VoterLens
New York State Senate District 12
The City College of New York—Bachelor's degree in international studies
Data last updated 10/21/2026
Aber Kawas is a community organizer and democratic socialist running for New York State Senate District 12. She currently works as associate director of partnerships at CUNY Law School's Creating Law Enforcement Accountability project, organizes with the Not on Our Dime Campaign, and serves as a co-chair and steering committee member at the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights; her prior work includes roles with the Arab American Association of New York, National Network for Arab American Communities, CUNY Graduate Center, and Urban Justice Center.
Committee Assignments: No committee assignments available.
Aber Kawas, Democratic candidate for New York State Senate District 12 in Queens, supports universal healthcare, including passage of the New York Health Act, and frames healthcare as a public good rather than employment-based or profit-based coverage. Her healthcare platform also supports hospital safe-staffing, better wages and working conditions for long-term care workers, hospital investment, medical-debt protections, and health-equity oversight before hospital closures.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kawas supports passing the New York Health Act so every New Yorker has free, comprehensive healthcare at the point of service regardless of employment, income, or immigration status.
SourceIn her NYC-DSA questionnaire, Kawas said she would support and advocate for the New York Health Act, join existing champions in Albany, expand the coalition for the bill, and mobilize constituents so no New Yorker goes without healthcare.
SourceBallotReady lists Kawas as supporting taxing the rich to fund public goods New Yorkers rely on, including healthcare, housing, and free childcare.
SourceOur Revolution's endorsement page for Kawas in New York State Senate District 12 says she supports passing the New York Health Act to provide comprehensive healthcare to every New Yorker.
SourceAber Kawas's Economy & Jobs position emphasizes an affordability agenda for working-class New Yorkers: taxing the rich, reducing subsidies and tax credits for large businesses, expanding public-sector services, and creating good union jobs through public investment in transit, care work, housing, schools, and renewable energy. She also supports stronger labor protections, including One Fair Wage and improved conditions and pay for care workers.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kawas supports raising revenue by taxing the rich to fund fast and free transit, universal childcare, healthcare for all, and affordable housing for New Yorkers.
SourceKawas argues New York should shift economic development away from private-company subsidies and toward renewable energy, mass transit, care work, and green retrofits that create good union jobs and redistribute resources.
SourceKawas supports using the Build Public Renewables Act to make power a public good, lower bills, reduce pollution, and create union jobs through the green transition.
SourceKawas says she would uplift and fight for the One Fair Wage Act, New York For All, and Dignity Not Detention as part of strengthening immigrant workers' labor rights and safety.
SourceUAW Region 9A endorsed Kawas for Senate District 12 while identifying Albany priorities such as universal childcare, temporary disability insurance reform, unemployment insurance for university workers, and taxing the rich so everyone pays their fair share.
SourceAber Kawas supports expanding protections for immigrants in New York, including ending state and local law-enforcement collaboration with ICE, funding deportation-defense legal services, and passing New York For All and Dignity Not Detention. Her campaign also supports access to public services regardless of immigration status, including health care under the NY Health Act.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kawas supports passing New York For All to end state and local law-enforcement collusion with ICE and allow immigrants to live openly and with dignity.
SourceKawas supports ample funding for legal services for people threatened with deportation or detention, people navigating documentation processes, and Know Your Rights organizations.
SourceKawas supports passing Dignity Not Detention to prohibit state and local contracts with ICE detention facilities and end inhumane detention of immigrant New Yorkers.
SourceKawas supports expanding housing stability and mental health response teams and fighting NYPD data-sharing with ICE that she says harms Queens families.
SourceKawas supports passing the NY Health Act so every New Yorker can receive free, comprehensive health care at the point of service regardless of immigration status.
SourceAber Kawas supports a Green New Deal-style climate agenda for New York State Senate District 12, emphasizing public renewable power, lower utility bills, union clean-energy jobs, climate-resilient infrastructure, and pollution reduction in Queens. She supports full implementation of the Build Public Renewables Act, public ownership or takeover of utilities, a ban on new gas infrastructure, decarbonized housing, and green retrofits for schools and homes.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kawas says she would pressure NYPA and the governor to build the full 15GW needed to meet New York's climate goals and transition district energy infrastructure from dirty to clean and private to public.
SourceKawas supports using the Build Public Renewables Act to make power a public good, take on monopoly utilities, lower bills, create union jobs, reduce pollution, and accelerate the green transition.
SourceKawas states that she supports a Green New Deal-style campaign to construct renewable energy, create good-paying union jobs, build climate resilience, and oppose rollbacks of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
SourceKawas supports building public power so the state owns green energy needed to fight climate change while holding corporations such as Con Edison accountable for price-gouging.
SourceIn her NYC-DSA questionnaire, Kawas agreed with climate positions including a public takeover of New York utilities, a statewide ban on new gas infrastructure, fare-free and police-free MTA, and decarbonizing NYCHA and zero-carbon housing.
SourceAber Kawas’s campaign platform for New York State Senate District 12 includes an education-related commitment to fund green school upgrades, including HVAC improvements, rooftop solar, renovated schoolyards, and resilient school facilities. Her voter-guide biography also cites prior organizing to make Eid a public school holiday, indicating support for culturally inclusive public school policy.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kawas supports funding green schools by upgrading HVAC systems, building rooftop solar, renovating schoolyards, and making schools resilient community spaces during emergencies.
SourceKawas states that as lead organizer at the Arab American Association of New York, she ran campaigns to make Eid a public school holiday.
SourceAber Kawas frames public safety as reducing criminalization and surveillance while investing in housing stability, mental-health response, immigrant protection, traffic safety, and accountability for police and corrections officers. Her stated positions support sentencing and bail reforms, limits on law-enforcement technology, and ending collaboration between New York law enforcement and ICE.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Kawas supports passing New York For All to end state and local law-enforcement collusion with ICE and allow immigrants to live safely and with dignity.
SourceKawas says she would work with Mayor Mamdani's Department of Community Safety to expand housing stability and mental-health response teams and fight NYPD data-sharing with ICE.
SourceIn her NYC-DSA questionnaire, Kawas supports ending pre-trial detention, fully ending cash bail, elder parole, fair and timely parole, prison diversion programs, and opposing new prisons in New York City.
SourceBallotpedia search
https://ballotpedia.org/search?search=Aber%20Kawas%20New%20York%20State%20Senate%20District%2012Fetched: biography
Branch.vote
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-general-election-ny-state-state-senator-ny-state-senate-12/candidates/aber-kawasFetched: biography
Transparency USA - Aber Abdelkareem Kawas New York Candidate
https://www.transparencyusa.org/ny/candidate/aber-abdelkareem-kawasFetched: votingRecord, campaignFinance
New York State Public Campaign Finance Board - June 1, 2026 Public Matching Funds Distribution
https://pcfb.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2026/06/commissioner-report-for-the-approval-to-disburse-public-matching-funds-06.01.2026.pdfFetched: campaignFinance
New York State Public Campaign Finance Board - April 15, 2026 Public Fund Commissioner Report
https://pcfb.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2026/04/commissioner-report-for-the-approval-to-disburse-public-matching-funds-04.15.2026-002.pdfFetched: campaignFinance
NYSUT
https://www.nysut.org/resources/special-resources-sites/voter-guide/endorsementsFetched: endorsements
NYC-DSA State Legislative Candidate Questionnaire 2026
https://image.jewishinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20015748/Aber-Kawas-State-Legislative-Candidate-Questionnaire1-1.pdfFetched: issuePositions
PoliticsNY Campaign Insiders Q&A
https://politicsny.com/2026/06/02/campaign-insiders-a-qa-with-sd-12-candidate-aber-kawas/Fetched: issuePositions
UAW Region 9A endorsement announcement
https://region9a.uaw.org/news/NYCEndorsements526Fetched: issuePositions
NYC-DSA Candidate Questionnaire
https://image.jewishinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20015748/Aber-Kawas-State-Legislative-Candidate-Questionnaire1-1.pdfFetched: issuePositions
Branch
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-primary-election-ny-state-state-senator-ny-state-senate-12-dFetched: issuePositions
PoliticsNY
https://politicsny.com/2026/06/02/campaign-insiders-a-qa-with-sd-12-candidate-aber-kawas/Fetched: issuePositions
Aber Kawas for State Senate campaign platform
https://aberforsenate.com/platform/Fetched: issuePositions
VOTE411 Voter Guide
https://onyourballot.vote411.org/candidate-detail.do?id=73189100Fetched: issuePositions
VOTE411 Voter Guide - New York Senate District 12
https://onyourballot.vote411.org/candidate-detail.do?id=73189100Fetched: issuePositions
BallotReady candidate profile for Aber Kawas
https://www.ballotready.org/people/aber-kawasFetched: issuePositions
NYC-DSA State Legislative Candidate Questionnaire 2026 - Aber Kawas
https://image.jewishinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20015748/Aber-Kawas-State-Legislative-Candidate-Questionnaire1-1.pdfFetched: issuePositions