The general election for New York State Assembly District 30 will take place next Tuesday, Nov. 5th. Voters will choose between incumbent State Assemblyman Steven Raga and recent Queens College graduate Brandon Castro. District 30 encompasses Woodside, Elmhurst, Maspeth, Middle Village, Jackson Heights, and Astoria.
Assemblyman Raga, the Democratic candidate, has been in office since January 2023 after winning 57.8% of the vote in the November 2022 election. Raga has also been an adjunct professor in QC’s Urban Studies department since July 2023.
“My roots in advocacy come from on campus student organizing at Stony Brook, where I was the president of student organizations and the chairman of national student networks,” Raga told The Knight News. “Having those positions on campus made me realize how much good can get done for the community and sparked an interest to get more involved in community organizing, and down the line, local government.”
Castro, the Republican candidate, is 25 years old, one of the youngest candidates to run for office in a local NY election. He expressed that his decision to run was influenced by his experience serving as chairman of the QC Career Development Committee from 2022 to 2023 and later as a community liaison for the NYC Department of Small Business Services from 2023 to 2024.
“Those experiences helped develop my character and confidence to be a leader. I saw business owners struggling to make ends meet, and many of their streets and communities were filled with crime and litter, devastating families, communities, and small businesses. I saw that balance was gravely missing, and I had to do something about it,” said Castro.
Since taking office, Assemblyman Raga has made history by being the first Filipino elected as a NYS assembly member. When describing the accomplishments under his administration, Raga said, “We’ve hosted over 40 events for our constituents, assisted nearly 1000 constituents with matters on housing, benefits and other state-level concerns, we’ve worked to address access to healthcare gaps with our Annual Health Fair and health workshops, and have instituted an Advisory Council to ensure that our office is building relationships with and regularly receiving feedback from each neighborhood in the district.”
Raga’s social media feed contains a wide range of posts about important social justice issues such as LGBTQ rights, racial and gender equity, and reproductive justice. Raga’s website mentions that, as the son of a single working-class mother, he relates to the community’s struggles and has experience advocating for senior citizens, marginalized immigrants, healthcare workers, and veterans.
Castro has run on a platform of law and order, as well as restoring safety to Queens by claiming he would improve the quality of life for District 30 residents through policies, such as cleaning up streets, reducing crime, and creating a more affordable cost of living.
“I will work with law enforcement to increase their presence in areas with the highest reported activity,” Castro told The Knight News when asked to describe how he will address prostitution and human trafficking. In some of his most widely viewed campaign videos, Castro has shared footage of people he has alleged are prostitutes on the streets of Elmhurst and Woodside at night.
“I will work with local elected officials to ensure proper investigations and task forces to stop these operations from occurring. I give credit to the team of Democrats that increased law enforcement presence and shut these places down but I fear it is only temporary. Another goal is to ensure the safety and rehabilitation of the women who are trafficked,” Castro said.
Castro has made a number of posts on his social media accounts, as recent as an Instagram reel posted on Oct. 21st, referring to Raga and other local politicians as “copy and paste candidates [that] push their disastrous agenda.” In a speech delivered at an Oct. 6th protest held on Roosevelt Avenue, Castro was met with loud cheers as he told the crowd in Spanish, “afuera,” and then in English, “vote them out,” in reference to Raga and other elected officials. In the speech, alluding to his age, Castro mentioned he would not be putting his family’s name or reputation on the line at 25, but he is running for office to bring change since the current elected officials are “not doing their jobs.”
Assemblyman Raga has not yet publicly acknowledged his opponent Castro and the allegations he has made about his administration for months now.
“I haven’t heard what he has said regarding my office,” Raga told The Knight News. “I believe that our democracy is strengthened when more voices are involved, so I wish him the best of luck.”Both candidates were asked about their future initiatives if they win the race. Raga mentioned continuing the work of his administration including assisting constituents and fighting for student empowerment and legislation such as the New Deal for CUNY. Castro mentioned working with local law enforcements and precincts to ensure a good quality of life for residents and small businesses.
