New York’s Top 50 Political Clubs
Smoke-filled rooms might be on the decline, but old-school institutions, campaign-driven operations and advocacy-oriented organizations still harness political power.
Jerry Nadler, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn & Adriano Espaillat Roy Rochlin/Getty Images; Kristen Blush; Office of Rep. Espaillat
When Assembly Member Danny O’Donnell chose not to seek reelection this year, the veteran lawmaker opened up a seat on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Micah Lasher, a top adviser to Gov. Kathy Hochul, soon emerged as the front-runner for the office, but he still had to outperform several credible rivals to secure the Democratic nomination. Lasher ultimately won the pivotal primary in June with a little over 50% of the vote. The outcome, Lasher said, was due in part to securing coveted endorsements from three local political clubs in Assembly District 69: the West Side Democrats, Three Parks Independent Democrats and Broadway Democrats.
“These are three very independent-minded, activist organizations that don’t always agree, and so having them unify in support of my candidacy sent a real message that there was broad support at the local level throughout the district,” Lasher told City & State in a recent interview. “Whether it’s a 25-degree day and you’ve got to be out there petitioning, or it’s a 95-degree day during early voting and you’ve got to be outside a poll site, these are organizations made up of people who are willing to participate in that way and know how to do so really effectively.”
While it has been perhaps a century since political clubs were at their zenith, these organizations remain quietly formidable, especially on the local level. They can still elevate a club’s founder or leader or other key members into elected office – at which point they strive to keep them there or, even better, send them further up the rungs of the political ladder.
Sometimes opaque to the public, clubs typically do have a written constitution, bylaws and a carefully delineated process for vetting candidates. Endorsements for a full slate of contenders are unveiled each cycle, from under the radar judicial and district leader hopefuls to candidates in closely watched city, state or federal races. Clubs deploy armies of volunteers to get petitions signed and get supporters out to vote. Some clubs tackle hyperlocal issues, like preventing the closure of a hospital, while others are drawn more to national politics. Members meet on a regular basis, often monthly, and frequently with big-name politicians showing up as guest speakers.
These practices haven’t changed too much since the heyday of political clubs, but what’s different is that these organizations no longer provide much in the way of constituent services, nor can they dangle patronage jobs to loyal members, which were once predominantly immigrants. Such lucrative benefits were swept away as reformers – and reform clubs – toppled Tammany Hall and established a professional civil service system. There are now far fewer clubs in New York, and those that do remain have been weakened in tandem with the diminishing county party committees. Community boards, advocacy groups and entities like the Working Families Party or the Democratic Socialists of America provide alternative avenues to engage with government that many find more compelling. There was a time when governors, mayors and legislative leaders were always part of a club – even the Trump family cozied up to the old Madison Democratic Club in Brooklyn – but the last mayor of New York City to be closely affiliated with an active political club was David Dinkins.
“Generations ago, when Tammany Hall reigned, political clubs were the access point for political patronage, and that was a significant motivating factor in people’s involvement in them. Over many, many years, that’s changed, and that motivation barely exists,” Lasher noted. “The people that are going to join and be active in a political club in 2024 are likely going to be there because they really believe in the importance of local activism. So the numbers may be smaller, but you have some really committed activists that are members of these clubs, and that can make a really meaningful contribution to any political campaign.”
Then as now, a club’s borders are typically aligned with Assembly districts, with local district leaders holding influential organizational roles. A relatively recent trend, however, is forming clubs not along community lines but instead around advancing certain policy changes or uplifting particular identities. Such clubs might be dedicated to protecting LGBTQ+ rights or improving accessibility for New Yorkers with disabilities, or empowering Black or Muslim people.
Political clubs also remain far more common in urban enclaves than in upstate or suburban regions where county committees tend to drive the political process. Across the five boroughs, club leaders engage in proxy battles and turf wars with rival clubs. Even as some clubs fade away, often in the wake of a powerful politician’s retirement or ouster from office, new ones still crop up. Reform-minded groups, which have operated in Manhattan for decades, are on the rise in Brooklyn and Queens, where they serve as a counterweight to county party leaders.
Naming conventions are evolving as well. In the vein of old-guard clubs named after Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt, there are now clubs honoring William Jefferson Clinton, Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama. Along with the Obamas, some club founders have evoked the legacies of Black trailblazers, including Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Sojourner Truth. Some newer clubs adopt traditional geographic names, such as the Hell’s Kitchen Democrats, but others aim to send a message, like the New Kings Democrats or the Asian Wave Alliance.
This Top 50 list identifies the most consequential clubs that collectively make up an indelible part of New York’s political landscape. The list attempts to rank these clubs in order of influence, taking into account such factors as the standing of their most prominent members, their ability to get out the vote and their overall track record with endorsements, especially in recent elections.
Information about some clubs proved hard to pin down, however, due to defunct websites, outdated social media pages and unanswered requests for basic details. Further muddying the picture, some elected officials may attend meetings but don’t officially join a particular club, while others become members of multiple clubs.
For the most part, this list features organizations that explicitly call themselves a club and fit the standard definition of one. Some organizations that don’t use such terminology but still act like one (the Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus, for example) also made the cut, while others (the Democratic Socialists of America or various Indivisible groups) did not, on admittedly subjective grounds.
Indeed, this entire analysis is unavoidably subjective. In ranking a particular club, for example, does a breakthrough election victory outweigh an upset loss? How does one balance a member’s crushing state legislative primary defeat against a founder’s growing national profile? And how much oomph does a club still have when its legendary district leaders no longer hold legislative office?
Despite these questions, as well as other objections readers will undoubtedly raise, this list aims to shed light on an integral but overlooked corner of New York’s political world.
1. West Side Democrats
Key members: Rep. Jerry Nadler, Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, Assembly candidate Micah Lasher, New York City Council Member Gale Brewer, District Leaders Joshua Kinberg, Yvette Powell, Patricia Still, John Wahlmeier, Janice Oppenheimer, Richard Oppenheimer, Joan Paylo, Pablo Zevallos
Rep. Jerry Nadler is the godfather of Manhattan’s West Side, and a source of his clout has long been his local political club. Before his Assembly tenure began in 1977, Nadler was a member – and, briefly, executive director – of the Community Free Democrats, which in 2020 merged with the venerable Ansonia Independent Democrats and Park River Independent Democrats to form the West Side Democrats, covering the Upper West Side’s Assembly Districts 67 and 69. One member to watch is former New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who’s exploring a run for mayor. Longtime Nadler staffer Robert Gottheim is the club’s treasurer, while former state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and Assembly Democratic nominee Micah Lasher all came up through the club.
2. Northern Manhattan Democrats for Change
Key members: Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Assembly Member Manny De Los Santos, District Leaders Maria Morillo and Mariel De La Cruz
As he established a political fiefdom in northern Manhattan over the past quarter century, Rep. Adriano Espaillat has relied on his club – Northern Manhattan Democrats for Change – as a tool in amassing power. Espaillat, who became the first Dominican American politician elected to Congress in 2016, has used NMDC to expand his reach across Manhattan, the Bronx and beyond, largely by elevating fellow Dominican immigrants like Assembly Member Manny De Los Santos and New York City Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. This cycle, he suffered a minor setback when he failed to guide Assembly primary challengers Xavier Santiago and Leonardo Coello to victory against Black incumbents.
3. Frederick E. Samuel Community Democratic Club
Key members: Keith Wright, former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, District Leader Wilma Brown Phillips
Only months ago, there were questions about whether former Assembly Member Keith Wright could hold on to his post as leader of the Manhattan Democrats. But Wright, whose home political club is the Frederick E. Samuel Community Democratic Club in Harlem, has reinforced his political positioning with some notable electoral wins by loyal allies, including New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam’s remarkable victory last year, and his son Jordan Wright’s pivotal Assembly primary win this year. Former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields is also part of the club, which was founded in 1969 by former New York City Council Member Frederick Samuel.
4. Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club
Key members: State Sen. Roxanne Persaud, Assembly Member Jaime Williams, District Leader Frank Seddio
Frank Seddio isn’t the president of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club, but the former Brooklyn Democratic Party boss holds sway within its unassuming clubhouse in Canarsie (which is now for sale) – much as the famed Meade Esposito did decades before. Seddio maintains close political ties at the city, state and federal level, whether it’s through his associate (and Mayor Eric Adams whisperer) Frank Carone, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (who made a comeback speech at the TJ Club last year), or longtime Brooklyn allies U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Guyanese American state Sen. Roxanne Persaud, the local district leader alongside Seddio, came up through what was once a heavily Italian and Jewish club that evolved – and thrived – by welcoming new immigrant groups into its ranks.
5. Progressive Association For Political Action
Key members: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Secretary of State Walter Mosley
Marilyn Mosley is seeing the fruits of her political labors at the city, state and federal levels. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who could become the first Black speaker of the House, merged his club with Mosley’s years ago and has called the Progressive Association For Political Action his home club since his Assembly days. Mosley’s son, former Assembly Member Walter Mosley, is New York’s new secretary of state, while Brooklyn’s PAPA also backed Laurie Cumbo, who’s now the city’s cultural affairs commissioner, as well as state District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who’s exploring a run for mayor.
6. Independent Neighborhood Democrats
Key members: Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, former Assembly Member Joan Millman, New York City Council Members Lincoln Restler and Shahana Hanif, District Leaders Lydia Green and Aaron Ouyang
One claim to fame of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats is that it’s the political club for the Assembly district in Brooklyn that perennially has among the highest voter turnouts in the state, thanks in large part to IND’s petitioning and get-out-the-vote efforts. The club is closely tied to Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, who won her reelection primary in June after a bid for Congress in 2022. Living up to its name, the reform-oriented club also propelled Linda Wilson to victory over a county-backed rival in a Civil Court race last year and has questioned Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn’s leadership.
7. Bay Ridge Democrats
Key members: New York City Council Member Justin Brannan, state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, Vice President Jay Brown
New York City Council Member Justin Brannan likes to say that the term “Bay Ridge Democrat” used to be an oxymoron. Not anymore, thanks to politicians like Brannan, the influential chair of the City Council Finance Committee with aspirations for higher office, and state Senate Budget and Revenue Committee Chair Andrew Gounardes. The duo – and others like former Rep. Max Rose – can credit the Bay Ridge Democrats club for their political rise, and they’re hoping for another victory with Brannan’s staffer Chris McCreight running for Assembly. They’ve also been criticizing another rival, New York City Council Member Susan Zhuang, for allegedly biting a police officer during a protest.
8. Shirley Chisholm Democratic Club
Key members: Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, President Emeritus Blondell Lighty, Co-Founders Dr. Patricia Marthone, Josue Pierre and Samuel Pierre
The Shirley Chisholm Democratic Club was founded in 2011 by five Brooklynites, and by 2014 one of those co-founders – Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn – had broken through by winning election to represent Flatbush and Little Haiti in the Assembly. Like the history-making figure that her club was named after, Bichotte Hermelyn has continued to blaze a trail as a Black female lawmaker – including getting elected leader of the Brooklyn Democratic Party in 2020. The club was led for its first five years by co-founder Blondell Lighty, who then handed the reins to Rona Taylor.
9. Vanguard Independent Democratic Association
Key members: Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman, former Assembly Members Annette Robinson and Roger Green
In the early 1970s, African American Teachers Association leader Al Vann ran for an Assembly seat. Although he lost, the movement in Central Brooklyn for community control of schools and increased representation continued, while Vann (who was elected the next cycle) became a mentor to and supporter of many Black politicians – including David Dinkins, Jesse Jackson and Barack Obama – before his death in 2021. This year, the club helped Assembly Member Stefani Zinerman defeat a strong challenger backed by the Democratic Socialists of America. VIDA’s president, Henry Butler, is vice chair of the Brooklyn Democrats.
10. Guy R. Brewer United Democratic Club
Key members: State Sen. Leroy Comrie, Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman, District Leaders Preston Baker and Pamela Buford, Executive Secretary Manny Kaufman
In 1955, Guy R. Brewer helped launch a political organization with the goal of supporting Black candidates for elected office in Southeast Queens. Brewer went on to serve in the Assembly, while another club member, Archie Spigner, was elected to the New York City Council. Along the way, the group has supported candidates including state Sen. Leroy Comrie and Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman. Rep. Greg Meeks and New York City Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers have also been associated with the club. Spigner, the club’s longtime leader, died in 2020.
11. Grassroots of Buffalo
Grassroots of Buffalo has been around so long it has become the establishment in the Western New York city. Many of the most influential Black leaders in Buffalo came up through the political organization, including Mayor Byron Brown and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes as well as Bishop Darius Pridgen, who stepped down as Common Council president at the end of last year. The club helped send Rep. Tim Kennedy from the state Senate to Congress this year, and The Buffalo News reported this spring that the organization may play a behind-the-scenes role in who replaces him.
12. Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club
Key member: First Vice President Louis Cholden-Brown and Political Director Chris Sosa
One of the most prominent political clubs operating on a citywide basis is the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. Led by the outspoken LGBTQ+ activist Allen Roskoff and known for its swanky galas, the progressive organization was formed in 2004 and named in honor of the founding president of the militant Gay Activist Alliance. The club lists the Rev. Al Sharpton, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and many other city and state elected officials among its members. The club also pushes for criminal justice reforms, and Roskoff has criticized City Hall’s anti-gay appointees – and is pushing for a progressive challenger to Mayor Eric Adams.
13. Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club
Key members: Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz, New York City Council Member Eric Dinowitz
Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz is a force in the Bronx Democratic Party and a power player in his Riverdale district, where he’s an influential member of the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club. Dinowitz fended off an effort by progressives to seize control of the club in 2020, then propelled his son, fellow club member Eric Dinowitz, to a seat in the New York City Council in 2021, and finally beat back a rare primary challenge to hold on to his own Assembly seat in 2022. The club largely backs establishment candidates, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Ritchie Torres and congressional Democratic nominee George Latimer.
14. Progressive Democrats Political Association
Key members: Rep. Yvette Clarke, former New York City Council Member Una Clarke, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, Assembly Member Latrice Walker
The Progressive Democrats Political Association was founded by former New York City Council Member Una Clarke, a trailblazing political figure in Central Brooklyn, and counts Clarke’s daughter, Rep. Yvette Clarke, as one of its leaders. Other notable members of the Brooklyn-based club include state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who’s eyeing a run for mayor of New York City, and Assembly Member Latrice Walker, who’s been a notable proponent of bail reform in Albany.
15. Chippewa Democratic Club
Key members: Assembly Member Michael Benedetto, District Leaders John Doyle and Rebecca Nieves
Assembly Member Michael Benedetto, who has represented parts of the Northeast Bronx since his first election in 2004, counts the Chippewa Democratic Club as his home political club. The club itself dates back much further, to its founding in 1898, and has spent decades focused on getting out the vote and engaging the local community. This year, club members helped Benedetto withstand a primary challenge from the left and celebrated his victory at its Parkchester clubhouse.
16. Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC
Key members: Executive Vice President KC Hankins, Vice Presidents Rose Christ and Kenny Agosto, Treasurer Matthew Lesieur
Another notable citywide political club focused on LGBTQ+ rights is the Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC, which was founded in 1986 with a name evoking the Stonewall uprising in Manhattan that marked a turning point in the gay rights movement. With an aim of ensuring LGBTQ+ people and issues are represented in New York, the club has organized against a community board resolution on transgender athletes, helped make Staten Island’s St. Patrick’s Day parade inclusive for the first time this year, and led the Out for Biden-Harris contingent at the NYC Pride March in June. The club also backed notable state legislative primary winners Micah Lasher, Larinda Hooks and Jordan Wright this year.
17. Island Park, Point Lookout, Lido, Republican Club
Key members: Deputy Executive Leader Tim D’Esposito, former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, former Hempstead Supervisor Rich Guardino
Alfonse D’Amato served in the U.S. Senate between 1981 and 1999, and kept himself in office for nearly two decades thanks in part to the Island Park, Point Lookout, Lido, Republican Club. While D’Amato was one of the last true Republican power brokers in New York, the Long Island political club has also been a force behind one the GOP’s rising stars, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito. D’Esposito, the club’s president, is in a tight race to secure a second term in Congress this fall. The club also has a majority on its local village board and plays a role in countywide elections.
18. Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus
Key members: State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, former state Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson, First Vice President Nicole Benjamin, Second Vice President L’Judie Matt-Simmons
Since its founding in 1976, the Westchester Black Women’s Political Caucus has elevated a number of Black female politicians in the county. Its most noteworthy success was electing state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who in 2019 became the first woman and the first Black woman to become majority leader of the state Senate. Unlike most organizations on this list, the WBWPC has five chapters: in Greenburgh and White Plains, Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and the Greater Peekskill area.
19. Uptown Community Democrats
Key members: State Sen. Robert Jackson, Vice President Carolyn Murtaugh
The Uptown Community Democrats was formed in 2015, and quickly elected Robert Jackson as district leader. UCD went on to send Jackson to the state Senate by toppling a former member of the controversial Independent Democratic Conference in 2018, and then helped him survive a challenge from an ally of influential Rep. Adriano Espaillat in 2022. The club has capitalized on partnerships with other local political players, teaming up with groups such as Inwood Indivisible and Northern Manhattan Is Not for Sale and working with other clubs including the Tioga Carver Democratic Club and the Audubon Reform Democratic Club.
20. Martin Luther King Jr. Club
Key members: Former Rep. Charlie Rangel, Assembly Member Inez Dickens
It’s the end of an era for the Martin Luther King Jr. Club, the political organization of former Rep. Charlie Rangel and outgoing Assembly Member Inez Dickens. That’s because Dickens, after falling short in her campaign for a New York City Council seat last year, is set to retire from public office at the end of the year. Dickens and Rangel – who left Congress in 2017 – have served as the local district leaders and leading members of the Harlem-based club, which is run by Londel Davis Jr.
21. New Visions Democratic Club
Key members: Assembly Members Catalina Cruz and Jessica González-Rojas, New York City Council Member Shekar Krishnan, former New York City Council Member Daniel Dromm
The New Visions Democratic Club in Jackson Heights was founded in 2002 by LGBTQ+ rights activist Daniel Dromm, who went on to serve for over a decade in the New York City Council. The club made headlines for expelling then-state Sen. Jose Peralta in 2017 for joining the controversial Independent Democratic Conference. Dromm has also helped veteran club members’ campaigns, including co-founding member Jessica González-Rojas’ insurgent bid for the Assembly in 2020 and former club president Shekar Krishnan’s New York City Council run in 2021. The club is now in the district of Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, who helps lead the club.
22. Coalition for a District Alternative
Key members: State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera, Co-Vice Presidents Ciara Lugo and Donna Ellaby, District Leaders Marquis Jenkins and Aura Olavarria
The Coalition for a District Alternative is often referred to by its acronym, CODA, but don’t take that to mean that it’s about to conclude its political organizing efforts. Founded in 1992 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the progressive political club has in recent years been a key backer of New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera – who mounted a credible run for Congress in 2022 – and Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, who’s looking to succeed Rivera in the City Council next year in what could prove to be a competitive Democratic primary.
23. Downtown Independent Democrats
Key members: Assembly Member Grace Lee, New York City Council Member Christopher Marte, former state Supreme Court Justice Kathryn Freed, District Leader Paul Newell
The Downtown Independent Democrats has been a progressive force in lower Manhattan since its founding in 1972, with a long history of advocating for protections for tenants, low-income residents and small businesses. In recent years, it has provided critical support to Assembly Member Grace Lee and New York City Council Member Christopher Marte, and it's now in the midst of the fight to keep Mount Sinai’s Beth Israel hospital open. The club has seven district leaders, including Paul Newell, who sought then-Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s seat twice.
24. Whitestone Republican Club
Key members: Co-Vice Presidents Stefano Forte and Lauren Whalen, Secretary Robert Hornak
New York City Council Member Vickie Paladino revived the defunct Whitestone Republican Club after a bid for state Senate in 2018 and has established it as a GOP bastion in Queens. The organization, which has over 500 members, got on board early with 2021 New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa and the strong 2022 gubernatorial campaign of Lee Zeldin, then broke through with Paladino’s narrow City Council victory over Tony Avella in 2021 – followed by a walloping of Avella in a 2023 rematch. The club hosts a long list of Republican luminaries, making headlines recently for a planned appearance by NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell.
25. New York Young Republican Club
Other key member: Vice President Nathan Berger
Despite New York’s status as a solidly Democratic state, the New York Young Republican Club has garnered national attention for its activities in recent years. The 1,300-member club, which bills itself as the country’s oldest and largest “Young Republican” organization, has been led since 2019 by Gavin Wax, a conservative activist and commentator who’s a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump. Wax has claimed credit for Trump’s hometown rally in the Bronx earlier this year. The club lists many prominent Republicans as members, including Reps. Elise Stefanik, Claudia Tenney and Marc Molinaro, former Rep. Lee Zeldin, Assembly Members Lester Chang and Brian Maher, and New York City Council Members Joe Borelli, Inna Vernikov, David Carr and Vickie Paladino.
26. United Progressive Democratic Club
Assembly Member Bill Colton isn’t the most prolific or high-profile lawmaker in Albany, but in his own corner of South Brooklyn he’s been flexing his political muscle – prompting one commentator to suggest that he runs “the last political machine in New York City.” Colton and his United Progressive Democratic Club were a force behind New York City Council Member Susan Zhuang’s contested victory last year in a new Asian American-majority district. The club, which is decidedly moderate despite its “progressive” name, has waged an intraparty battle with the Bay Ridge Democrats and has emphasized issues like opposing homeless shelters – which led to the arrest of Zhuang for allegedly biting a cop at a recent protest. Former New York City Council Member Mark Treyger was once president of the club.
27. New Kings Democrats
Key members: Vice Presidents Paige Havener, Brandon Smith and Kellan Calder
The New Kings Democrats have sought reforms to the Brooklyn Democratic Party Committee ever since 2008. The club has some overlap with, but is distinct from, both the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America. New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler, who was elected in 2021, made a name for himself as a founding member of the New Kings Democrats – and has continued to challenge the powers that be. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso also served in the club’s leadership in its early years.
28. Muslim Democratic Club of New York
Key members: Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif, former President Murad Awawdeh, Co-Founders Linda Sarsour, Ali Najmi, Faiza Ali and Aliya Latif
Since its founding a little over decade ago, the Muslim Democratic Club of New York has situated itself on the far left of the ideological spectrum. Among its members are Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, who’s mulling a run for mayor of New York City as a proud member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif, who co-chairs the Progressive Caucus. Over the past year, MDCNY has sought to build support for a ceasefire in Palestine, bolstered the #LeaveItBlank campaign in the Democratic presidential primary in New York, and endorsed Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman.
29. Glen Cove Republican Club
Key member: Hempstead Town Attorney John Maccarone
The Glen Cove Republican Club is run by John Maccarone, an attorney who now serves as a key adviser to Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin. With Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman knocking out Laura Curran in 2022 and GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito flipping a blue seat the same year, Republicans are ascendant at every level in the county – with local political players like Clavin and Maccarone building up a strong bench.
30. Port Washington Democratic Club
Key members: Assembly Member Gina Sillitti, North Hempstead Council Member Mariann Dalimonte, former state Sen. Anna Kaplan, state Senate candidate Kim Keiserman, former congressional candidate Melanie D’Arrigo
Republicans are on the upswing on Long Island, but the Port Washington Democratic Club is fighting back. Several notable female politicians came from within the organization, including Assembly Member Gina Sillitti, North Hempstead Council Member Mariann Dalimonte and state Senate candidate Kim Keiserman, a former club president who’s challenging GOP state Sen. Jack Martins. Formed following the 2016 presidential election, the club has forged ties to the Great Neck Democratic Club and other local organizations. President Marc Sittenreich is also a key member of the Concerned Citizens of NY-03, which is opposing the conservative policies of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
31. Three Bridges Democratic Club
Key members: State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, Assembly Members Harvey Epstein and Grace Lee, District Leader Magda Napoleon, outgoing District Leader Daisy Paez, Vice Presidents Magda Napoleon, Vaylenteena Jones, Grauven Olivares and Charisse King
The newest Democratic political club in Manhattan has gotten off to a strong start, thanks in large part to the efforts of District Leader Daisy Paez. The club held its first fundraiser in January and came out to support candidates in state and judicial races this year. It has also focused on organizing around climate change, education, health care, land use and the aging. However, Paez recently decided to step down as district leader, and a who’s who of elected officials in her district announced an event to celebrate her service to the community, while Magda Napoleon was just elected district leader.
32. Hell’s Kitchen Democrats
Key members: District Leaders Paul Devlin and Adrienne Ford, Vice President Leslie Boghosian Murphy, former Assembly Member Richard Gottfried
It’s not very often that one political club is directly credited with bringing about the demise of another, but that’s the case with the Hell’s Kitchen Democrats. The club, which was launched in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, quickly supplanted the McManus Midtown Democratic Club, then New York City’s oldest Democratic club. The upstart HK Dems knocked out the McManus club’s district leaders and then backed their own founding president, Marti Gould Cummings, in a failed New York City Council campaign in 2021.
33. Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn
Key members: Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, New York City Council Member Crystal Hudson, Vice Presidents Derek Gaskill, Deshawn Childress, Claire Coulter and Patrick Hart
The largest LGBTQ+ political club in New York City’s most populous borough is the Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn, with over 4,000 members. Founded in 1978 by activists in Boerum Hill, LID backs LGBTQ+ candidates and allies for public office while battling against bigotry and advocating for people living with HIV and AIDS and on policy issues. The club has partnered with the New Kings Democrats and the Brooklyn Young Democrats in seeking reforms within the Brooklyn Democratic Party. It helped boost LGBTQ+ candidates including New York City Council Members Chi Ossé and Crystal Hudson and District Leader Jacqui Painter.
34. Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats
Key members: Assembly Members Robert Carroll and Jo Anne Simon, District Leaders Doug Schneider, Lori Knipel (outgoing) and Diana Gonzalez (incoming)
The Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, which was founded in 1968, is made up of progressive and reform-minded members and often makes a point of seeking to hold the Brooklyn Democratic Party leadership accountable. The club, which has a formidable petitioning operation, was successful in its backing of Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon as well as District Leader Lydia Green in Assembly District 52. The club, led by Sharon Harkey, also endorsed Kings County Surrogate’s Court Judge Bernie Graham, who was sworn in earlier this year after serving in an interim capacity.
35. Michelle Obama Community Democratic Club
Key member: State Sen. Cordell Cleare
The Michelle Obama Community Democratic Club came into being in 2021, the same year that its most high-profile member, Cordell Cleare, was elected to the state Senate. Cleare, who represents a district covering parts of Harlem and Upper Manhattan, previously was associated with the nearby Sojourner Truth Democratic Club. Her current club, which honors the former first lady, is focused on education equity, access to health care and social justice.
36. Three Parks Independent Democrats
Key members: First Vice President Daniele Gerard, Second Vice President Lynn Max, District Leaders Daniel Marks Cohen and Theresa Kanter
For nearly a half century, Three Parks Independent Democrats has organized on behalf of candidates and issues on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Its most recent success was joining nearby clubs the West Side Democrats and the Broadway Democrats in successfully backing Micah Lasher for an open Assembly seat. The club has long been a campaign stop and sought-after endorsement in local judicial and legislative and citywide races.
37. Broadway Democrats
Key members: District Leaders Paula Diamond Roman and Curtis Arluck, Vice President Amy Porter
When Micah Lasher came out ahead in a competitive Democratic primary for the seat being vacated by Assembly Member Danny O’Donnell, it was thanks in part to support from the local political clubs, including the Broadway Democrats. The club is based in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in O’Donnell’s Assembly District 69. Lasher also garnered support from his own West Side Democrats Club and the Three Parks Independent Democrats.
38. Asian Wave Alliance
Key member: First Vice President Yi Fang Chen, Second Vice President Jean Hahn
Republican Yiatin Chu is going up against state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky in Queens with the backing of the Republican and Conservative parties. Regardless of the outcome, Chu has had an impact with her nominally nonpartisan Asian Wave Alliance, which was part of the successful push for the creation of an Asian American-majority New York City Council district in Brooklyn in 2022, the same year the club was formed. Chu defended Assembly Member Lester Chang, her former boss, when the first-term Brooklyn lawmaker was at risk of being ousted over a residency dispute. She has also criticized state Sen. John Liu’s ties to the United Federation of Teachers.
39. New York City Black Women’s Political Club
Key member: New York City Council Member Nantasha Williams
The New York City Black Women’s Political Club was launched in 2019 with an aim to advance the causes of Black women across the five boroughs. Two years later, its founder, Nantasha Williams, won a seat in the New York City Council, where the Southeast Queens lawmaker chairs the Civil and Human Rights Committee. The club’s president, Jamila Pringle-Fynes, is a former government staffer at the city and state levels.
40. Second Chance Democratic Club
In 2022, Assembly Member Eddie Gibbs created a unique political club: the Second Chance Democratic Club, which aims to represent individuals with criminal convictions like himself. It’s unclear how active the club has been, but Gibbs did survive a tough primary this year against Xavier Santiago, a rival backed by several other clubs. (Gibbs had previously been affiliated with the Phil Reed Democratic Club in East Harlem.) However, it’s unlikely that Rep. Jerry Nadler, who Gibbs denigrated as “the old Jew man” during a campaign victory speech, will give Gibbs a second chance.
41. Stars & Stripes Democratic Club
Key members: State Sen. Iwen Chu, former Assembly Member Peter Abbate Jr.
Peter Abbate Jr. was ousted from the Assembly in 2022 by Republican Lester Chang. The same year, the veteran Democrat saw his former staffer, Iwen Chu, win a new Asian American-majority state Senate seat in southern Brooklyn. Abbate and Chu are key members of the Stars & Stripes Democratic Club, which sought to send Abbate back to Albany this cycle – but he failed to make the ballot, while blaming Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and Assembly Member Bill Colton of the rival United Progressive Democratic Club.
42. Eleanor Roosevelt Independent Democrats
Key members: New York City Council Member Keith Powers, District Leaders Mike Corbett, Tom Nooter, Myrna LePree and Reshma Patel
When Keith Powers first ran for New York City Council in 2017, he came under some scrutiny for his lobbying job – though less attention was paid to his work with the Eleanor Roosevelt Independent Democrats, which he had led as executive director and remains affiliated with as a district leader. Powers, once a speaker contender and for a time the council’s majority leader, is now seen as a potential Manhattan borough president candidate. His East Midtown Manhattan club recently merged with Gramercy Stuyvesant Independent Democrats.
43. Tioga Carver Democratic Club
Key members: Assembly Member Al Taylor, District Leader Earnestine Bell-Temple
The Tioga Carver Democratic Club has an illustrious history as the club of David Dinkins, who made history as the first Black mayor of New York City. The club, which was formed through the merger of David Dinkins’ George Washington Carver Democratic Club and the Tioga Democratic Club, now counts Assembly Member Al Taylor as one of its most high-profile members. Taylor ran in a competitive race for an open City Council seat last year but lost to Yusef Salaam.
44. 504 Democratic Club
Key members: First Vice President Elisabeth Axel, Second Vice President Ivan Alevante
The 504 Democratic Club is focused on a critical policy issue: advocating on behalf of and improving conditions for New Yorkers with disabilities. The citywide club, which was founded in New York City in 1983, is led by President Mike Schweinsburg and includes a number of political figures at the city, state and federal level as members. Among its recent activities are its efforts to keep Beth Israel hospital open, advocating for passage of Andre’s Law to ban the use of pain to alter patient behavior, and pushing for improved accessibility at subway stations and in taxis.
45. Powhatan and Pocahontas Democratic Club
Key members: District Leader Antonio Alfonso, Executive Vice President Steven Beard, Board Chairs Yanni Trittas and Laura Jean Hawkins
The Astoria-based Powhatan and Pocahontas Democratic Club, which dates back to 1901, was once two political clubs: a male-only Powhatan club and a female-only Pocahontas club, which merged in the 1990s. The club’s president is Anne Marie Anzalone, a former top staffer to then-Rep. Joe Crowley and now a top lobbyist at Bolton-St. Johns. Club member Breanna Mulligan, a communications staffer in the New York City Council, recently stepped down as a local district leader for Assembly District 36.
46. Lexington Democratic Club
Key members: Executive Vice President Lynn Berger, District Leaders Cory Evans, Meryl Brodsky, Jake Dilemani, Noreen Shevlin, Russell Squire and Sue Moss
The Lexington Democratic Club, which describes itself as the first reform club in New York City, was founded in 1949, when many of its members were young attorneys who wanted to root out patronage considerations from the judicial selection process. The club also played a role in turning the Upper East Side blue – and keeping it Democratic. It is within Assembly District 73, which was won by Alex Bores over former club President Russell Squire in 2022. It also endorsed then-Rep. Carolyn Maloney in 2022.
47. United Democratic Organization
Key members: Founder and President Emerita Virginia Kee, First Vice Chair Denny Salas, Second Vice President Yee Fan Chu, Secretary Alan J. Gerson, District Leaders Virginia Lee and Justin Yu
Chung Seto, who played a prominent role in then-New York City Comptroller John Liu’s 2013 mayoral campaign, is the president of the United Democratic Organization, a political club based in Manhattan’s Chinatown. The club notched a recent victory with Civil Court judicial candidate Alice Tam Tien winning her June primary against a rival backed by a number of politicians and political clubs. Seto was also a delegate for President Joe Biden’s reelection, and she now backs Kamala Harris’ candidacy.
48. Staten Island Young Republican Club
Key members: Vice President Joseph Maligno
Staten Island is New York City’s most conservative borough, so it’s no surprise that the Staten Island Young Republican Club has an outsized presence in local politics. State legislative staffer Peter Giunta, who now chairs the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs, served as president of the local club from 2019 to 2021. The group provides on-the-ground foot soldiers on local judicial and legislative campaigns, while also traveling out of state to assist with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
49. Village Independent Democrats
Key members: Vice Presidents Sara Kimbell, Mindy Rosier and David Siffert, District Leaders Jen Hoppe and Arthur Schwartz
The Village Independent Democrats club has a long and distinguished history in Manhattan politics, most notably as the home club of a young reformer named Ed Koch who knocked out the last Tammany Hall boss in Carmine DeSapio in a district leader race and eventually went on to become mayor. The West Village club has been a supporter of its local Assembly member, Deborah Glick, who made history in 1991 as the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to the state Legislature.
50. Ontario County Women’s Republican Club
Upstate New York isn’t known for its political clubs the way the five boroughs are, but it is home to some active organizations. Trisha Turner heads up the Ontario Women’s Republican Club, which falls under the New York State Federation of Republican Women and the National Federation of Republican Women. Last year, Turner was unanimously elected vice chair of the New York Republican State Committee.
NEXT STORY: 40 In Their 40s