Aber Kawas

Aber Kawas
Kawas in 2026
Personal details
Born (1992-03-08) March 8, 1992
Brooklyn, New York, United States
PartyDemocratic
EducationCity College of New York
University of Johannesburg
WebsiteCampaign website

Aber Kawas (/ˈɑː.bɪɹ kəˈwɑːz/; born March 8, 1992) is a Palestinian-American Democratic Socialist politician and community organizer. She is the Democratic nominee for the New York State Senate for the 12th district.[1][2][3]

Biography

Background

Kawas was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, to undocumented parents from Palestine.[1] When Kawas was in the 7th grade, Kawas' father, Jordanian national Abdelkareem Kawas, was taken by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The New York Post reported in June 2026 that he had entered the US in 1998 and overstayed his visitor visa before being deported due to two felony convictions.[4] Kawas as a teenager "was spending every weekend taking three-hour rides to a detention center" to visit her father, which moved her to start organizing to support the DREAM Act for comprehensive immigration reform.[5]

Education

Kawas graduated from the City College of New York with a degree in international studies concentrating on Latin American studies in 2014.[6] In 2011, she learned that her college crush had been an informant for the NYPD, spying on Muslim students. This revelation sparked Kawas's interest in advocacy work for civil rights.[7]

Kawas earned a master’s degree in "Islamic Liberation Theology" from the University of Johannesburg in South Africa and reportedly returned to New York City in 2024.[8]

Personal life

Kawas moved to Queens in 2024.[9][7] She is Muslim and a hijabi.[10]

Career

Advocacies

Kawas was an advocacy director at the Arab American Association of New York,[11] and has worked with the Council on American–Islamic Relations and Urban Justice Center on issues concerning immigration, racial profiling and police surveillance.[12] In 2016, while at AAANY, she began volunteering for Khader El-Yateem's campaign for New York City Council, which was her first step toward electoral politics.[7]

She was one of the original authors of the "Not On Our Dime" nonprofit regulation bill in the New York State legislature,[13] collaborating with Zohran Mamdani, who had also canvassed for El-Yateem's campaign.[7][10] As an Assemblymember, Mamdani introduced the bill.[14]

Politics

Aber Kawas greets her cheering supporters on June 23rd, 2026 in Woodside, Queens, just after news organizations announced she had won her primary election.

In January 2026, Kawas announced she would run for the New York State Assembly's 34th District to succeed Jessica González-Rojas, who was running for the New York State Senate against incumbent Jessica Ramos. Kawas said she started to think about becoming a candidate after being approached by the NYC-DSA recruitment team.[15] She prioritized three policy areas: "protecting immigrant communities" from ICE, affordability, and "fast and free transit" such as buses.[16][15]

Kawas received endorsements from Zohran Mamdani, the NYC-DSA,[17][1] and DRUM Beats,[18] notably besting her primary opponent Brian Romero for NYC-DSA's and DRUM Beats's endorsements. However, when Michael Gianaris announced he would retire from the State Senate, Kawas pivoted her campaign to succeed Gianaris, without changing her policy platform.[7][2]

In her Senate primary campaign, Kawas ran against another progressive candidate, Assemblymember Steven Raga.[7] She again was endorsed by DRUM Beats,[19][20] NYC-DSA,[16] and Mamdani,[21] and received endorsements from Councilmembers Chi Ossé and Tiffany Cabán, Jewish Voice for Peace,[7][22] and Bernie Sanders.[16]

Kawas drew criticism for her 2017 remarks concerning 9/11, in which she had claimed that the tragedy came after "a long trajectory" of "capitalism and racism and White supremacy… and Islamophobia" and "we're just seeing the manifestations of that continuation with 9/11".[23][24][25] She said in 2026 that "the right wing" had "cherry-picked" and "twisted" her comments on "9/11 and the consequences to Arab and Muslim communities".[15]

She defeated Raga in the Democratic primary election for State Senate District 12 on June 23, 2026. She will be the Democratic nominee for the district in the general election in November.[26]

Kawas travelled to Michigan in the summer of 2026 to campaign for Abdul El-Sayed's candidacy for the US Senate, and Donavan McKinney's campaign for the US House of Representatives, in Michigan's Democratic primary elections.[27]

Policy stances

Kawas supports renewable energy,[2] opposes sending US government funds to the Israeli government,[2][15] supports abolishing fares for public buses in New York City,[7] supports trans rights and other LGBTQ+ rights,[28] opposes the death penalty,[28] and supports universal healthcare.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Meet Aber Kawas, DSA-Backed Palestinian American Who Won New York State Senate Primary". Democracy Now!. June 30, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Aber Kawas's Pro-Worker, Pro-Palestine Campaign". Jacobin. December 15, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  3. ↑ Davis, Esther (June 24, 2026). "Palestinian-American wins New York State Senate primary race, aims to stop funding to Israel". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  4. ↑ Jacob, Mary K. (June 24, 2026). "Dad of Mamdani-backed NY primary winner Aber Kawass, who downplayed 9/11, was deported for property fraud — not 'cruel' immigration as she claimed". The New York Post. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  5. ↑ Denvir, Daniel (June 22, 2026). "Aber Kawas: "We Are Trying to Stand Up for Humans"". Jacobin. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Aber Kawas to present at upcoming youth conference". Interfaith Center of New York. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Delaney, Jack (June 15, 2026). ""We Need to Bring In a Movement": Aber Kawas Touts Organizing Chops in SD-12 Race". Queens Ledger. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  8. ↑ Tsape, Tebogo (January 20, 2026). "Meet Aber Kawas – University of Johannesburg alumnus endorsed by Zohran Mamdani for New York Assembly". SA People News. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  9. ↑ Bentahar, Lyna (February 14, 2026). "Muslim Civil Rights Advocate Repositions Campaign for State Senate". The Indypendent. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Bentahar, Lyna (March 25, 2026). "Interview: State Senate Candidate Aber Kawas Touts Support for Affordability Agenda". The Indypendent. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  11. ↑ Relman, Eliza (October 22, 2016). "Payback Time: Immigrant Voters Prepare to Thump Trump". The Indypendent. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Aber Kawas". Asian American Writers' Workshop. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  13. ↑ Moreno, Diana (July 10, 2026). "Opinion: End New York's complicity with Israel's war crimes". City & State NY. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  14. ↑ Gelardi, Chris. "New York Charities Send Combat Gear to West Bank Settlements". New York Focus. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Sterne, Peter (November 24, 2025). "Aber Kawas is not concerned about splitting the progressive vote". City & State NY. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 "Senator Bernie Sanders Endorses the Full NYC-DSA slate". NYC Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). May 15, 2026. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  17. ↑ King, Maya (June 26, 2026). "Pro-Palestinian Activists Sense a Tide Turning After N.Y. Primary Wins". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  18. ↑ @DRUMBeatsNYC (December 9, 2025). "DRUM Beats is honored to announce our endorsement of @AberKawas for AD34. After a thorough and deliberative process, our members voted to support Aber's movement-rooted leadership, deep organizing history, and the passion needed to bring a strong grassroots voice to Albany. This was one of our most closely debated endorsements. Brian Romero is a strong candidate with a meaningful history in grassroots advocacy & policy. We wish his candidacy the best. We look forward to a clean race that reflects the values of the movements both campaigns come from" (Tweet). Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  19. ↑ @DRUMBeatsNYC (May 6, 2026). "DRUM Beats is honored to announce our endorsement in SD12 for @AberKawas[.] She has been on the forefront of grassroots organizing for higher wages, countering police surveillance and immigration reform" (Tweet). Retrieved August 5, 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  20. ↑ "RELEASE: 8 South Asian and Indo-Caribbean Backed Candidates Win in New York Democratic Primary". DRUM Beats!. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  21. ↑ Robbins, Christopher (May 30, 2026). "Exclusive: Meet Mayor Mamdani's Final Slate of Endorsements for the State Legislature". Hell Gate. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  22. ↑ "JVP Action Endorsements 2026". JVP. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Who is Aber Kawas? Palestinian-American activist who faced 9/11 remarks controversy wins Queens NY State Senate Democratic Primary". The Economic Times. June 24, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  24. ↑ D'Abrosca, Peter (June 26, 2026). "Muslim Mamdani-backed socialist primary winner suggested America deserved 9/11 in unearthed video". Fox News. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  25. ↑ Golden, Vaughn; Brown, Haley; Propper; David (June 24, 2026). "Mamdani-backed NY state Senate candidate who downplayed 9/11 wins NYC primary". New York Post. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  26. ↑ Kaye, Jacob (June 23, 2026). "DSA candidates sweep in Queens". Queens Daily Eagle. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  27. ↑ Rahman, Fariha; Sterne, Peter (August 5, 2026). "Mamdani and allies celebrate El-Sayed's victory in Michigan". City & State NY. Retrieved August 6, 2026.
  28. 1 2 Kawas, Aber (March 22, 2026). "Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Aber Kawas for NY Senate District 12". Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
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