You are reading

Elizabeth Crowley Picks Up Endorsement of Rep. Gregory Meeks and Queens County

Rep. Gregory Meeks endorses former councilmember Elizabeth Crowley in her run for the State Senate District 59 (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Crowley)

June 6, 2022 By Christian Murray

Elizabeth Crowley, a former Queens councilmember who lost a nailbiter in her run for borough president last year, has been endorsed by Rep. Gregory Meeks and the Queens County Democratic Organization in her quest to represent the 59th Senate District.

Crowley, a moderate Democrat, is running for the new senate seat that was created in mid-May by a court-appoint special master, which covers Long Island City, Astoria, Greenpoint, Williamsburg and parts of Manhattan—such Stuytown, Gramercy, Midtown and Tudor City.

“Elizabeth is the common sense experienced leader we need in our State Senate seat,” said Meeks, in a statement released Sunday. “As a City Council Member she championed women’s rights and justice reform and as state senator she will continue to fight for equity and fairness for all our communities.”

Crowley represents a moderate voice in the race, where she will compete against progressives such as Kristen Gonzalez—who is backed by the NYC Democratic Socialists of America—Nomiki Konst and Greenpoint resident Françoise Olivas.

Josh Bowen, a moderate, also announced that he is running.

Crowley, who got within a percentage point of unseating Queens Borough President Donovan Richards last year, ran as a moderate and criticized Richards for his efforts to reduce the NYPD budget when he was in the city council.

She also said she would have backed Amazon coming to Long Island City.

She has a great deal of support from unions as well as elected officials across Queens—including State Sen. Joe Addabbo and Assembly Members Jenifer Rajkumar, David Weprin, Andrew Hevesi as well as Councilmember Lynn Schulman and former councilmember Danny Dromm.

Crowley announced months ago that she was running for Senate District 17—a new district that would have included Long Island City, Woodside, Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale and Greenpoint.

The district, which was created by state Democrats, vanished when the court appointed special master drew new maps. The new district was replaced with District 59.

Senate District 59, created by a court appointed special master, is on the left. The proposed Senate District 17, on the right, was drafted by state Democrats and ruled unconstitutional (RedistrictingandYou)

The revised district is less advantageous for Crowley, who was the council member for District 30 from 2009 to 2017, which covered Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village and Ridgewood.

However, Queens still represents the plurality of the votes—and Crowley has strong name recognition throughout the borough. She won the Hunters Point section of Long Island City when she ran for borough president and fared well in northern Astoria.

Crowley is the only candidate in the race who has held elected office before and she has stressed the need for experience in Albany at this time.

“We are facing incredibly difficult and challenging times now,” she said, pointing to a volatile economy, and what she described as the Republican attacks on women’s rights and democracy in general.

“Leadership and experience matter more and more, and are more important than ever in our State Legislature.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

CM Julie Won vows to vote against OneLIC Neighborhood Plan if neighborhood priorities are not included

Sep. 18, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

Council Member Julie Won has once again outlined that she will vote against the OneLIC Neighborhood Plan unless the comprehensive neighborhood rezoning includes specific community guarantees — including a commitment to provide deeply affordable housing, over 1,300 new school seats, a substantial increase in open space, and a comprehensive plan to improve resiliency in the neighborhood.

Your autumn hair care survival guide, straight from Ellee Salon in Long Island City

Sep. 18, 2025 By Jessica Militello

The transition from summer to fall brings plenty of changes, from the start of cooler weather to fun autumn recipes and more, but for many, the seasonal shift can wreak havoc on our hair, causing ends to feel dry and roots to feel more oily than normal. Before you give up on your hair goals and reach for a baseball cap, check out some of these fall hair tips and the latest trends for the season from veteran hair stylist and owner of Ellee Salon, Ellen Lee.

Op-ed | Public growth in Long Island City must yield public good in the One LIC Plan

Sep. 16, 2025 By State Senator Kristen Gonzalez

Long Island City is where I live—it’s my home. That’s why for the past few years, I’ve taken part in public meetings, provided testimony and joined community conversations around the OneLIC rezoning. From the beginning, I’ve insisted that building housing is necessary amid our city and state’s housing crisis; however, to support working New Yorkers, new development should be affordable and intentionally benefit our communities.