Who is Landon Dais, the Democratic choice to replace Latoya Joyner?

The Bronx Democratic Party has officially nominated attorney Landon Dais as their candidate to replace former Assembly Member Latoya Joyner in District 77. His nomination came as a surprise to political observers who expected a local district leader to get the nod. But Dais has both an organizing history in nearby Harlem and a well-respected name courtesy of his father, a power broker in Upper Manhattan.

Dais cut his teeth in Harlem politics, following in the footsteps of his father Larry Dais, a well-known community leader in the neighborhood. He was born in Harlem before his family moved to Mount Vernon, and attended Morehouse College, where he was a member of the influential Black fraternity Phi Beta Sigma. He then returned to his birthplace for grad school at Columbia, which was when he started to get involved in local organizing. According to The Amsterdam News, he served as the president of the Uptown Democratic Club in the late aughts, where he also started the club’s youth division.

While living in Harlem, Dais twice ran for office. The first run came in 2009, when he ran for City Council District 9. He challenged then-Council Member Inez Dickens in the Democratic primary, which she won in a landslide. Dais later ran for a district leader position in Assembly District 70, a race he also lost. In between those two races, Dais worked on the campaign for a Florida congressional candidate and a Virginia state Senate candidate. After that, he began working in the field of cannabis law, holding positions – often related to politics and government – with several organizations before starting his own consulting firm in 2022.

Dais remained involved in local Harlem organizing until at least 2017. That was the last year that he served as a board member for Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, according to his Linkedin. He later began working in the field of cannabis law, holding positions – often related to politics and government – with several organizations before starting his own consulting firm in 2022.

Having struck out in Harlem electoral politics, Dais moved to the Bronx. He’s been referred to as a Bronx resident as far back as 2019, and he listed a southwest Bronx zip code when making political donations since 2020, most likely placing him within the 77th Assembly District. Since 2021, he has served as a vice chair of the Bronx Democratic Party. 

Dais did not publicly express interest in running for Assembly prior to his nomination, so the decision by the county party to pick him came as a surprise to some. Many initially expected local District Leader Yves Filius, the former political director of the Bronx Democratic Party, to receive the blessing of Bronx Democratic leaders. Despite his initial frontrunner status, though, some had concerns about Filius’ poor electoral showing when he ran for an open City Council seat in 2021. He received just 8% of the vote in the Democratic primary, finishing last in the four-person race. 

Hours before the county committee tapped Dais, Filius announced he was removing himself from consideration. “It's essential to highlight the significance of ensuring that whoever is elected to represent the 77th has a deep connection to the district,” Filius said in a statement, which cited “personal reasons” for his decision to withdraw.

Not long after Filius’ statement, the Bronx Democratic Party announced the county committee had unanimously voted to nominate Landon. “Landon is not just a longtime community member but also someone who brings a rich educational background and an unwavering drive to address the unique needs of this district,” Bronx Democratic Chair state Sen. Jamaal Bailey said in a statement.

In a statement to City & State, Dais thanked Bailey, as well as Joyner, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and Council Member Althea Stevens, for supporting his bid. “My decision to seek this nomination stems from a deep-seated desire to serve and make a tangible difference in the lives of our residents,” he said. “I am ready to take on this challenge and work tirelessly for the betterment of our community."

The special election is set to take place on Feb. 13, roughly one month after Joyner stepped down from her seat. It’s an incredibly quick turnaround for an election to fill a vacancy in the state Legislature. 

Although Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a Jan. 12 proclamation to set the election date, she did not put out a press release announcing the election until nearly a week later, following reporting from City & State on the lack of public information. The state Board of Elections also told City & State that it did not finalize and post the election calendar for the special election until Friday morning, a full week after Hochul set the date. Until then, the board’s website made no reference to the upcoming election despite crucial nominating deadlines on the horizon. Friday is the last day for parties to nominate a candidate, and independent candidates have only until Monday to file petitions.