Murillo Will Square Off Against Winner of Dem Primary in Battle for NYS Senate Seat

No Republican has won a state legislative seat in Manhattan since 2002, but this isn’t stopping local DJ and radio show host, Jason Murillo.

Murillo, also known as “DJ Loudmouth,” is running in one of the deepest blue political zones in the entire country for District 27 State Senate seat. Democrats have held an unbroken grip on Manhattan’s state legislative seats for over two decades, and registration numbers alone could make any Republican’s path to triumph slim.

Murillo will face the winner of a competitive Democratic primary between Assembly Member Grace Lee and former Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou, who have faced each other before. In 2020, Niou defeated Lee for the Assembly District 65 seat. Lee later won it back in 2022 when Niou ran for Congress. Now they are squaring off again, this time for the Senate seat, which is being vacated by Brian Kavanaugh who is not seeking reelection and has endorsed Lee.

Lee is running on affordable housing and fighting federal immigration enforcement, arguing her years of constituent work make her the most prepared candidate. Niou is running on taxing the ultra-wealthy, universal child care and supporting the labor movement.

Murillo, a lifelong New Yorker and downtown Manhattan attorney, has secured the Republican and Conservative Party lines, meaning he does not face a primary fight on June 23rd.

“When I grew up here I was a Democrat like everyone else, and I never thought 20, 25 years later that we would have a Republican running here,” he said. “I have Republican candidate flyers everywhere—at storefronts, bodegas, restaurants — right in the heart of Democrat territory. That speaks volumes.”

Murillo said that crossover appeal is what makes his candidacy stand apart. Last year he ran for City Council and lost but he said he received nearly 9,000 votes, which was more than half from Democrats and Independents, he said.

“I’m running on the Republican and conservative line, but I am here to represent everyone equally,” Murillo said. “I have a huge crossover appeal.”

Murillo explained that he has a sizable advocacy base of NYCHA residents, and is passionate about repairing overlooked issues for public housing residents.

“I am a fellow NYCHA resident myself, so I know firsthand, of the neglect and how much we’re overlooked by our Democrat elected officials,” he said.

Murillo spent 15 years working with the Board of Elections and has worked alongside nonprofits that aid veterans and families with food, clothing and job training. He said these experiences give him a solid ground level view of what the district actually needs.

“We need to bring back jobs, there are so many things here that the Democrats have failed to do, especially in our district,” he said.

He pointed to crime, cashless bail, crumbling public housing, small business vacancies, and congestion pricing as issues that Democrats have failed to address.

If elected, his first priority would be to repeal cashless bail.

“We need to hold violent offenders accountable and get justice for the many victims we have here,” he said. “We need action not thoughts and prayers.”

Murillo said the frustration he hears on the streets, in bodegas, and at apartment doors is not something that Albany politicians can keep ignoring. He has knocked on thousands of doors and said the response from constituents tells him this race is closer than anyone expects.

“People are fed up,” he said. “I am the alternative common sense choice for District 27.”