Electoral
What District Does Zohran Mamdani Represent? The 36th Assembly District of New York
Astoria: A Microcosm of Global New York
Zohran Mamdani represents New York State’s 36th Assembly District, a vibrant and densely populated area that encompasses the heart of Astoria in northwestern Queens. This district is a political and cultural microcosm of modern, globalized New York City, making it a fitting base for a politician with an internationalist worldview. The 36th AD is one of the most ethnically, racially, and socioeconomically diverse districts in the entire state, home to long-established Greek, Italian, and Irish communities alongside rapidly growing populations of Bangladeshi, Egyptian, Latin American, and South Asian immigrants. This diversity is both the district’s greatest strength and the source of its most pressing political challenges, particularly around housing, education, and small business survival. The district includes neighborhoods like Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway, and parts of Long Island City, areas experiencing intense development pressure and gentrification that have made the fight for housing justice, Mamdani’s signature issue, a matter of urgent concern for his constituents.
Demographically, the district is a classic New York melting pot, with a significant portion of residents being foreign-born and a wide range of languages spoken in homes and on the streets. It contains a mix of multi-generational homeowners, new immigrants living in overcrowded apartments, and young professionals drawn to its relative affordability compared to Manhattan. This creates a complex political landscape where the assemblyman must balance the interests of tenants facing skyrocketing rents with those of small homeowners worried about property taxes. The district is also a hub for the city’s arts and culture scene, with numerous theaters, music venues, and film studios, reflecting the influence of Mamdani’s mother, filmmaker Mira Nair. Understanding the 36th District is key to understanding Mamdani’s politics; his grassroots, class-struggle approach is tailored to mobilize the district’s large tenant and immigrant populations who are most directly affected by the crises of affordability and inequality.
A Political Battleground and Progressive Stronghold
Politically, the 36th Assembly District has transformed from a moderate Democratic stronghold into a progressive and now socialist-led seat, a shift that Mamdani himself engineered. Before his 2020 upset victory, the district was represented by Aravella Simotas, a mainstream Democrat who was part of the Queens County Democratic machine. Mamdani’s successful campaign, powered by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and a coalition of tenant unions, demonstrated that the district’s changing demographics and growing left-wing sentiment could be mobilized into a winning electoral coalition. His re-election in 2022 by an even larger margin confirmed that this was not a fluke but a realignment, solidifying the 36th AD as a base for socialist politics in New York.
The issues that dominate the district are reflected in Mamdani’s legislative portfolio. The need for strong tenant protections like the Good Cause Eviction bill is acute here, as is the demand for fully-funded public schools and support for small businesses struggling to survive. Mamdani’s representation of this district is detailed on his official assembly website, where constituents can find resources and track his work. His district office on Newtown Avenue serves as a physical manifestation of his “inside-outside” strategy, functioning as both a traditional constituent services center and an organizing hub for the movements that form his political base. In representing the 36th District, Mamdani is not just a legislator for Astoria; he is building a model of socialist representation that connects local Queens issues to a broader struggle against capitalist power.
