Yuh-Line Niou Run for State Senate Ends in Disappointment

On Tuesday, June 23, Yuh-Line Niou lost to current state assemblymember Grace Lee in the race for the Democratic nomination to represent NYS Senate District 27. Lee is favored to defeat Republican candidate Jason Murillo in November in the heavily Democratic district and succeed retiring senator Brian Kavanagh to represent the district that covers Greenwich Village, the East Village, Tribeca, Little Italy, Chinatown, Soho, and the Financial District.

Niou was formerly the first Asian-American to represent district 65 in the state assembly, serving from 2017 to 2022 before opting to run in a Democratic primary for Congress in race won Dan Goldman.

While in the assembly, she helped pass the 2019 Tenant Protection Laws, worked to secure funding for New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) repairs, and contributed to the Invest in Our New York (IONY) agenda, a package of bills intended to raise state revenue through means such as taxing the ultra-wealthy. In 2022, she gave up her seat in the district 65 assembly to none other than Grace Lee.

Niou has not since held office but has been politically active, collaborating with progressive groups Hands Off NYC and the Chinatown Defense Network coalition.

Niou and Lee both progressives and ran on similar policy positions for this primary, both prioritizing affordability but citing different strategies. Niou promised to push to expand universal healthcare; champion New York For All, which would prohibit state and local authorities from collaborating with ICE; advocate for a $30 minimum wage by 2030; and fortify affordable housing, such as via the creation of a Social Housing Development Authority, which would create more publicly-owned rental units. Niou also ran as the candidate for the Working Families Party. Notable endorsements came from Brad Lander, Bernie Sanders, and Cynthia Nixon.

At the campaign’s watch party in the financial district, volunteer Pete Sikora said one thing that has distinguished Niou has been her boldness. She was “genuinely politically brave” when she stood up to former governor Andrew Cuomo in Albany, he said, whereas Lee didn’t have the same record of challenging powerful establishment figures. Sikora expected a close race.

But as votes came in and the wide margin favoring Lee emerged early on, the mood grew somber. There were consolatory hugs but not much talking among the staff or volunteers who showed up in support.

Jo Lew, lifelong Chinatown resident and video manager for the campaign, said the result was upsetting but not altogether surprising. She said Lee’s campaign had a lot of funds and institutional backing behind it, calling the contest a “titan-versus-the-little-guy” situation. Lee ran with endorsements from the Democratic establishment including the retiring NYS Senator Kavanagh, Manhattan Borough President Brad Holyman-Sigal, and NYC Comptroller Mark Levine.

When the race was called, Niou thanked her team, which she said had knocked on 90,000 doors in the district, and offered words of encouragement: “Disappointment is not defeat,” she said, explaining that the election helped to build a movement, even if it didn’t have the desired immediate result. “The conversations don’t end tonight.” She also reminded everyone to tip their bartenders.

Niou immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan as an infant and moved to New York City to pursue her masters degree at Baruch College. She is on the autistic spectrum and would have been the first known neurodivergent state senator.