Citizens Union was impressed by her strong engagement with policy questions on campaign finance and reform issues, as well as her collaborative approach and ability to build bridges across the district’s political landscape.

Lee has been an ally of Citizens Union while in office and supports nearly all of Citizens Union’s reform agenda. In the Assembly, she passed legislation requiring the NYC Board of Elections to notify local officials of polling site changes and introduced legislation to rein in public spending on litigation involving elected officials.

Citizens Union noted Martinez’s comprehensive knowledge of his district’s diverse neighborhoods and found him well-positioned to be effective in Albany. Citizens Union found his emphasis on independence compelling and his civic track record strong.

Kattan is supportive of Citizens Union’s reform agenda, except for open primaries, a position she acknowledged as still evolving and expressed openness to revisiting her position through continued dialogue. Citizens Union was impressed by her clear command of district issues and her demonstrated ability to build coalitions, good indicators of one’s ability to advance legislation.

Citizens Union found Orkin to be a thoughtful candidate with substantive policy thinking on the issues facing his district and appreciated his openness to continued dialogue with reform-oriented organizations.

Huntley fully supported Citizens Union’s reform agenda, and Citizens Union was impressed by his principled responses when pressed on building support for issues like open primaries.

Citizens Union found Kessler energetic, well-rounded, and deeply knowledgeable about reform priorities, while Siffert offered detailed insight into Citizens Union’s issues and an impressive ability to work behind the scenes to advance priorities.

Ayala fully supported Citizens Union’s reform agenda and offered personal and passionate context for her priorities, particularly around mental health, the opioid crisis, and NYCHA conditions. Her sixteen years in City Hall have given her the knowledge of how government works and how bills are moved. She will be an effective advocate for her district.

Northrup is a well-prepared candidate who presented nuanced, thorough views on policy and government and demonstrated a clear fluency in how Albany works. He supported all of Citizens Union’s reform agenda and identified campaign finance reform and judicial transparency as his top good government priorities.

Aronson fully supported Citizens Union’s reform agenda and identified campaign finance reform as her top legislative priority, drawing directly on her experience as a candidate, when she was outspent by super PAC donors in her 2025 City Council race. Citizens Union was impressed by her idealism and commitment to reform.