Manhattan political analyst Josh Arnon said Siffert’s win is a testament to the electorate’s desire for more Progressive candidates and platforms. “As one of the writers of the Invest In Our New York package, David will be a strong ally in the fight to tax the rich. Only a couple years ago, even with WFP’s or DSA’s backing, it would have been widely viewed as a tough race for David to run against Deborah Glick’s handpicked successor. It goes to show the hunger by New Yorkers for more progressive candidates that they won without endorsements by WFP, DSA, Bernie, Zohran, or AOC against both the establishment pick and WFP’s candidate.”

Editing Credit: River Shi

Thank you River!

Carson died in Brooklyn on October 2, 2023, after being randomly assaulted. Morales was present, called 911 immediately, and cooperated fully with law enforcement authorities. The assailant was later sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.

Around 22 months later, Morales posted a photo during the 2025 election cycle with then-Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Unprovoked, Paladino reposted the photo to X, and falsely claimed Morales did not immediately call police and did not cooperate with the investigation because she “likely” wanted to “ensure the murderer walked free” due to her political beliefs. Paladino made no attempt to provide evidence for her false claims.

Following Paladino’s post, Morales faced a “sustained harassment campaign” from the Councilwoman’s supporters.

The lawsuit follows Paladino settling a case with the City Council after being charged with disorderly conduct for posting sweeping, discriminatory statements targeting Muslims in New York.

Ryan Thoresen Carson

Ryan Carson grew up in East Bridgewater, MA and attended college at Pratt Institute. He was a poet, musician, and dedicated activist. Making the world a better place was his life’s work.

Ryan worked with New York Public Interest Research Group on environmental advocacy and founded the NO OD NY campaign, which aimed to end overdose deaths in New York State by creating Safe Injection Facilities, “where people who use opioids can access life-saving medical care, connect to social workers and resources within their communities, and be treated with respect.” He also raised funds for an awareness walk for the initiative from NYC to Albany. Ryan’s passion for opioid overdose activism came following the death of his friend, Eli Todd, in 2016.

New Paltz Village Mayor Alexandria Wojcik knew Ryan Carson from their work together at NYPIRG years before his death.

When reached for comment, she said the following: “Ryan would have wanted us to turn the grief we all feel since his tragic murder into an opportunity to advocate for mental health services and housing for all – and would have hoped we all, especially Claudia, could have some space to feel all the feelings that go with losing a dear friend in such a horrific way. As an activist-in-elected-office, I am sickened by Paladino’s use of my friend’s murder to promote her MAGA right wing agenda, and her reckless decision to put survivors in harm’s way via these public statements.”

Asked about Ryan, she referenced his kindness, Progressive politics, and his work on NoODNY “Ryan was a poet, both in reality and in the way he carried himself. He was kind. Truly a good person. I miss him a lot. Ryan’s politics were progressive, always inclusive, always about casting a wider net, keeping the spectrum of allies in mind.

Ryan made New Paltz a stop on his hike across the state to bring attention to the overdose crisis and to put pressure on decision makers to work towards real solutions such as overdose prevention centers, and like with everything Ryan did, we found a way to make our No OD event include the DIY punk scene. It was a beautiful, uplifting, respectful, and I think impactful event. Attendees got Narcan trained, heard some powerful words, danced to some awesome folk punk tunes, spoke with our County Sheriff about harm reduction, and left feeling like we all made a difference. That’s how Ryan always showed up in every space.”

In reading about Ryan’s life and death, none struck me as deeply as an essay read aloud by Claudia on the two year anniversary of Ryan’s death, at Herbert Von King Park.

Reading it made me feel as if I knew him. As if I could look over and seamlessly slip into a conversation about what remedies are needed to address the world’s ills or how to best roll up a J. Like I could imagine being up late into the night, drinking in all the world has to offer with him. It would seem…this is simply who he was. Someone able to bring out the best in all of us. None of us can do this essay justice, so I encourage you to read it for yourself when you have some time to take it in.

In the meantime, I hope these words suffice.

Ryan Carson was a Marxist-Leninist for who making the world a better place was not a hobby, but an obligation. Ryan met that obligation through a variety of ways. He canvassed, protested, marched, and sang.

However, perhaps his greatest asset to the cause of advancing Democratic Socialist principles of liberation and justice was his joy for life. It seems Ryan could make anyone believe the hope of a better tomorrow was worth fighting for by tangibly taking action, and then guiding people on that journey.

Achieving this is a rare gift. It’s someone who can ask you to take a leap of faith outside your comfort zone, while simultaneously making you feel confident they will be at your side the whole way. An ability to not just inspire, but then tangibly organize and instill trust along the way.

Will we ever know how many Ryan Carson mobilized in the pursuit of a brighter future for people they may never know? How many did Ryan Carson inspire to look within themselves to try something scary and new, but exhilarating after they gave it a shot? Even now, years after his passing, a writer who never knew Ryan Carson sits here having read about this person and asks: “What more can I do, how much more of life can I pack into my tomorrow?”

The people that Ryan showed how to believe in themselves in ways they didn’t yet know how, remain. In hearing his story, their numbers may even grow. We will never know how many came back to the next event because that particularly generous person left them with such a positive impression last time. We will never know how many of them became Zohran 2025 canvassers, NYC-DSA 2026 phone-bankers, or activists in their own unique, equally important ways.

It is through those people, who were likely at victory parties across the city just this past June 23rd, 2026, that Ryan was with us all that night. It is through those people and through all of us each and everyday, in the heart, soul, and very essence of this movement, Ryan Thoresen Carson will forever remain.

Edited By: River Shi

State of the Left first discovered Brooklyn Buzz after the site published an anti-DSA op-ed that was circulated in a local Bed-Stuy Facebook group. The op-ed was seemingly posted to the site by a reporter named Bill Harris, but there is no other biographical information of Harris as a reporter available anywhere on the site. The op-ed was posted with the following editor’s note: “The following Op-Ed was submitted by a concerned African American homeowner in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The views expressed are those of the author. Submitted by Jon S. Bed-Stuy Homeowner.” Given this context, the cover image of the op-ed showing a group of primarily young, white people gives an unspoken impression the location is in Bed-Stuy. In actuality, the cover image shows Radigast Hall & Biergarten in northern Williamsburg. The op-ed mostly lacks tangible specifics while citing a dubiously reported article about NY-10 Democratic Congressional Nominee Brad Lander, who is not an endorsed DSA candidate, from another JIG Media-owned site, East New York.Com.

Brooklyn Buzz lists 2-3 different reporters’ names for stories, but no other information is available about any of them. In one article, the author is listed as Sam Whitaker, but after scrolling to the bottom of the page, a graphic is included with Bill Harris’s name creating confusion as to who is responsible for the content.

The vast majority of the stories are written by someone only listed as “LU.” Stories written by LU contain a small graphic at the bottom of the articles reading “Lucille has 6 years as an editor, covering evertyhing from dining, community issues, politics and health. She writes for NYC News Network and its affiliates.” Otherwise, there is no other accessible information about the editor, reporters, or their backgrounds. Additionally, Brooklyn Buzz does not have time stamps for article publications on the articles themsleves, so readers cannot know exactly when a piece was published if they do not look at an article on the website’s home page. All that is shown is a generalized time stamp with one example reading “Edited 2 Weeks Ago.”

Throughout March, April, May, and June of the 2026 Democratic Primary elections, Brooklyn Buzz was running positive, promotional stories about all three of those candidates.

NYS District 59 Assemblymember Jaime Williams

NYS Assemblymember Jaime Williams paid $10,050.00 to JIG Media for “Online Ads” and “Text Messages.”

Brooklyn Buzz published four positive promotional articles about Jaime Williams and another article about Williams claiming she was under attack from “allegations and political attacks.” Williams was challenged for her seat by community organizer Jibreel Jilloh in the primary election, but the article never mentioned who William’s opponent was or what the specific statements were. Instead, the article linked to a “press release published via NYC Newswire” where Williams called out Jalloh by name and asked the public for support. NYC Newswire is a different website from both NYC News Network, Brooklyn Buzz and East New York.Com, but appears to be owned by JIG Media as well. After Williams submitted the press release to NYC Newswire, Brooklyn Buzz proceeded to run the article with the press release as the source document. After reciting the press release’s claims and portraying Williams as a victim of smears, the article pivots to a “What Happens Next” section in which election day is listed as June 23 and says Williams is “encouraging supporters and residents” to vote. However, by not writing out who Williams’s opponent is or what the details of the claims against are, readers have no way of deciding anything for themselves without taking the hyperlink to the Williams press release. The article does not claim to have reached out to Jibreel Jalloh for comment.

Jaime Williams did not respond for comment to State of the Left on what specific services her campaign received from JIG Media. She went on to win her primary against Jalloh by a double digit margin.

Jibreel Jalloh declined to comment on this story.

NYS District 56 Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman

According to New York State campaign finance records, NYS Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman paid $6K to JIG Media for “Campaign Workers’ Salaries.”

Brooklyn Buzz published eleven positive promotional pieces about Stefani Zinerman during the election cycle. The most noteworthy article recaps an April eviction arrest where NYC Councilmember Chi Osse was arrested by NYPD officers while protesting the eviction of a constituent, Carmella Charrington, in Bed-Stuy. Despite the episode revolving around Carmella Charrington and Chi Osse as a result of their presence at the scene, neither Charrington nor Osse are mentioned in the Brooklyn Buzz article. Instead, the article links to a Stefani Zinerman press release published via NYC Newswire (the same JIG Media-owned site that published the previously referenced Jaime Williams press release) where she “Demands Answers on Eviction Incident.” In summing up the press release, Zinerman is portrayed as the only figure in the article taking action on the issue of eviction cases and housing enforcement, calling for “accountability and transparency regarding how the NYPD handled the situation.”

None of the pieces about Stefani Zinerman ever mentioned that she had a DSA-backed Democratic primary opponent named Eon Huntley. Huntley was endorsed by both Chi Osse and ran on the New Kings Democrats slate alongside Charrington. Osse is a city councilmember “Socialist in Office” which means he works directly with the NYC-DSA. Charrington ran as part of the New Kings Democrats reform slate of District Leader challengers. Carmella Charrington and Omar Hardy unseated both incumbent AD-56 District Leaders, Henry Butler and Kenesha Traynham-Cooper, while Eon Huntley defeated Stefani Zinerman in a blowout victory for Assemblymember. This context, combined with Chi Osse having been the person arressted and Carmella Charrington being the actual evictee herself, makes the omission of Osse and Charrington from the Brooklyn Buzz news article especially glaring.

Zinerman went on to lose to Huntley in a blowout, double digit defeat. Stefani Zinerman did not respond for comment to State of the Left on what specific services her campaign received from JIG Media.

Kings County Civil Court Judicial Candidate (6th Municipal District) Michelle DeSouza

Kings County Civil Court Judicial Candidate (6th Municipal District) Michelle DeSouza paid JIG $13,806.26 for “Campaign Literature” and “Campaign Consultant.”

Brooklyn Buzz published four positive promotional pieces about Michelle DeSouza. One article touts endorsements from Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and a slate of centrist Democratic District Leaders and Assemblymembers. DeSouza went on to lose her primary race for Kings County Civil Court to Janice Purvis by around twelve points. Purvis was backed by a number of Progressive figures and entities such as the New York Working Families Party and Democratic Socialist in Office Shahana Hanif.

JIG Media

Most recently, JIG Media launched Canarsie News on June 15, 2026 and Voices of NYC around the same time, but an exact date cannot be confirmed due to lack of a date stamp. According to a press release, that means JIG Media’s digital publications include BrooklynBuzz.com, EastNewYork.com, ClintonHill.com, HealthyNYC.com, NYCPolitics.com, EATandDrinkNYC.com, HerPowerNetwork.com, NYCEducationNews.com, and NYCSportsNetwork.com.

JIG Media advertises itself as “a New York City-based media and communications company that helps organizations reach the people who matter most through a unique combination of digital publishing, strategic communications, and targeted audience engagement. Unlike traditional marketing agencies that rely primarily on advertising and social media, JIG Media built its own digital media ecosystem to help businesses, nonprofit organizations, healthcare providers, educational institutions, community organizations, government agencies, and political campaigns communicate directly with New Yorkers. At the center of that ecosystem are NYC Newswire® and NYC News Network®.”

The leadership of JIG Media is listed under an “About” section on the NYC News Network site. The CEO is listed as Vernon Jones, Senior Vice-President as Wayne Jordan, Political Director and Managing Partner as Eric Blackwell, Managing Partner- NYC College Sports as Micheal Bellamy, and Cal Jones as Managing Partner - EATandDrink.NYC.

CEO Vernon Jones’s Comments on State of the Left’s Press Inquiries

When asked directly by State of the Left if political campaigns can pay for editorial placement in Brooklyn Buzz, CEO Vernon Jones said no “Campaigns cannot pay for editorial placement in Brooklyn Buzz. Paid political clients purchase guaranteed publication on NYC Newswire, which includes the required “Paid for by” disclaimer, as stated on the JIG Media About page, and Campaign Policy page.”

When asked why there were no other stories ever run that covered, or even mentioned, the opponents of JIG Media clients Stefani Zinerman, Jaime Williams, and Michelle DeSouza, Jones answered that he did not know definitively “I can’t speculate as to why there were no stories about other candidates, one way or the other. It’s also possible those campaigns never submitted announcements or press releases to NYC Newswire, which is one of the main sources from which writers may identify story ideas. I simply don’t know what information was or was not submitted regarding those campaigns.

When asked if he could confirm who the editor of Brooklyn Buzz is and if they oversee publication decisions, Jones declined to discuss “I’m not involved in the day-to-day editorial operations, and I don’t discuss our internal staffing structure or editorial workflow.”

When asked to clarify exactly what services were provided to Zinerman, Williams, and DeSouza, Jones declined to discuss client engagements “As a matter of company policy, we do not comment on the details of client engagements, internal staffing, or internal business operations beyond the information we make publicly available through our website and required public disclosures.” However, Jones went on to clarify some of what paying campaign clients can receive “As outlined in those policies, NYC Newswire provides publication services on a non-exclusive basis to qualifying political campaigns regardless of political party or affiliation. Announcements and press releases published on behalf of paying campaign clients include a clear "Paid for by" disclosure in accordance with our transparency policies. As explained on our About page, publication through NYC Newswire does not guarantee editorial coverage by NYC News Network publications.”

When asked if JIG Media does the physical printing of campaign literature and campaign mailers, or support paid canvassing operations, Jones said they only provide graphics work “We provide graphics work for palm cards and posters for clients, including campaign clients. I believe our About page has information in regards to the services we offer. We have nothing to do with campaign canvassing, field work or anything of that nature. We do not provide any services pertaining to mailers. I assume they might use some of our graphics work for their campaign mailers but we do not involve ourselves in mailing services or what they send out.”

When compared to the expenses reported by Zinerman, Williams, and DeSouza, Jones’s answers are not able to provide definitive clarity on the campaign services those campaigns received. Additionally, without comment from the campaigns, participants in the political process are left to guess exactly which expenses went for which services.

State of the Left will update this article if responses are received.

“I was asked what are my thoughts when I’m asked about DSA:

The organization itself based on its own data is over 85% White, mostly male and mostly wealthy. I’ll add to that the members share a collective White supremacist I know better for you than you know for yourself mindset. They didn’t listen to the ppl of Palestine in 2024 who wanted them to support Kamala Harris nor did they listen to Black ppl here who told them what a Trump reelection would mean for BIPOC and other marginalized communities and they didn’t listen to us in 2016 either and we ended up with a conservative SCOTUS that’s now stripping us of our constitutional rights one at a time. They are racist, anti-Black, anti-semitic, anti-East Asian non-Democrats who follow the teachings of a registered Independent who’s never passed any legislation and is the senator of the literal Whitest state in the union. They have no clue what middle, working and low income Americans need because those labels have never applied to them and if they really cared about POC, they would amplify our movements rather than try to force theirs upon us.”

James lists herself as Manhattan Dems Vice Chair on her Twitter account and this is confirmed on the MDP website. She is also listed as a District Leader for AD 65 on the District Leader webpage. James lost the recent primary election on 6/23/26 for Lower Manhattan’s 65th State Assembly District to NYC-DSA backed Illapa Sairitupac. She finished fifth of six candidates running. When asked for comment on if her recent loss to a DSA candidate had anything to do with her feelings towards DSA, James did not respond for comment.

James did not respond for comment on what her source is for DSA membership statistics, as DSA itself reportedly does not closely track member demographic data, according to a DSA source. She did not cite her sources for her claim that Palestinian people wished for American citizens to cast their votes for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. James gave no definitive rationale to explain how DSA is “over 85% White, mostly male and mostly wealthy” or “racist, anti-Black, anti-semitic, anti-East Asian.” In one of her comments on the post, she posted a picture of a Fox News graphic with a breakdown of alleged DSA membership numbers by race from five years ago. It appears James attempted to crop the graphic to obscure the source being Fox News.

The most recent primary elections in New York City on June 23rd, 2026 yield data refuting her claims. According to recent analysis by Michael Lange, DSA-endorsed Claire Valdez won every age bracket and racial group in New York’s 7th Congressional District while Darializa Avila Chevalier won black voters in the 13th District’s Harlem. According to Lange, the most predictive factor taken away from these results is less about race and more about age. This is consistent with broadly accepted knowledge from on the ground dynamics of these races.

The post faced significant blowback, with hundreds of comments and quote tweets in opposition to her remarks.

Neither the Manhattan Democratic Party or the NYC-DSA Press Office responded for comment. This story will be updated if comment is received.

Dilan said the meeting would be kept “strictly governmental,” but proceeded to immediately reference the upcoming primary election on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026 “I think everybody knows what’s going on in the neighborhood and we have two people, ya know, who are aspiring for things here, so we’ll keep it strictly governmental. And what I’ll do is give a brief report of… some of the things we have done this session in Albany.”

Dilan was referencing State Committee District 54 candidate Alan Gamboa and Christian Celeste Tate, a member of Community Board 4, running for the 54th Assembly District (Bushwick, East New York, Cypress Hills), both of whom were quietly in attendance for the meeting. Dilan did not mention that he, himself, is aspiring for another term in the state assembly.

After claiming credit for funding measures put in the budget such as a “robust” distressed hospital fund (Dilan did not give specific numbers or any other details on the fund), saying the state government addressed SNAP cuts from the federal government (no specific details were given on what was done in regards to SNAP or what Dilan’s role in it was), a $3 million capital grant to renovate the Hope Gardens Youth Center, and “$3 Million Dollars for Heckscher Park which will improve lighting and surfacing.” The New York State budget is crafted and passed by the Governor, 150 members of the state assembly, and 63 members of the state senate. Dilan did not say what his specific role in allegedly obtaining the funding for Hope Gardens or Heckscher Park was.

Following his presentation, four residents spoke to lodge various complaints about his absence from the board. Zachary Hendrickson, a CB4 member for the last three years and Bushwick resident for the last 7 years, stated he had not seen Dilan at the board in that time and wanted to “understand correctly, that a personal disagreement between yourself and our elected chairperson is the reason you’ve stayed away this entire time?”

Dilan responded by saying “that’s my reason,” but that he is required to stay in Albany for six months of the year legislating and that his staff has been present at meetings. He proceeded to say he wanted to be honest about his “deep and personal” disagreement with Camacho and that “in order for this board and this forum to be.. spared of that.. I chose to stay away.” Hendrickson cheekily offered to assist Dilan with using Zoom to attend the meetings virtually.

The next resident to speak was another CB4 member for the last two years, Gio Justinano, and said he felt it was inappropriate for Dilan to be at the meeting a week before an election, even if Camacho had asked him to come. Justinano claimed they have not always seen Dilan’s staff present during the annual role call for elected officials or their representatives and that every other elected official has a presence at each meeting. He said members of the board have disagreements with Camacho, but they still have to be civil to attend the meeting “We do sometimes disagree with Camacho, but we shake hands and have conversations,” Justinano said.

The next resident to speak was named Courtney Henley and she introduced herself by saying she had no idea who Dilan was “Yes, Courtney, Community Board 4, I have no idea who you are and I’ve been in this neighborhood for… 12, 13 years.” She asked if anything was done for the elderly in the most recent state budget and Dilan responded by saying there was an increase in SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) and DRIE (Disability Rent Increase Exemption), but that it was “insufficient.” He said the real problem was the federal government walking away from the section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program and that he hoped there would be more federal investment in that going forward.

Pablo Rivera spoke next, identifying himself as formerly the Community Liaison from Erik Dilan’s office until last year and claimed to have always been present at the meetings. He went on to defend Dilan by listing some funding Dilan allegedly secured for various projects and said Dilan was “born and raised in Bushwick and didn’t come here 8 years, 9 years ago.”

Dilan responded to Rivera by bringing up the upcoming election his opponent, Christian Celeste Tate, and took some responsibility for his absence in previous years “I truly don’t want to make this about what’s happening next week. I had the chance to meet Christian [Celeste Tate], my first impression is that he’s a nice guy. But I’m really here at the insistence of this man (referencing Board Chair Camacho) and I’m here to repair the relationship. And I would say the criticism that comes my way is deserved and I’ll accept it and I’ll take that on the chin.”

The last in-person comment was from Board Chair Camacho himself who went on to defend Dilan’s lack of presence at the meetings and tout some of his contributions to the community.

Finally, New York City Councilmember Sandy Nurse was present on zoom and slammed Dilan’s remarks and presence with an impending election “While it’s great to see the assemblymember here, I’ve never seen it happen. I just want to express that what I just listened to sounded so clearly like campaigning. Like the board is creating a political moment here and I’m… a little disappointed. Because when it came to dealing with the flooding on Knickerbocker or dealing with other issues here…. Never seen you. Never seen you. And by the way, I’ve had multiple disagreements with board members and the chair before and we’ve had moments… and I still show up. Just because you don’t need an invitation to show up. If you’re in a beef with someone, that’s your personal beef with someone. I just have to say that seeing this makes me extremely disappointed, I’m a little disgusted at the way this is going down and…. You know, I just think there’s a big issue with this. I’m really disappointed because people want to show up at the last minute, a few days before an election? I think that’s really cynical. That’s all I have to say. Thank you so much.”

This article follows reporting from State of the Left on allegations of hostile behavior from Erik Dilan’s campaign staff and an alleged attempt to directly influence a voters ballot.

State of the Left has reached out to Assemblymember Dilan’s office for comment and will update this article if a response is received.

“This is what my aunt experienced at the Bushwick High School poll site on Tuesday (06/16/26).

She went to vote at the Bushwick High School poll site on Tuesday. She was the only voter there when she entered and received her ballot. Then one of the poll workers, whom she describes as a tall, heavyset white Puerto Rican man in his 50s, approached her.

She doesn’t remember his exact words, but says he tried to convince her to vote for Erik Dilan and insisted he could help her fill out the ballot.

My aunt says he probably assumed she couldn’t read the ballot properly because she’s a Spanish speaker. She felt pressured and unsure of the procedure, so she followed him to a table away from the private voting booths. She soon realized what was happening, covered her sheet, quickly filled her choice, and brought it to the scanner.”

Melanie added her aunt believed the individual was a poll worker and he was specifically inside the space where people were casting their votes. Her aunt believes he was trying to use the excuse of helping translate for her to pull her to the side of the room where he pressured her to vote for Dilan. Despite many poll workers being present and Melanie’s aunt being the only voter present at the time, none of the poll workers seemed to notice what was happening.

Melanie says she filed the report with the NYCBOE on her aunt’s behalf and they proceeded to call her an hour later to take notes and investigate. It is unclear if the Dilan supporter involved is actually a poll worker who was abusing his position, or if he is not a poll worker, but was appearing as such inside the poll site.

State of the Left has reached out to the New York City Board Of Elections for comment on this story.

Additionally, Melanie gave permission to include that her aunt is actually a long time Dilan voter, with her daughter even canvassing for Dilan years ago as a high schooler. However, she “feels like he’s been here for too long and has done nothing to help the community. She voted for Christian Celeste Tate Tuesday”, even under the aforementioned pressure.

Two More Allegations of Hostile Behavior From Erik Dilan Campaign Staff Emerge

In addition to the story from Melanie, two more individuals have come forward with accounts of behavior they felt was hostile while they were doing otherwise quiet pollsite visibility volunteering with the campaign of Christian Celeste Tate, the grassroots organizer challenging Erik Dilan in AD54.

The first account is from someone named Miles, who asked to have only their first name used. The account below has been edited for grammatical clarity.

“My name is Miles, first name only please. I canvassed for Christian and Albo and Sandy yesterday from about 4:30 - 6pm.

I started a block up from the train station stairs talking to Heriberto [Mateo], I patiently waited to talk to voters after he talked to them, and in my somewhat broken spanish tried to say “dose anos” 12 years and what has Dilan done for you, and Heriberto got very defensive, saying “That’s not me, I’m not him.”

I said “I know, but you’re friends, you’re handing out lit with the two of you.” He was like:

“We’re not friends, we are politically aligned, but not friends.”

Got a little tense, but all good, whatevs.

Then I went over to the train station stairs, where Erik [Dilan] (recognised from the lit) and an unknown canvasser, later identified by Erik as “John” were distributing Erik lit at the bottom of the stairs. I’d been warned of intimidating behaviour from Dilan Canvassers earlier, but as a 6ft something white guy, I felt I could flex my privilege for my fellow DSA candidate. I was not attempting to intimidate, I was simply being the voice of the opposition.

John was right at the exit to the station, filling most of the stairwell, attempting to give out the lit, and pointing out the assembly member standing just there for people to meet. I knew he wouldn’t give me any space, so i just stood to the side, waited for him to do his speech and when he handed out the lit I followed up with:

“and this is the challenger, Christian Celeste Tate.”

I was doing it in front of Erik [Dilan], who was being diplomatic, all smiles. John would occasionally pipe up saying that I (and Christian) were socialists, not democrats. We couldn’t be believed, trying to combat my simple message..

Suddenly John said, “Gimme some space, I don’t need you standing so close to my back” I wasn’t aware that I was imposing on John, but he started getting riled up at me being there, saying that you “don’t stand against someone’s back in East New York, that’s when someone will stick you.”

implying that I wasn’t from East New York (true) and didn’t understand the culture there.

I said “I’m not standing behind you, just trying to get lit to people exiting the station.” He started talking more aggressively towards me, I can’t remember the exact words, but Erik Dilan chimed in and started saying “John, calm down. Calm down John.” John said he was calm; he just didn’t like people standing directly behind him and needed more space. His voice was raised and if I were an Ouraa ring, I reckon he’d have an elevated heart rate for sure. Erik started saying, “they’re just trying to get more votes for their guy.”

After telling John to calm down a few times, and then John saying he WAS calm, Erik started walking away. I said “John, your guy is leaving because you’re so worked up, you’re making your guy (Dilan) leave.” John didn’t agree, but Erik walked away.

For a few more minutes (no more than 10) John looked at his phone and left as well. I don’t know where he went, but a different canvasser, Diana, a positive person with a friendly attitude, walked up.

The next time I saw John he was having a chat with [Councilmember] Sandy Nurse who seems to be the most beloved person in the district by constituents and even John and Heriberto.

I found an effective canvassing message as people were coming out of the station to be “This is Erik’s Challenger, Christian Celeste Tate. We don’t have the money Dilan does, we don’t have the matching shirts or the staff, but we’ve got a hunger for a better Brooklyn.”

I said bye to everyone and headed out.”

Miles added later that the “John” from his account was at least in his 50s or 60s, tall and heavyset, white passing, fluent in Spanish, and he told Miles he grew up in East New York. Not only is the account nearly directly in-line with the physical description of individual who was at the pollsite with Melanie’s aunt, it also matches up with the accounts of the individual voicing anti-trans and anti-Democratic Socialist rhetoric from the first State of the Left article on this subject

The second account is from a young professional named Jake with a career in the public sector. At first, he asked to have a pseudonym used for his name in order to speak freely, as they are concerned with potential retribution at their place of work as a result of Dilan’s status as an incumbent elected official. He then changed his mind to use his real name. The account is below, totally unedited, other than to switch the original name.

“My name is Jake. As the real estate lobby would like to call me, I’m a young, upwardly mobile urban professional, but I am also a volunteer with Central Brooklyn DSA. Over the last week, I’ve been out doing poll site visibility and canvassing for Christian Celeste Tate’s Assembly campaign.

I started Saturday on Irving Avenue in Ridgewood, and the energy was great. The Dilan canvassers out there were all local teenagers. When they found out I was there on my own time, unpaid, they were shocked but incredibly receptive to our message of affordability and creating safe communities where they can actually afford to thrive. They were curious about DSA. Their coordinators would periodically cruise by on motorized scooters to pressure them to push literature, but between the workers on the ground, everything was cordial. We felt like we were in the same boat.

By Monday night, I shifted down to Cypress Hills, pulling up to basecamp just as the hostile environment reported by State of the Left was unfolding. When I hit the doors, the conversations were wonderful, but by Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, the atmosphere at the poll sites near the Fulton Street stations grew intense.

Standing out there, I was targeted by Dilan’s field leads. Through a translator, I could hear them telling voters across the street that I was just a ‘transplant,’ a symptom of gentrification, and someone not to be trusted. To hear that divisive rhetoric weaponized by a 10-year incumbent’s machine was jarring. The reality is, the housing crisis and real estate market have pushed me all over the place as a struggling, working professional trying to stay afloat. I’m out here volunteering because I want to fight the very forces of displacement that impact all of us.

Interestingly, when I actually engaged in a one-on-one conversation with one of Dilan’s downballot electeds, Heriberto Mateo, the hostility melted away. We reached a genuine understanding. He even admitted that Dilan was difficult to work with and expressed regret about being on his slate. Because I’m a clean-cut, approachable guy, the team kind of took to me, and it felt like there was some camaraderie we could share as everyday people working the ground. By Wednesday evening, I actually crossed paths with Assemblyman Dilan himself as he stepped out of a brand-new Mercedes. When I introduced myself, and we got to hobnobbing, he asked me how I’m doing. I said that things in life ‘could be better,’ he chuckled and said, ‘Me too, man.’

The contrast of this election is stark. On one hand, you have an establishment machine riding entirely on decades of name recognition. I spoke with elderly abuelas who told me they were voting for Dilan simply because they’ve known him since he was four years old. (One of whom l was later able to convince to take some Claire Valdez lit!). On the other hand, you have a machine that is visibly sweating.

Seeing the Assemblyman and his team on the ground, it’s clear they are deeply shaken by this political insurgency. Whether we were born and raised in these exact blocks or came here later, the momentum is entirely on our side. We aren’t outsiders; we are neighbors fighting for a neighborhood that the political establishment has left behind.”

State of the Left has now gathered five total accounts of, seemingly, the same individual responsible for a wide array of hostile rhetoric. In the case of the Bushwick High School poll site allegation, it could potentially go beyond just rhetoric and into the territory of a violation of city election law. One striking aspect of this story is how many people are hesitant to speak out against an elected official for fear of retribution to their careers or local standing in the community. In a statment, Christian Celeste Tate’s Campaign said this is an example of why AD54 needs new leadership.

“Our campaign is deeply disappointed by the reports we’ve received from voters and volunteers about harassment at the polls. This pattern of behavior from Erik Dilan and his team shows exactly why our community needs change. Corporate Democrats like Erik Dilan are propped up by billionaires and take their constituents for granted. Nobody should be afraid to vote, to organize, and to demand what they deserve. We need elected officials who love this community and are committed to the hard work of earning every vote.”

State of the Left has once again reached out to Erik Dilan’s campaign for comment and has specifically asked if the individual in question will face disciplinary action. This story will be updated if an answer is received.

Erik Dilan Field Captain Has Unprompted Outburst

According to Jo (who asked in a phone interview that only her first name be used out of concern for retribution against her or her family from Dilan’s team as they are locals), she and Celeste Tate spent the first thirty minutes of their shift speaking to voters. Around 20 feet away and camped out in chairs not engaging with voters much, were multiple teenagers and an older canvasser being paid by Dilan to do the same. This relatively quiet scene played out for around a half hour until the arrival of a new campaign staffer for Erik Dilan around 11am. A taller, older man, the Dilan staffer immediately began barking orders at the Dilan paid canvassers. Seeing Jo and Celeste Tate enthusiastically approaching voters with their vision for the future, he launched into a loud speech, eventually becoming rife with provocative comments, while gesturing towards and referencing Jo and Celeste Tate.

“You guys cannot just be sitting down. You need to be energetic and having fun. You have to remember that unlike them, you guys are from this neighborhood, you are from here. You were born and raised here.”

Right away, Jo felt he was intentionally speaking excessively loudly to cause a disruption. For a moment, the Dilan canvassers got up from their chairs and each respective campaign spoke to voters as they walked by. Only a few minutes passed before the Dilan Field Leader pulled out his phone, unprompted, and began recording Celeste Tate and Jo while aggressively narrating out loud for the video, starting by saying “This is the candidate and this is his little accomplice…” Realizing they were suddenly on camera in the middle of the street, Celeste Tate gave a level-headed and respectful pitch for the campaign straight to camera while Jo stated she “grew up here and she wants to support Christian.” Around this moment, Jo states she informed him she is native to East New York, even speaking fluent Spanish, and the things he was saying were not true. By this point, Jo states the Dilan Field Leader had closed the distance between them from 20 feet to 5 feet away.

The Field Leader proceeded to put his phone away and loudly continue his previous speech to the other Dilan staff “We need to distinguish, the difference between us and them is we are Democrats. They are socialists. We want to help the community, they want to destroy it. They want to make this place like Cuba. They want to ruin this area. And the other thing is that these socialists, they want to bring trans ideology here. They want to make sure that boys are in skirts and women wear pants. They want to do surgery and make children transgender.” According to Jo, the teenagers being paid by Dilan began appearing uncomfortable, all while voters passed by, watching the bizarre scene. Celeste Tate began attempting to defuse the situation.

Jo spoke-up once again to ask the Dilan Field Leader what was wrong with being transgender. After he said that “socialists want to brainwash children” and “make them sick,” Jo and Celeste Tate explained there are transgender people in AD-54 who would be turned away by his rhetoric, but he was dismissive of trans-people existing in Cypress Hills, Bushwick, or East New York. The Dilan Field Leader continued repeating these same claims for even longer as voters walked past, all while Celeste Tate attempted to tone down the rhetoric. Eventually, Celeste Tate walked Jo home for a break, before she continued canvassing later that day.

Despite State of the Left reaching out to Erik Dilan’s campaign for comment on the situation and clarity on if the individual in question would face disciplinary action, he did not respond.

Christian Celeste Tate’s campaign responded with the following statement

"The thing I love most about campaigns is their potential to build community. Good campaigns bring neighbors together from all different backgrounds, united by a sense of solidarity and a love of their community. It’s disheartening, though unsurprising, to see this behavior from Dilan’s campaign. Part of a political dynasty, he has held on to power for 24 years by discouraging participation and pulling on people’s fears. We are doing the opposite. Our campaign is for everyone. No matter where you come from or how you identify, we are fighting together for the world we deserve."

More Accusations of Provocative Behavior from Dilan Campaign Staff Emerge

As State of the Left moved closer to publication of this article, other individuals reached out to share similar stories from the 2022 primary election cycle, when Dilan was challenged by Samy Nemir Olivares.

A volunteer for Samy named Aaron Fernando, who was 21 years old at the time, stated the following experience from 2022:

“I did poll site visibility for the Samy campaign in 2022 in Cypress Hills. We were extremely outnumbered by a dozen Dilan volunteers in chairs who chatted up people as they walked by and to go in and vote. One guy in particular (in his late 50s, early 60s) was friendly to me at first, but got more aggressive as the shift went on. At one point I thought I saw him standing too close to the entrance and tried to speak to a young poll worker about it who was hanging up signs. He started yelling at me, accusing me of electioneering because I was wearing Samy merch and had briefly stepped closer to the entrance to speak to the poll worker. He then proceeded to follow me and this young woman into the school while yelling and recording us both on his phone. The pollsite coordinator sorted it out, but the Dilan volunteer continued to yell and record me as I went outside, until I finally gave up and left to avoid the harassment. He ended up following me down half a block as I walked to my bike, essentially chasing me out of the pollsite and threatening to get me in trouble. I was really shaken up and had to stop volunteering for the day. It was definitely the most intense experience I’ve had doing pollsite visibility, in the seven years I’ve done it.”

Aaron stated afterwards the man in question spoke to voters in Spanish.

A second volunteer from the 2022 primary cycle named Jake, 30 years old at the time, also came forward with a similar story. He asked to only have his first name used and his account was put here word for word. Jake added afterwards that he remembered the man being tall/large.

“Primary Day June 2022, I was volunteering for Samy Nemir Olivares. I was there for most of the day, so I took some earlier shifts knocking doors and in the afternoon I switched to poll site visibility (IIRC it was in southeastern Bushwick, on Bushwick Ave – not certain but Street View suggests it was St. Thomas Episcopal Church). For the bulk of the time, I was there solo.

I got there around 2pm or 3pm. There was a very slow trickle of folks coming in. Very sleepy, until trouble showed up. There were a couple of them, I want to say it was two older women? who were quiet and kept to themselves. But they had a man with them, probably in his late 30s or 40s, who was, to put it charitably, a fucking asshole. While ostensibly he was doing the same job I was, just for the other side, clearly he was a goon, there for the purpose of intimidating me or whoever else showed up to do viz for Samy.

He would constantly attempt to disrupt my conversations with voters by shouting at/over us things like “HE* [Samy] WANTS TO LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION!!!” and other lies and smears, mostly about how electing Samy would lead to more crime and chaos (the dominant media narrative of 2022). Every time I tried to approach someone he would start trying to drown out whatever I was saying and poison the vibes. I swear, this dude’s voice did not go under 90 decibels the entire time he was there. Kind of impressed he could keep his voice ngl. I also don’t even remember him making any kind of positive case for Dilan to voters he talked to; as far as I could tell, he was there solely to harass Samy vols. (*I’ll also note that he consistently misgendered Samy, who’s non-binary and uses they/them, though I have no idea if this was knowing/intentional or not.)

One particular interaction I remember was with a nice older Hispanic lady. Realizing she didn’t speak much English, I switched to Spanish; I’m certainly not fluent but I can stumble through a conversation okay. I made a Samy pitch as best I could and then as soon as she walked away, the goon swooped in and, of course, started talking shit about me/Samy to her in Spanish. Then he shouted back to me “SHE TOLD ME SHE THINKS YOU’RE A LIAR!! SHE SAYS EVERYTHING YOU SAID TO HER WAS A LIE!” I overheard and understood enough of the conversation to know that this nice abuela did not actually say any of those nasty things he claimed she about me. Maybe was implied, but want to be clear about that!) Straight up third-grader shit!

Poll workers and police weren’t helpful; I think most of what he was doing was technically legal (I don’t recall him or his companions going within the 100-foot line, for instance).

As you can imagine, this was completely exhausting to deal with, but I decided I couldn’t let him win. He was my enemy now, and I had to outlast him. Around 7:30 or 8, he and his crew packed up shop, and I was the last one standing. It may have been a victory, but I sure felt pretty awful after getting yelled at for hours and hours on end.”

A third person from the 2022 election cycle allegedly had a similar account as well. However, it wasn’t received in time for publication of this article and it will be updated if it is.

Two of the three accounts recall a man in his 50s or 60s, with both of those instances happening at a Cypress Hills polling location. One account is Jo, from Tuesday, and the other is Aaron Fernando, from the primary 2022 cycle. Another two of the three accounts specifically recall a man who was tall or large. One account is Jo (per the included photo) and the other is Jake, from the 2022 primary cycle. Additionally, all three accounts state the man spoke Spanish on and off throughout the encounters. All of this together seems to raise the distinct possibility it is the same individual across both election cycles in all three of the accounts.

State of the Left again followed-up with Erik Dilan’s campaign for comment.

Kings County Democratic Party AD-54 District Leader Heriberto Mateo Was Present

While this episode played out, also present was Kings County Democratic Party AD-54 District Leader Heriberto Mateo. Mateo and his fellow incumbent, Arleny Alvarado-McCalla, are known to be aligned with Dilan and are being challenged for their seats by community activist Alan Gamboa and NYC Councilmember Sandy Nurse. According to Jo, Mateo was campaigning alongside the Dilan workers. Upon the arrival of the Dilan Field Captain and the beginnings of his outburst, Jo says Mateo quietly told her he did not agree with what the Dilan Field Captain was saying. While Jo says he was respectful and dignified, he quickly crossed to the other side of the street, leaving the Dilan Field Captain to continue his outburst.

Alan Gamboa, candidate for AD-54 District Leader, had this to say “I am running on a platform that New York is for all of us, that all people deserve dignity, respect, safety, and a good life. It’s disappointing to see the Dilan camp vocally expressing such fear mongering and prejudice. I will always affirm that trans rights are human rights, and that we should all enjoy the freedom to be ourselves without facing violence and hatred. I am also angered by their nativist contempt for the millions of people who come here to pursue their dreams, whether they are coming from China, DR, New Jersey, or Ohio. We all belong and I will always speak out for this.”

State of the Left attempted to reach Heriberto Mateo, but he has no campaign website and there is no way listed to contact him on the Brooklyn Democratic Party website either. Upon trying to click on the photo of Mateo on the Brooklyn Dems website to see if that would lead to contact info, a photo of Erik Dilan erroneously comes up instead.

This has led State of the Left to publish a seperate article about The Brooklyn Democratic Party spending unapproved party funds on protecting District Leader incumbents, no contact info being listed on their website for district leaders, and a slew of erroneous photos on the Brooklyn Dems website.

An example of a mailer promoting District Leaders known to be supported by Bichotte Hermelyn, according to Democratic sources, is below.

Kings County Democratic Committee Transactions

State of the Left has received more reports of District Leader mailers in other areas being paid for by the same entity. According to campaign finance reports, The Kings County Democratic Committee received a $25,000.00 loan from the Bichote Equity Leadership PAC on 6/13/24 and another $35,000.00 wire transfer contribution on 6/8/26. In the last several weeks, numerous expenditures have been to made to Brooklyn Printers Inc, Sinch Simple Texting, JMS Print and Mail, and EVUS for robo calls. However, as per the below photos, it is impossible to know exactly how much went to which candidates.

Bichote Equity Leadership PAC Transactions

The Bichote Equity Leadership PAC (accronymed as BEL PAC) is a different entity from two other campaign committees that exist to support her, Bichotte for Assembly and Bichotte for New York. In the last six months, BEL PAC has received $11,500.00 from NY Anesthesiologists PAC and $9000.00 from Harry Adjmi. Additionally, it shows $4,802.50 from Actblue. However, this is most likely donations from multiple individuals put through the online processor, Actblue, and all reported in one lump sum. If that is the case, it is undoubtedly a campaign finance finance violation, as individual contributions to Actblue are supposed to be reported as such. If they are not, there is now way to know who the donations are coming from. Most of these transactions can be viewed in the below screenshot.

Kings County Democratic Committee Process

Amidst these expenditures and transfers of funds, there are no meeting minutes from Brooklyn Democratic Party Executive Committee meetings to show any votes being taken to approve these funds being received or spent on District Leader races. It would appear these decisions are being made unilaterally by a few people at the top of the organization, most likely, Party Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn.

If any registered democrats in Brooklyn wanted to contact their respective district leaders to voice support or opposition to any of these party acitivities, they could not do so even if they wanted to. This is because the Brooklyn Dems website seems to list no contact info for any of the district leaders. Officially-speaking, District Leader is an elected position in each New York State Assembly District. As such, they are supposed to represent average registered Democrats on the Brooklyn Democratic Party Executive Committee. This would include input from Democratic voters on how the DLs vote on party matters. However, accepting input from the estimated 1.2 million registered Democrats in Brooklyn is impossible if with no contact information listed for any of the DLs.

Addiitonally, after clicking on all 44 photos available of District Leaders on the Brooklyn Dems Leadership website page, State of the Left has learned that 24 of the 44 photos have incorrect photos showing other people or random internet images. A number of other photos show nothing else when clicking on them. It is unclear for how many years this has been the case. This was first discovered during the publication of a story that involved a Field Leader for NYS Assemblymember Erik Dilan, but included the presence of AD-54 District Leader Heriberto Mateo. Some examples include, but are not limited to, the images below.

Example 1: Kalman Yeger and Jennifer Faucher (AD 41)

Example 2: Chris McCreight (AD 46)

Example 3: Tony Ying Ko and Joyce Xiaoqiong Xie (AD 49)

Example 4: Roxanne Persaud - AD 59

Example 5: Vacancy - AD 64

State of the Left Reached out to the Brooklyn Democratic Party for comment and will update this article if any is received.

I arrived in Williamsburg around noon. Having reached out to Jeremiah to secure a turf number and lit (one of my go-to field leads ever since my first April canvasses in Sunnyside), I’d have to go Claire HQ to pick up what I need. Jeremiah gave me the contact info for Valdez Field staff members Celia and Tanya, so I could inform them of my arrival ahead of time. I biked over from the Bedford Ave subway station, feeling the temperature rising as the mid-day sun came out and was glad to have chosen for the day my favorite blue, floral shorts. Upon entering HQ, the diverse array of people moving about the hustle and bustle of their work days was inspiring to take in. It was clean, casual, and just well-furnished enough to really feel comfortable, but not overly-crowded.

Finding my way in, I met Tanya and Ujji, who were both hard at work with their administrative tasks that keep the campaign running. In addition to meeting a few other people whose names I can’t remember offhand (feeling super guilty right now), I got to say hi to Austin Warrington, Deputy Campaign Manager, who I had met at a previous Williamsburg canvass. We all chatted for a bit before I received my turf number and lit. It felt like a privilege to get a tiny glimpse into the day to day lives of these people, each at the forefront of delivering us a better society. I took my turf and headed out.

Turf One- Greenpoint-Williamsburg Border, Midday

Over the next three and a half hours, I had 111 attempts with 84 not homes, five 1s, twelve 3s and a bunch of people I ID’d as having moved. A pretty good shift for midday, honestly. I managed to catch some people working from home, as also happened when I was in Harlem a few weeks ago for a midday turf. None of them had a ton of time to chat, but they all had just enough to tell me they were 100% in for Claire already, or would really consider what I was able to squeeze into the 30-60 seconds of time they so generously gave me of their work day. It wasn’t long before I came across my first picture-worthy moment. So as to be respectful to this candidate and their canvasser, I covered their literature in the below pic.

I took this photo because this building door was actually open. You just had to push it. Because I gave it a simple try, I got in. For clarity to non-canvassers, canvassing is a protected activity, legally speaking. While it may seem strange or invasive to write about “getting-in” to buildings or “finding” people, it’s simply a core part of political outreach that we always handle with care and respect. In writing this, I seek to shed good-natured light on what goes into it. Anyway, it makes all the difference being able to knock on actual doors inside of a building and speak to people as opposed to leaving lit at the outside door where it blows away or gets thrown out far more often. Experienced canvassers may get into a building and have fundamentally more substantive and productive outreach. DSA canvassers are now getting quite experienced. Multiply this instance on a mass scale, and the results end up being legitimately tangible on the ground when measured up against other canvassers (broadly speaking, especially paid canvassers). This is a hugely under-estimated factor in mainstream political analysis of the way DSA members really put in their hearts and souls to the movement, building after building, door after door.

There are always at least a fair number of not homes and a lot of DSA members take pride in finding a thoughtful place to leave the lit other than just on the ground, if possible. I’m one of them! In the door is always fine, but if a more fun option is available, why not use it? I took these pics because they genuinely made me happy in a strange way. In the DSA, I have found friendship, purpose, and a belonging I’ve sought my whole life. I love this movement. And I honestly believe some people out there who come home to fun placement like this pick up on that, if only just a little bit. Check it out.

Overall, many of my 3s knew there was some vote coming up and had at least seen a poster or heard something about Claire. There were still some people who didn’t know at all there was an election coming up and they knew no candidates whatsoever. In many cases, I could see our conversations making a difference, with many people genuinly glad to have heard about it. In other cases, I ID’d existing Claire supporters out in the wild who weren’t in our universe yet. This is critical work because now we can ensure they are reached in GOTV and turned out to vote. As for the 3s, it is my personal theory that if these 3s are turned out to the polls, they will vote Claire. The pleasant conversations, respect they had for me putting in this effort on behalf of the movement, and the simple fact we are most often the campaign making this type of high quality contact at doors, is often enough to seal the deal for most people come election day. It was a decent turf and a fun time.

Turf Two- Central Williamsburg, Early Evening

After finishing my first turf around 4:15pm, I found a spot to post up, charge my phone, and eat a salad while waiting for my 5:30pm canvass. After some rest time, I biked south to Central Williamsburg for turf number two of the day. One of the field leads was my friend, Christian Long, and it was awesome to see him. He and his co-lead did a good job with the canvass training and our group of around 10 promptly set out.

My second turf ended with forty-nine attempts, six 1s, two 2s, six 3s, and one 5. that brought my total for the day to exactly 150 attempts, eleven 1s, two 2s, eighteen 3s, and one 5 across the two turfs. This turf was similar to my first one in how the responses and conversations went, but there were a few exceptions. More people were home from work with actual time to talk, and it showed in the results. I took a picture of this buzzer below (and blocked out the name) because it was the first time I’ve ever gotten a 1 entirely over a buzzer without ever speaking to the voter face to face.

After they asked who I was, it went like this:

Me: “My name is Andrew and I’m supporting Claire Valdez for Congress! The election starts Saturday, do you have a few minutes to talk about it?”

Younger Voter: “Claire Valdez? Oh yeah I’m definitely for her. I’m busy right now, but I’ll 100% be out to vote. She has my support.”

I asked if it was okay to leave a piece of lit and if they could tell friends as well, to which they said yes. Yet another case where we were able to identify an organic supporter out in the wild and get them in our universe just in time for GOTV.

This next pic was a cool spooky basement hallway that led to an apartment on my list! I knocked and spoke to a young guy around my age who had no idea an election was coming. He had not heard of anybody before. He said Claire’s opposition to ICE in NYC is what stood to him on the lit and he committed to vote for her. Honestly, he almost seemed a little shocked someone actually cared enough to find their way down to that basement apartment and chat. We had a genuinly really solid talk.

After many hundreds of doors in NY-7 this cycle, I finally encountered my first person (a very kind middle aged woman) who opened the door and right away said “Hey sorry, I’m voting for Antonio and don’t want to waste your time.”

It was so pleasant, I thanked her for letting me know and asked her if I could ask how she knew him, how she made up her mind. I’m always curious about these sorts of things. She said he had grown up around that part of Williamsburg and she just.. knew him. So that’s how she would vote. It was genuinely wonderful how nice it was.

The thing is, I’m increasingly skeptical those people will be enough on its own for Antonio to win the race. Nobody can personally know the large number of votes needed to win a race of this scale on that alone. Personal history with a relatively small number of people, when considering a Congressional-level sample size, can only go so far…..

Finally, I had two special, memorable conversations on this turf. The first was with a gender-fluid person sort of disengaged with the political process and not a DSA member. Imagine my shock when I go to knock on her and hear the voice of Hasan Piker coming from her apartment. She opened up and was listening to his stream right then. She had already heard of Claire from Hasan, and yet, she was just out in wild, totally un-IDd. We hit it off and are in touch about connecting them more with DSA. She is my second “Hasan Piker Voter” I’ve discovered in the wild so far this cycle. Go figure.

The second person was actually the last door I was going to knock, before going to meet the squad to watch Game 4 of Knicks-Spurs. I walked down a few stairs to another basement apartment. She was a 24 year old woman and she seemed like one of us, honestly. She’d actually talked briefly to a Julie Won canvasser earlier that day. Having kept the flyer, she showed it to me. At first, I talked about how special I felt Claire is and after a few minutes she sorta laughed and said “Don’t worry dude, I was probably gonna go for her anyway, but this did it.”

However, her and I just kept talking. And then talking even more. After asking me if I lived in the area, I explained to her that I had come from the Hudson Valley for the day. She was legitimately shocked, but appreciative, that there are people who want a better world that badly. Eventually, we got to Cuba. Housing. Corporate power. Gaza. How there is money for the war in Iran, but nothing else. How these are all conscious choices, we, as a society, make. How there are different kinds of Democrats. How we can do better than what Progressive meant 5, 10, 30 years ago. How the status quo of the past, that mainstream Democratic leadership has been apart of, has led the world to such a dark, broken place. I shared the hope Claire, Zohran, AOC, and the DSA give me. I took this whole vacation day to do this work because the world doesn’t have to be like this. We don’t have to accept this. We have a chance to CHOOSE something better in this very district, on this very block, right here, right now. Claire Valdez is the opportunity for a better tomorrow. I actually said all this to her.

I think I’ll never forget the 10-15 seconds of silence that passed between us as she took in the gravity of this moment. Like it was dawning on her, in real time, what this chance is, for her, for me, for you… for all of us. Then, she said, “Wow… You’re right….. I’ll vote for her. And I’ll tell my friends too. They’ll want to know. Thank you for coming here.” We shook hands. And said farewell.

I walked back up the stairs from her apartment and emerged, streetside. The sun was beginning to set, the air getting cooler. It was simply gorgeous. After 150 attempts in a day, I closed MiniVAN. Making my way to Crystal Lake through the bustling heart of Williamsburg to finally hang with my comrades Sebastian, Randy, Christian, Michael, Ceilidh, Albo, Nathan, and Tanya, to catch Game 4, I felt strangely emotional. As if… something transformative is about to happen. As if…. we are part of something special. As if every, single day being one small part of this movement, where we hold eachother in trust, friendship, and joy, is a special day. As I strolled past buildings, scents of food, people clad in blue and orange, I suddenly felt an unmistakable sense of destiny swirling around NY-7. Like a convergence point of time and space is upon us, multiple different timelines for the future, hanging in the balance. I envisioned Claire giving a speech of aspiration, justice, compassionate strength, and victory. The possibility of a brighter future, just within our grasp. All of us coming together in a beautiful mosaic of hope over the last seven months, so when the sun rises on the morning of June 24th, 2026, the light of a better tomorrow will shine, far and wide.

I was around 12 years old when I first tried Bioshock. I was so scared, I couldn’t get past the opening 5 minutes of actual gameplay once arriving in Rapture. I returned to it around 14 or 15 and saw its intellectual brilliance. Returning to it now, the critiques it levels against Ayn Rand’s theories on governance and purpose in society feel more apt than ever before. The game puts to the test selfishness as a virtue and selflessness as a flaw. Bioshock takes Ayn Rand’s Objectivism and simply follows it to its natural conclusion.

As the player takes a small submarine called a Bathysyphere down to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, the moment when the city of Rapture appears on the ocean floor is one of gaming’s most iconic moments introducing a setting. On the way down, you are contacted by a seemingly altruistic guide, “Atlas.” The game is that direct with its references to Rand’s work. Additionally you’re listening to the below recording of Andrew Ryan state the free-market principles behind Rapture’s founding.

“I am Andrew Ryan, and I’m here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? ‘No!’ says the man in Washington, ‘It belongs to the poor.’‘No!’ says the man in the Vatican, ‘It belongs to God.’ ‘No!’ says the man in Moscow, ‘It belongs to everyone.’

I rejected those answers; instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose... Rapture.

A city where the artist would not fear the censor.

Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality.

Where the great would not be constrained by the small!

And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well.“

Seeking to escape all manner of the surface world’s “limitations,” Ryan constructs Rapture in the aftermath of World War Two with the intention of creating a utopia where there are no laws. The rules and restrictions are only those set by the free market, or the “Great Chain” as he refers to it. The moment you begin making your way through Rapture, there are references to the Cold War era, as Ryan wonders whether the player is a “CIA hawk or KGB wolf.” He views the United States and USSR as no different from each other- entities that seek to control. Ryan’s, and Rand’s, Objectivist creed is shouted at you from PA systems and written on signage with lines like “A man creates. A Parasite takes.” This is a riff on Ayn Rand’s concept that there are only makers and takers, producers and moochers. So how does this play out in Rapture? In short, not well.

Soon after Rapture’s founding, a cast of characters arrived and put these laissez-faire concepts to the tests. As you encounter them throughout the game, the deeply problematic nature of a society without rules becomes apparent. Entrepreneurial con-man Frank Fontaine consolidates much of the city’s industry and creates vast wealth inequality. Scientist Yi Suchong performs horrific experiments and demonstrates why grounded morality is actually pretty important for scientific advancement. Sander Cohen is an artist whose “art” is inflicted upon people, rather than shared with them. Dr. Steinman is a surgeon who takes his practice to unfathomably grotesque extents. It is important to note all of this happens before the discovery of the highly addictive, genetically mutating substance derived from sea slugs, “ADAM.” Discovered and invented by the trio of Frank Fontaine, Yi Suchong, and Brigid Tennenbaum, ADAM is eventually used to create many different “plasmids,” abilities such as increased athleticism, shooting lightning from your hand or telekinesis people can gain through an injection. While these plasmids are a core feature of Bioshock’s fantastically innovative gameplay, the implications of ADAM in Rapture’s society are dire.

The widespread use of ADAM by Rapture’s civilian population accelerates the decline beyond what anybody could have imagined. Unfortunately, the consumption of ADAM to power the use of plasmids has side effects that include intense hallucinations, psychosis, and deep paranoia that lead to all out, violent civil unrest as everyone seeks to get ahead in Rapture. As you progress through the game, the player picks up audio logs from different characters at different points in time. One log is a message Andrew Ryan leaves for an associate concerned by the impact of plasmids on the population as theft, assault, and civil war are becoming the new societal norm. Additionally, this is where the structural deterioration of Rapture begins. The challenges of maintaining a city at the bottom of the ocean can no longer be met given the new, horrifying circumstances. Ryan’s message to his associate is to simply “create a better product” and the market will adjust.

Here is where the deeply problematic parts of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism are clearly apparent. It is simply impossible for “the market” to regulate something like a highly addictive substance without some sort of tangible, governing structure. As addiction to the genetically mutating ADAM runs rampant, Atlas organizes what’s left of Rapture’s non-psychotic working classes in an attempt to seize control from Andrew Ryan on New Year’s Eve, 1958. This is where the real civil war begins. Ryan responds by creating a surveillance state (complete with security camers and turrets the player encounters), stripping people of freedoms, and staging public executions in Apollo Square of “thieves” or anybody else deemed to be troublemaking. It is in this period where society truly begins to collapse. People use plasmids even more, out of fear, furthering the psychotic paranoia of those afflicted by the use of ADAM. What was meant to be a utopia has turned into a horrible dystopia. It is nearly two years after this that you, the player, arrive to find that much of Rapture’s population has died off in the ensuing struggle. What was once an underwater marvel is now a tomb for anybody unfortunate enough to be stuck there. As you play through the game, Rapture is so far gone it’s difficult to fathom how such an objectively dangerous substance could go so unregulated for so long.

This is the reality modern proponents of Objectivism, starting most significantly with Ronald Reagan, simply do not want to confront. Framing the ideals of total market freedom as essential to personal liberty is an easy way to convince the masses to open the floodgates on a form of Capitalism that will simply trample all in its way. While what Bioshock games out might seem like an extreme scenario, even the recent developments on screw worm demonstrate how the concept of every person for themselves can end up dragging us all down. When Objectivism is actually put to the test in governance, it is difficult to see it ending any other way than a wealthy, entrenched few holding incredible power over the many. Bioshock’s Frank Fontaine demonstrates how easily a society rooted in Objectivism can be twisted by one, bad faith actor. As the aforementioned signifcant problems squeeze society more and more, it is only a matter of political science that eventually, the masses lose faith in the ability of institutions to do anything about it. People beginning to take matters into their own hands in varying forms becomes increasingly likely. The implications of this in the modern day are something for us to consider.

Nick Garber published an article in New York Focus about the creation of a dark money entity called “Moving Harlem Forward” (Acronymed as MHF from here on out) being run by longtime Cuomo-aligned operative, Charlie King. MHF would target Conrad Blackburn in NY Assembly District 70, who was endorsed by NYC-DSA. Blackburn, a young and charismatic public defender, was running against incumbent Assemblymember, Jordan Wright. Son of Manhattan Democratic Party Chair Keith Wright, grandson of well-known judge Bruce Wright, and recently elected President of the Manhattan Young Democrats, Manhattan politics flows in Jordan Wright’s veins. He had endorsed disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the 2025 Mayoral primary. He cited long-time family connections. Meant to mobilize the distraught remnants of Cuomo’s 2025 campaign against Conrad, something profound happened for me upon reading this. As someone with a deep knowledge of campaign finance systems from being a campaign treasurer nearly two dozen times (both unpaid and paid), I felt an insatiable need to explore what was happening here.

Over the next two months, MHF raised close to $90K and counting. The tangible result in Harlem has been regular people inundated with mailers and ads attacking Conrad Blackburn. Attacks he and his volunteers are forced to spend their time and resources refuting, instead of talking about the struggles people face to live a dignified life in Harlem. The bulk of those funds, $75K, were raised from 3 donors: EMU Health CEO Daniel Lowy, Solidarity PAC Founder Adeena Rosen, and the union 32 BJ ADF. While I extensively researched each of these individuals and entities, they are most easily summarized as either zealous supporters of Israel in American elections or longtime allies of Andrew Cuomo’s apparatus.

My research on Moving Harlem Forward and another dark money entity called United for Progress (UFP), led me to revelations about people and entities aiming to control our political system far beyond Harlem and will be covered in a number of forthcoming pieces. These findings have directly resulted in the creation of this Substack and the information on MHF and UFP is being published in this article, serving as the launch for State of the Left.

Moving Harlem Forward

In January 2026, MHF created an account on X. The account remained dormant, until April, and has only ever posted two videos. One of them was an attack ad against Conrad. The ad referenced a two-month, unpaid internship over the summer of 2016 that Conrad did as a young law student in the Florida Attorney General’s office. The Attorney General was, at that time, the now-infamous Pam Bondi. It implied that in his placement as a summer intern, he was Pam Bondi’s right-hand enforcer, while ignoring the years he’s spent since law school fighting for justice in every form. The disingenuousness ate at me. In my experience, an X account for a specific independent expenditure campaign committee is a bit unusual. Typically, they might have just a website with an email address that leads into the ether. A social media account meant there was a real person sitting behind the keyboard, posting this ad.

Garber had written in his article that the “contact” of MHF was one Daniele Campbell. However, it wasn’t clear if that meant she was the treasurer of the campaign committee, meaning she would need to know the intimate details of all expenses to properly report them. On May 7, I decided to file a FOIL (Freedom of Information Law) request for the founding documents of MHF.

The turnaround time was impressively quick. Upon viewing the CF-02, I confirmed the treasurer of Moving Harlem Forward was, indeed, Daniele Campbell. Having established the person behind the financial-reporting-curtain, I endeavored to learn what else Campbell had been involved in. After submitting another FOIL request, I learned she is the sitting campaign treasurer for the committees of Pat Timmons, Eddie Gibbs, and Corinne Arnold. Timmon’s committee was for a 2025 Manhattan DA candidacy (committees will often be left open after races have concluded) while Gibbs and Arnold have active races this cycle.

Having completed the search for all state level campaigns, I moved on to city campaign committees. Finding another fairly extensive list of Campbell’s work for city candidates in 2025, I scrolled through the campaigns that made expenses to Campbell for her treasurer services. A number of vaguely familiar names came up. “Gibbs, Edward, City Council 2025”, “Santana, Raymond, City Council 2025”, “Smyth, Dermot, City Council 2025”, “Bondy, Faith, City Council 2025”, but then……

“Menin, Julie, City Council 2025.”

City Councilmember Julie Menin was elected in 2021 and represents Manhattan’s District 5 (Upper East Side, District 5) as a committed centrist, zionist Democrat. Recently elected speaker of the city council, she has emerged as one of the opposition leaders to the Progressive reform movement of New York’s left, even attempting to organize a protest of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s 100 day celebration rally. I expanded my search to Campbell’s whole city work history and found her very first campaign treasurer work.

“Menin, Julie, City Council 2023.”

Before we get ahead of our skis with unspoken assumptions, it could be possible this is someone Menin simply pays to do a job. The responsible practice is to take that as the truth until proven otherwise. Wondering if there were more connections to centrist Democratic operators, I set-out to see if Daniele Campbell had social media profiles. Sure enough, I found a Daniele Campbell who seemed to fit the bill on X. It was only a matter of minutes before I came across many posts praising Council Speaker Julie Menin. I found one from 2023, the first time Campbell was ever paid for any treasurer work as far as I could tell. Then one from 2020, when Menin launched her first city council campaign. But then, they went back even further, all the way to the first ever mention of Julie Menin on Campbell’s page in 2016. As a matter of fact, not only was Campbell promoting Menin over the last 10 years before she was ever elected, Julie Menin is one of the only political figures Campbell has ever posted about in the whole history of her timeline, other than a few generic videos of Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, and a couple other national Democratic figures.

As if it was even a question, I decided to look at donations Menin had received next. You’ll be shocked.

Okay. I’d seen enough. At the very least, they obviously knew each other in a capacity beyond Campbell simply being hired for a job. I suddenly had a timeline that made sense. Unless Campbell was nothing more than an online super-fan of Julie Menin before she was ever elected, Campbell and Menin seemed to have known each other for at least a decade. Menin runs for council in 2021 with Campbell’s support and donations. In 2023, Menin hires Campbell for her first-ever paid treasurer work. By the end of 2025, Campbell’s side business as a treasurer explodes to around half-a-dozen- separate clients/candidates running for city and state office (including Menin), totaling well over $40K by the end of the year. Every campaign was a Manhattan-based, centrist, Democratic candidate.

The result suggests two likely pathways for how Campbell went from an associate of a council member who got hired for a job in 2023 to raking in $40K by the end of 2025: Menin began recommending Campbell to her associates in the Manhattan political world, Campbell used the clout from working for Menin to successfully expand her business totally on her own, or, the most likely option, a combination of both.

Which brings us to an interesting question we’ll almost certainly never have a definitive answer to: who directly connected Daniele Campbell to Moving Harlem Forward? Campbell taking on MHF marks a turn in her work as her first independent expenditure committee. All her previous treasurer work was on what are known as “single candidate committees”, the legitimate vehicles of candidates for their races. They exist in the light. Moving Harlem Forward is not a single candidate committee, but an “independent expenditure (IE)” committee with no contribution limits. These are overwhelmingly used for the purpose of allowing wealthy donors to circumvent the contribution limits imposed by state law on single candidate committees. While IEs don’t necessarily have to be negative, their secondary function is often utilizing the huge sums raised to go on offense against another candidate, which gives the person they are actually supporting plausible deniability that they are involved with the attack. In this case, the sole purpose of Moving Harlem Forward is trashing Conrad Blackburn with a twisted narrative. This exists in the dark.

Let’s game it out. While we can’t confirm it’s Charlie King, someone approaches Campbell in early 2026 asking if she would take on new work. As they talk it out behind the scenes, the “someone” explains this isn’t going to be a standard job as treasurer of Jordan Wright’s legitimate single candidate committee. They explain this is going to need a totally unconnected name from the Wright family as they want nothing to do with these ugly smears, because they are, well…. UGLY. See: Keith Wright saying he “knows nothing about“ MHF. This nameless operator tells Campbell there’s going to be huge donations coming in that fall outside the normal contribution limits, so that also has to be accounted for in how the committee is set-up.

Here’s where Campbell comes in: They need her help to figure out literally what are the proper forms to submit. Most campaign committees use the CF-02 form, however, there are many different types of CF-02s. Single candidate campaign committees use the CF-02 Type 1. Political Action Committees use the CF-02 Type 2. Constituted and Party Committees use the CF-02 Type 3-7. It goes on, with Independent Expenditure committees using the CF-02 Type 8 (I’ve gotten well-acclimated to the Ballot Issue Committee form, CF-02 Type 9B). It would shock many of you how little even the most high-level political operatives know about the mundane details of how this all works, forcing them to find and rely on a small number of people who care about this, or… make a business out of it. The proper forms to use, correct way to report reimbursements, when you do and don’t have to itemize certain transactions, the fact you can’t report PO boxes instead of street addresses for donors without it being considered a “deficiency” that often comes with a letter from the compliance unit, are all things these high-level operatives simply don’t feel like figuring out themselves.

Believing I had found much of what there was to find, I dropped an abridged version of my findings on X the morning of May 28th, 2026.

And then, this story took another turn. As a result of my post, all sorts of people were commenting. One of them was someone I’d never heard of before, Al Freedman. He was rather angry with me, writing the following reply on my post.

I was genuinely confused Al said I blew up Campbell’s address, because I had redacted it. I even had someone defending me in confusion, reiterating that the treasurer’s address was not visible. Whereas PDFs on a desktop browser mostly show one page at a time, PDFs viewed on a phone can show a quarter of the second page at the very bottom of the screenshot. Unbeknownst to me, it was right there the address was listed for a second time. Days later, Daniele Campbell reached out to me explaining it was way down at the bottom of the form I had posted the screenshot of. I apologized to her upon realizing she was right, in my first ever mistake handling a story. Lesson learned. She asked me to delete the photo, and after playing around with it for a while, I realized there isn’t actually a way to replace or delete just one photo on X after a post has been up for more than an hour. I would have to take the whole post down. Even though I don’t support the role Daniele is playing in this endeavor and despite the fact your address as a treasurer is easily FOILable by any curious person coming with this territory, I deleted the whole original post upon publication of this article, out of good faith.

What Al Freedman did make me realize though is I hadn’t actually researched Daniele Campbell nearly thoroughly enough. All I did was look at her social media and that was it. I tried looking into his claim about Menin and Campbell being “friends from college,” but it seems Menin went to Columbia University and Campbell went to University of PA for their undergrads. Perhaps he means they became friends during their college years, but not because they were at the same college. No matter which it is, Al Freedman’s claim only puts Menin even personally closer to Campbell - and this story. Not only is it now confirmed that New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin’s campaign treasurer is the same person running a dark money entity smearing Conrad Blackburn in AD70, but a real life, human person has now claimed, publicly, Menin is actually friends with this individual going back, potentially decades.

Also, who the heck is Al Freedman? Turns out he’s the Senior Vice President of the well-known and high-powered consultant entity, Mercury Public Affairs, and somehow, he knows Daniele Campbell. Al said in his post that Daniele Campbell is a “Democratic club leader.” I would like to thank Al for teaching me an invaluable journalistic lesson about doing the most basic of searches on people of interest because, yes, I have confirmed Daniele Campbell is indeed the President of the Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club in Gramercy Park. Per her LinkedIn, she became president of the club in January 2026.

Not only is Campbell the leader of this club, I found this perusing the website of the SJTDC.

Let’s break this down. The Samuel J. Tilden Democratic Club was founded in 1953. Well-known as a place aspiring politicos in the general Lower East Side and Midtown vicinities make practically mandatory pilgrimages to (if you want to “make it”), it covers roughly the neighborhoods of East Mid-Town, Murray Hill, Kips Bay, Gramercy Park, Stuy Town, East Village, Union Square, and South Flatiron. They honored Julie Menin at a gala in February when her district, the Upper East Side and all of Roosevelt Island, is not even in their general club area. Additionally, on their own club website, they list all the elected officials covering the club area’s general boundaries, and Menin’s district is not there. They could honor Virginia Maloney, Harvey Epstein, Kristen Gonzalez, or any of the other borough-wide, city-wide, or state-wide figures who represent them. Instead, for some reason, Julie Menin was chosen. Now, yes, I know. She is the Speaker. Theoretically, any club anywhere in the city could now honor her and it would *technically* make sense. Speaker is a quasi-citywide role. But also, they’re represented by Jerry Nadler! They aren’t going to honor a legend of the congressional delegation at one of the last galas they may ever be able to before he retires? Tough love from the East Side to the West, I guess. Yet another person who makes a lot more sense on paper, but got passed over for some reason. I’ve been a part of Democratic Party event planning discussions like these many times in my past life as a Democratic Party officer and operative. Broadly speaking, if the leader of the group really wants a specific person honored… that’s the way it goes.

Believing I had, once again, arrived at the end of the road on this story, I was preparing for not only the publication of this article, but the launch of a Substack. This is all way too long for X. It was right at that moment a new piece of information was brought to my attention by someone I’ve been in contact with: Not only is Daniele Campbell the treasurer of Moving Harlem Forward, she is also the treasurer of a newly registered federal super PAC called United for Progress, responsible for attack ads against the surging, DSA-backed, NY-13 congressional candidate, Darializa Avila Chevalier. Per the most recently available FEC filings on 4/14/26 (federal reporting requirements are a bit more opaque, in my view), United for Progress has not raised or spent any funds. This also means that, as of all currently available state and federal information reviewed by me, Daniele Campbell has not been paid for her work on either Moving Harlem Forward or United for Progress. One could argue taking a job is not an expression of support, but volunteering most certainly is.

City and State’s Heard Around Town newsletter recently reported that United for Progress is being run by dark money enthusiast, Charlie King. Given that King is confirmed to be running both Moving Harlem Forward and United for Progress with Daniele Campbell serving as treasurer of both entities, it’s clear Daniele Campbell and Charlie King now have their own relationship. Which leaves us with one, final, lingering question: who connected Daniele Campbell to Andrew Cuomo’s personal operator, Charlie King, for this work in the first place? We are left with no choice, but to wonder. Especially since both Daniele Campbell and City Council Speaker Menin did not return my requests for comment.

Few better examples than this story illustrate the deep mistrust between a generation of young Progressives, now grown into their 30s and 40s and increasingly well-organized, and the entrenched Democratic party centrist apparatus. If they cannot hold onto power themselves, the next best option for the centrist apparatus is being able to pass it on to younger faces that will uphold the same old way of doing business. Stepping back from the connection between Speaker Menin, her campaign treasurer Daniele Campbell, and dark money operative Charlie King, it’s remarkable on its own that the leader of a historic Democratic Party Institution on the East Side is also treasurer of shadowy PACs to crush not one, but two surging, young, DSA members, Conrad Blackburn and Dariliza Avila Chevalier. Do they really want Citizens United overturned?

I wish I could write this is simply a disagreement between two factions that will come together after the primary….. but that is not the truth. This is a full-fledged war for the future of the Democratic Party. A battle to determine whether access and control of our institutions runs through the DSA, where a grassroots mass movement of working class people is itself the source of power, or through figures like Charlie King, where the source of power is dark-monied corporate interests, seeking to hand down control from a senior Keith Wright to a younger Jordan Wright.

One outcome I am certain of though: If New York State Assemblymember Conrad Blackburn or U.S. Congresswoman Darializa Avila Chevalier ever want to attend a Tilden Dems dinner gala, it’ll sure make for an awkward meal.

Many thanks to: Ceilidh Erickson