Major Queens political players take sides in District 21 race

City Council District 21 candidates Erycka Montoya, Shanel Thomas-Henry and Yanna Henriquez have split institutional and financial support in the race. Photos via campaigns

By Ryan Schwach

There’s no single clear frontrunner in the race to represent one of the city’s most diverse Council districts – there’s three.

A trio of candidates running for District 21, which covers parts of Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, each appear to have the markings of what political observers may dub a frontrunner.

They each have received endorsements from major players in the district, including elected officials, political parties and unions, and they each have the cash that such support brings.

While more often than not, institutional support tends to coalesce around a single candidate in a primary race in the five boroughs, that doesn’t appear to be the case in District 21.

In the district, which is currently represented by term-limited Councilmember Francisco Moya, the Queens County Democratic Party and the Working Families Party have chosen to back different candidates. Prominent unions, nonprofits and local elected officials have also spread out their support.

The Queens County Democratic Party, while weaker now than it once was, remains the most powerful political machine in the borough. In District 21, it's backing its district leader Yanna Henriquez.

The more progressive WFP, which has helped elect a number of candidates in the area in recent years, is backing Erycka Montoya, a staffer to City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.

But a third candidate has also emerged as a contender, even though she is neither the Queens Dems or WFP’s first choice.

Local organizer and consultant Shanel Thomas-Henry has established herself as a serious contender in the race, raising more funds than her competitors thus far. She’s also earned the backing of the large municipal worker union, DC37. Both the Queens Dems and WFP encouraged their members to rank Thomas-Henry second on their ranked choice ballots.

The fourth candidate in the race, David Aiken, has not garnered the same support as the other three in the race, but remains a factor.

With institutional support split among three of the four candidates running in the Democratic primary, it’s unclear how much impact the endorsements will have.

“It's very important,” Henriquez said of her endorsement from the Queens Dems.

Henriquez, an active district leader and leader in the Dominican community, said her work on the ground is what separates her from her opponents and what earned her the party’s support.

“I'm always in the community, talking with the people, bringing resources, and resolving problems,” she said. “I have the experience.”

The Working Families Party told their supporters to first rank Montoya – a first generation American, whose mother came from Colombia – and to rank Thomas-Henry behind her.

“We are confident [Montoya] be a strong voice for fixing our public transit, building more affordable housing, and protecting New Yorkers from Trump’s attacks,” New York Working Families Party Co-Director Ana María Archila said.

In a conversation with the Eagle, Montoya said she sees herself as the progressive in the race, and said the WFP backing is emblematic of the campaign she wants to run.

“I think it means the alignment of values and the kind of the city that we want to build,” she said. “We want a city where everyone feels like they are getting the services that they deserve and that they're living in dignified housing.”

“I think when we’re talking about progressive, we're talking about changing the status quo and changing the things that don't work for most people” she added.

Other local electeds, including Assemblymembers Jessica González-Rojas and Catalina Cruz, have also backed Montoya.

“These are two women that fight really hard for their community, that really understand the struggles of their community,” Montoya said.

Immigration focused non-profit Make the Road New York rolled out the same slate as WFP, ranking Montoya first and Thomas-Henry second.

Thomas-Henry is also number two for the Democratic Party, behind Henriquez.

“Its a ranked choice world,” she said of her tendency to be a second pick. “I’m happy that I was ranked at all. I don't feel any way about any particular position of the ranking.”

While a second choice for some, Thomas-Henry is a top pick for others.

Both DC37 and recently retired Assemblymember Jeffirion Aubry have backed Thomas-Henry.

“It's humbling for me,” the candidate said. “Assemblyman Jeff Aubry has always been a mentor.”

Thomas-Henry has also pulled in the most money in the race with $213,997 between public and private funds. Montoya has brought in $145,660 and Henriquez has brought in $88,556.

Around 65 percent of Thomas-Henry’s private donations come from outside New York City, which she said stems from her experience working in Washington D.C as well as locally for Elmcor and the LaGuardia Airport revitalization.

“My money is coming from all over the place – New Yorkers, to individuals who supported me throughout my career,” she said. “Any support that has come out of the district or out of the borough just shows individuals that I've grown with, that I've worked with throughout my career.”

The odd men out

While the three women who registered to run in District 21 are splitting high-profile support, the same cannot be said for the three men who registered.

Sandro Navarro and former Councilmember Hiram Monserrate were both kicked off the ballot last month – although Monserrate has appealed the decision in court. Navarro was initially backed by his boss, mayoral candidate and State Senator Jessica Ramos, whose office said she has not made a new endorsement yet.

The only man in the race to make the ballot is David Aiken, a Democratic state committee member who lost to Moya in 2021, and is holding on in 2025 despite no major endorsements.

Aiken, who has qualified for matching funds and brought in a total of $68,307, doesn’t see the lack of endorsements as an impediment to victory.

“I see myself in front,” Aiken, who also has the least amount of remaining funds of anyone in the race, told the Eagle.

“The people in the community know me. I'm born and raised here, I've been here my entire life, I've traveled the district and I have a very good rapport with people here in the district,” he added.

“These endorsements [for Henriquez, Thomas-Henry and Montoya] are from people that aren't in the district, the voters, they voted for me three consecutive times in other races that I ran for state committee,” he added. “I won that three times from their support. So, I'm known. I'm popular because people see what I've done in the community my entire life.”

‘The difference maker’

There hasn’t been a competitive City Council race in District 21 for over a decade.

Moya – who has been tight-lipped about which candidate he wants to replace him – dominated his last race in 2021, pulling in 51 percent in the first round of ranked choice voting.

Ingrid Gomez, a local social worker, came in a distant second. Her only major endorsement came from progressive Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who also has yet to endorse in District 21 this year.

Eight years ago, Moya handedly won a 2017 primary over Monserrate, a frequent foe of the incumbent who currently sits on the periphery of the race to replace him.

Monserrate, who was convicted for corruption charges related to his time in the Council, is prevented by law from being elected to the city’s legislature. A judge cited the law - which was backed by Moya - when kicking Monserrate off the ballot for D21 last month.

Without that clear frontrunner, it's still anyone’s race with a month and a half left until the first votes are cast.

“I think this will probably be a close, divided Democratic primary,” said Brian Browne, a political analyst and adjunct political science professor at St. John’s University.

Browne’s eyes are less on the endorsements though, and more on the money.

“I think the money probably could be the difference maker,” he said. “Institutional support is nice, and endorsements are nice, but unless they're pulling out voters…money could be the difference maker in a race like this.”

All four remaining candidates have qualified for matching funds, and all have at least $60,000 remaining in the bank.

However, Browne didn’t discount institutional support entirely, and said it could help candidates with endurance as the race begins to heat up.

For the candidates, they see the split support as proof that their race is an important one, and worth paying attention to.

“I think people are excited,” said Montoya. “I think it speaks to people really wanting to address issues in the district, and so therefore, I think there is a lot of interest in the race.”

Thomas-Henry agrees.

“It tells me that this race is going to come down to who works the hardest,” she said. “The endorsements have been great, but at the end of the day, it's really going to come down to what the voters think.”