Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Benjamin Yee for NY Assembly District 66
Candidate Name: Benjamin Yee
Office Seeking Election for: NY Assembly District 66
Campaign Website: https://www.votebenyee.nyc/
1. Based upon your life experiences and accomplishments, why do you believe you are best qualified to represent your district?
I am a lifelong resident of this district, an educator, and a technologist who has served as your Democratic State Committeeman for nearly a decade. I have spent twenty years "hacking" the architecture of power to return it to the people. While others talk about change, I’ve built the teams that brought transparency to the State Legislature to expose corruption, and I’ve trained over 8,000 New Yorkers on how to organize and defeat the political machine. I am the only candidate in this race with the technical mastery and the institutional experience to beat the real estate lobby and deliver a government that finally works for the people.
2. What LGBTQ+ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally?
Stonewall Democratic Club
Jim Owles Club
Lambda Independent Democrats
Human Rights Campaign
Manhattan Young Democrats LGBTQ Caucus
Marriage Equality New York.Bronx Community Pride Center
Courage Campaign
Western Queens for Marriage Equality
The LGBT Community Center
Empire State Pride Agenda
I worked with many of these organizations as far back as 2009, when I coordinated the effort of the Manhattan Young Democrats in building statewide partnerships to bring about the watershed 2009 vote for Marriage Equality in New York. By forcing that "humiliating" (as the New York Times called it at the time) 38–24 defeat in the Senate, we effectively created the "hit list" that led to the successful 2011 passage. At that time, many "mainstream" groups were hesitant to push for a vote they knew they might lose. MYD helped bridge the gap between grassroots energy and institutional advocacy.
3. What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support of LGBTQ+ issues, pro-choice legislation, racial justice, criminal justice have you attended, including rallies specifically against Donald Trump and his policies?
Protest of the flag removal at Stonewall and the rally to raise the flag after
Rallies for Prop 1
Pride Parades
Multiple rallies and protests for George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, and Stop Asian Hate
Multiple protests against ICE, most recently the Presidents Day protest outside Trump Tower and the protest at Foley Square...All the No Kings protests..All the Women’s Marches protests
4 . In light of the Trump Administration’s war on women, the LGBTQ+ community, minorities, and immigrants, what are your plans to organize and combat the Trump agenda?
We are the shield. My plan is to use state sovereignty to create a "digital and physical sanctuary." This includes passing strict statutory guardrails to prevent state data—including health and transit records—from being harvested by federal agencies or biased AI. We must treat federal overreach as a hostile incursion on our civil rights, ensuring New York remains a safe harbor for reproductive care, gender-affirming care, and immigrant families.
I’m also a leader in the Hands Off New York Downtown West group, where we organize events against ICE, and I participate in a number of working groups for Hands Off New York’s Manhattan organization.
As a State Committee member, I’ve organized community events and Town Halls to raise awareness, inform people of their rights, and ask our elected leaders, such as Mayor Mamdani, what their plans are for keeping New Yorkers safe and ensuring their rights are respected.
5. Will you seek or accept endorsements from individuals who oppose LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights?
NO
6. Do you support the unrestricted right to reproductive care and abortion?
YES
7. Have you hosted, funded or otherwise supported Drag Story Hours in your community?
NO, but I’d love to do that. I’ve supported other drag events.
8. How will you work to enhance protections for immigrants and uphold New York’s role as a “Sanctuary City”?
I have a long record of results on this issue: in 2016, I led the fight to pass the State Democratic Party's resolution for non-cooperation with ICE, which also called on the State and local executives to use law enforcement to stop ICE when they are found violating the rights of New Yorkers..
In Albany, I will fight to pass the New York for All Act and use my background as a technologist to create a "Digital Sanctuary," banning the sharing of state data with federal agencies and enhancing data collection protections for all New Yorkers. Finally, I will champion a statewide Right to Counsel for all immigration proceedings.
9. Do you support New York becoming a Transgender Sanctuary State?
YES.
10. If elected, will you commit to supporting legislation that raises taxes on the richest New Yorkers and large corporations in order to fund the services and investments our communities need?
Yes. We cannot fix our housing or transit crises with "austerity" mindsets. I will sponsor legislation to implement progressive taxes on high-end real estate and top-tier income earners. We must end the era where billionaires treat our city as a piggy bank while our neighbors are priced out.
11. How will you represent the most vulnerable, including individuals experiencing homelessness and asylum seekers? Have you ever opposed any shelter in your district?
I will represent the most vulnerable by treating housing as the necessity it is, not a commodity for the real estate lobby. I have never opposed a shelter in my district. In fact, I believe the only way to address the issue of unhoused people is to house them. This means redesigning and funding shelters that are welcoming and safe, so that those in need of shelter will actually go there. And, we must move beyond the "temporary shelter" model by rewriting housing rules to mandate deeply affordable, permanent housing and providing robust mental health services.
12. Will you sponsor and support legislation which will ensure that state and local resources are not used to facilitate or cooperate with federal immigration enforcement (New York for All Act) to prevent the funneling of people into ICE custody, and the sharing of sensitive information with ICE?
Yes. This is a core pillar of my platform. In 2016, I successfully authored and passed the Democratic State Committee’s first resolution for non-cooperation with ICE, long before it was the party consensus. In the Assembly, I will sponsor the New York for All Act to ensure state and local resources never facilitate federal deportation. We must move beyond resolutions to strict statutory prohibitions on data-sharing and collusion to protect our neighbors from federal overreach.
13. To advance safety and justice, New York must address our archaic sentencing and parole laws. Do you support the following key legislation: 1) Second Look Act (S.158/A.1283), which would allow judges to review and reconsider excessive sentences by considering if incarcerated people have transformed while incarcerated or based on changes in law and norms; 2) Earned Time Act (S.342/A.1085), which would strengthen and expand “good time” and “merit time” programs in prison that encourage personal transformation and reunite families?; 3) Marvin Mayfield Act (S.1209/A.1297), which would eliminate mandatory minimum sentences, thereby allowing judges to consider individual factors in a case?; 4) Elder Parole (S.454/A.514), which would allow incarcerated people over age 55 who have served 15 years the opportunity to go before the parole board?
Yes to all. Our current system is carceral and archaic. I support the Second Look Act, Earned Time Act, Marvin Mayfield Act, and Elder Parole. True safety comes from transforming our society and rehabilitation, not from the permanent "disappearing" of our neighbors into a broken prison system.
14. Do you oppose the death penalty?
YES
15. Do you support outlawing solitary confinement?
YES
16. Do you commit to visit constituents who are incarcerated? Will you work to secure the release of individuals who have demonstrated sincere remorse, worked toward rehabilitation and are not deemed a threat to society?
YES
17. Do you commit to make applications for clemencies available to your constituency including a link to an application in a constituent newsletter? Will you submit it to our club?
YES
18. Did you rank Andrew Cuomo on your Democratic primary ballot in 2025? Who did you support for mayor in the 2025 Democratic primary and general election?
No. I have been a longtime and outspoken opponent of Andrew Cuomo and the "pay-to-play", bullying, culture of harassment he represented. I consistently organized against his administration's efforts to stymie progressive legislation through the IDC. In the 2025 mayoral primary, I ranked Brad Lander first and Zohran Mamdani second, choosing candidates who championed a bold, progressive vision for our city. My support for these candidates was rooted in our shared belief that New York belongs to the people, not the billionaire class.
19. In view of the fact that Ed Koch has been documented to have caused the deaths of scores of people with AIDS, excused city council members who voted against the gay rights bill and was blatantly racist, would you support and sponsor a bill to rename the former Queensboro Bridge?
Yes. Our public infrastructure should reflect our values and honor those who fought for justice, not those who stood by while a generation was lost. Ed Koch’s record of racist rhetoric and his catastrophic failure to address the AIDS crisis caused irreparable harm to the LGBTQ+ community and our city. I would support and sponsor legislation to rename the bridge and ensure our city’s landmarks reflect a legacy of compassion and equality rather than institutional neglect.
20. What is your legislative remedy to secure the building of low and moderate-income housing around the state?
My remedy is the most comprehensive in this race: We must rewrite the housing rules to favor people over profits by:
Passing pied-a-terre and vacancy taxes to eliminate the massive incentive for international capital to treat New York City housing as an investment vehicle instead of a place for people to live.
Drastically reduce rent pressure on the urban core by expanding the metro area with requirements on the Dept of Transportation, MTA, and Port Authority to develop regional plans and funding public transportation.
Increase mandatory affordable housing for tax breaks to 35%.
Provide grants to municipal governments that create comprehensive development plans passed by local legislators.
Require any development on State Land to include a minimum of 50% affordable housing with incentives for more.
Create an Affordable Housing lockbox for funding high-density, affordable housing in New York State in areas within commuter distance of economic hubs funded by vacancy and pied-a-terre taxes.
Replace AMI with Cost of Living.
Restore Home Rule so that NYC can set its own housing and tax policies, currently blocked by Albany.
Improve tenant Protections by eliminating the housing court black list, expanding, reforming housing court and funding, funding right-to-counsel for tenants.
21. Will you refuse donations from AIPAC, SolidarityPAC, police and corrections associations, the fossil fuel industry, and the charter school industry?
Yes. I refuse to take a dime from AIPAC, SolidarityPAC, police/corrections associations, the fossil fuel industry, or the charter school industry. My campaign is 100% people-powered.
22. Do you support removing criminal penalties for consensual commercial sex work between adults? Also known as Cecilia's Act for Rights in the Sex Trades (S2513 Salazar / A3251 Forrest)
Yes. We must replace a punitive approach to sex work with one rooted in labor rights and public health. As a reformer, I believe expunging records is a critical step toward ending the cycle of housing and employment discrimination that targets Trans, immigrant, and Black and Brown New Yorkers. By decriminalizing consensual adult work, we allow the state to focus its resources on ending actual exploitation and trafficking while ensuring all workers can live with dignity and safety.
23. There is an effort to have mandatory inclusion of the New York State proposal that would require public schools to teach about the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, commonly described in the bill text as an “insurrection.” Do you support this proposal?
Yes. As an educator who has taught civics to thousands of New Yorkers, I believe students must learn the truth about the threats facing our democracy. Expanding civics education is a foundational piece of my legislative agenda; we cannot protect our democratic institutions if we are afraid to name the forces that tried to subvert them. Truth in our curriculum and a deep understanding of our government are prerequisites for a functional democracy.
24. What additional information would you like the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club to consider when we are making our endorsement decision?
I am not a candidate who discovered progressive values in an election year; I have been in the trenches with this club and this community for twenty years.
In 2009, when many in the establishment were afraid to force a vote on marriage equality, I worked with the Manhattan Young Democrats to coordinate a statewide advocacy effort that fundamentally changed the map of New York politics. We didn't just want a "safe" path; we wanted accountability. We launched an online petition for Marriage Equality that made national news and, working with a coalition of groups, helped force a vote — so New Yorkers could finally see who stood for equality and who stood for exclusion. In the State Senate, it was my team that implemented live, online streaming of all Senate Sessions so that all of New York could watch Senators like Tom Duane speak on the importance of equality, and helped put the spotlight on Republicans pushing those like Senator Stephen Saland to switch their vote to “yes” in the second round...That same spirit of "unapologetic advocacy" is what led me to author the 2016 resolution against ICE cooperation and why I have spent a decade as State Committeeman fighting to open up the closed-door culture of the Democratic machine...I am running for Assembly because our district deserves a representative who treats democracy as a foundational piece of their agenda—from mandatory civics education to "Digital Sanctuary" laws that protect our most vulnerable from federal overreach. I am a technologist, an educator, and a lifelong reformer who has never been afraid to take on the "pay-to-play" status quo. I am ready to work "hand in glove" with the Jim Owles Club to ensure the 66th District—and all of New York—remains a beacon of safety, smarter government, and true affordability.
25. If you receive our endorsement, do you agree to identify the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club on all appropriate literature and electronic materials?
Yes. I would be incredibly proud to carry the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club endorsement. Your club represents the unapologetic, progressive soul of New York City politics. I commit to featuring the JOLDC logo and endorsement prominently on my website, my palm cards, and in my digital communications to show the voters of the 66th District that I stand with the city’s fiercest advocates for justice and equality.