Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Grace Lee for NY Senate District 27
Candidate Name: Grace Lee
Office Seeking Election for: New York State Senate District 27
Website: https://www.graceleefornyc.com/
1. Based upon your life experiences and accomplishments, why do you believe you are best qualified to represent your district?
I am a longtime resident of Lower Manhattan, a mother of three, and an organizer at heart. My basic political philosophy is simple: government should be firmly on the side of working people and use every tool available to make life more affordable, more secure, and more fair. I believe real change comes from building power with communities, listening closely, and then delivering through serious legislation, influence, and constituent services — not just tinkering at the margins, but driving transformational change that actually shifts systems, expands justice and opportunity for everyday New Yorkers.
Before I went to Albany, I organized alongside families in Lower Manhattan to keep them safer from a dangerous brownfield site and with deaf tenants on the Lower East Side to hold an abusive landlord accountable. In both cases, we didn’t just protest — we organized, and we won.
As an Assemblymember, I brought that same approach to Albany. When thousands of NYCHA and Section 8 families were at risk of eviction, I helped lead the fight to secure nearly $400 million in ERAP funding so families could stay in their homes. I have delivered historic funding to the Asian American community, advanced legislation to protect workers and expand opportunity, and consistently fought to ensure government delivers real results for the people it serves.
I’ve also delivered for my district through hands-on constituent services. In just three years, my office has closed over 700 constituent cases. We’ve also welcomed more than 100 interns into our office, giving young people real opportunities to get involved in public service. And we’ve done all of this with the smallest budget of any elected official in Lower Manhattan.
Throughout my time in office, I have used my platform to stand up for women, LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, and other communities too often left out of decision-making. I have advanced reproductive equity, supported working mothers, and secured critical funding for community-based organizations. I have fought to protect transgender New Yorkers’ right to self-determination and supported critical funding for LGBTQ organizations in the state budget.
I have also focused on addressing emerging threats to the safety of LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. Following a series of incidents in which individuals were targeted, drugged, and had their financial accounts drained, I introduced the Peer-to-Peer Mobile Payment Security Act alongside then-Senator Hoylman-Sigal. This legislation would require stronger security protections on payment platforms like Venmo, Zelle, and CashApp — including PIN authentication for high-value transactions and safeguards against fraud — to prevent these types of attacks and hold companies accountable. This is about using legislative tools to respond to real threats facing our communities.
In addition, I’ve stood with survivors of sexual abuse to hold powerful institutions accountable — in 2024, I publicly called out Columbia University’s systemic failures that enabled the abuse committed by former OBGYN Robert Hadden and pushed the institution to notify former patients and launch an internal investigation.
Our communities need a proven leader who can bring people together, take on complex challenges, and deliver real results. My approach has always been grounded in showing up, building coalitions, and following through — doing the hard work needed to ensure every neighborhood gets the resources it needs. I have been, and will continue to be, on the ground in our communities, fighting to deliver for the people I represent.
2. What LGBTQ+ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally?
I have been proud to partner with LGBTQ+ organizations across New York, including supporting the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club and participating in its events. I have also been a strong partner to the Stonewall Democratic Club and was honored to receive their endorsement in my previous Assembly races.
I believe it is important that the LGBTQ+ community has a seat at the table and have their voices heard. As an Assemblymember, I have organized multiple panels to highlight the accomplishments and issues facing the LGBTQ+ community and elevate their voices in government. I partnered with The Door and then-Senator Brad-Hoylman Sigal to host a roundtable discussion with AAPI LGBTQ+ youth about their experiences at the intersection of race, third culture, and queer identity. At this year’s BPHA Caucus weekend, I hosted a panel with Queer and BIPOC filmmakers and media professionals to talk about the value and importance of storytelling by and for our communities, including Brandon Young, the founder of Queer Voices NYC Film Festival (whom I met at the Center during his film festival and who inspired the panel).
At a time when LGBTQ+ communities are facing renewed attacks across the country, it is more important than ever to stand up, show up, and be a consistent ally. Most recently, I was proud to attend the Stonewall Pride flag rallies and the flag re-raising, standing in solidarity with the community and affirming that New York will always be a place of inclusion and respect.
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?
I have consistently shown up in support of LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive freedom, racial justice, and immigrant protections through press conferences, rallies, and demonstrations across New York.
Recently, I stood in solidarity at the Solidarity with Minnesota Press Conference in Albany, speaking out at a time when communities across the country are facing coordinated attacks on their rights. I also participated in press conferences for the New York Civil Rights Act, the MELT Act, the RADAR Act, and a rally for New York for All to push back against abuses tied to federal immigration enforcement. I was also proud to stand with the LGBTQ+ community at the Stonewall Pride Flag Rally and flag re-raising, reinforcing my commitment to visibility, dignity, and protection for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers.
At a time when many of our rights are under direct attack — by Donald Trump and his policies — I believe elected officials have an obligation to not only speak out, but to show up. I will continue to stand in solidarity with communities facing injustice and to use my platform to defend their rights.
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?
In the face of escalating attacks on women, LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, immigrants, and communities of color, we must protect our residents and ensure that their rights are not rolled back. I believe it is critical to both organize at the community level and take action at the policy level to defend people’s rights.
I have supported and introduced legislation to uphold reproductive rights and strengthen protections so that all New Yorkers can access care and live with dignity and autonomy. I have introduced and supported policies to push back against harmful federal actions — including supporting the New York for All Act and a broader package of legislation, such as the ICE Contract Transparency Act, New York for All, the MELT Act, RADAR Act, New York Civil Rights Act, and SAFE AIR Act, to rein in abuses, increase transparency, and ensure state and local resources are used to protect New Yorkers.
Alongside this legislative work, I have focused on direct, on-the-ground organizing to ensure people have the information and resources they need to protect themselves. I am proud to have supported the passage of Prop 1, enshrining the Equal Rights Amendment, into our state constitution. In the state budget, I have supported critical services to support reproductive health and social services for the LGBTQ+ community, such as Lorena Borjas Transgender and Non-Binary Wellness and Equity Fund, a pioneering initiative providing essential services and resources to transgender and gender-nonconforming New Yorkers.
I have prioritized showing up at press conferences, rallies, and demonstrations to stand in solidarity with communities under attack, and I will continue to use my platform to speak out and mobilize others. Additionally, after ICE activity was reported on the Lower East Side, I organized a canvassing effort with fellow elected officials and community volunteers to go storefront to storefront, informing small business owners and workers of their legal rights and distributing materials on how to respond to immigration enforcement.
In the Senate, I will continue working in partnership with community organizations, advocates, and fellow elected officials to strengthen protections at the state level — ensuring that New York acts as a firewall against harmful federal policies and that all New Yorkers are safe, informed, and supported.
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, I am a strong supporter of the unrestricted right to reproductive care and abortion. Reproductive freedom is a fundamental human right and must be protected — in New York and across the country. Everyone deserves safe, affordable access to contraception, abortion services, and comprehensive sexual education.
In my most recent legislative session, I was proud to co-sponsor bill A2137 (Gonzalez-Rojas), which strengthens the Reproductive Freedom Equity Fund by expanding support for practical needs such as transportation and other financial barriers that prevent people from accessing abortion care. Access is not meaningful if it exists only in theory. We must ensure that low-income people, young people, undocumented people, trans and nonbinary people, and those traveling from hostile states can actually obtain care. In the Senate, I will continue fighting to expand funding, protect providers, and safeguard New York as a haven for reproductive healthcare — without restriction, stigma, or compromise.
7. Have you hosted, funded, or otherwise supported Drag Story Hours in your community?
Yes, I have attended and supported Drag Story Hours, including events hosted by JOLDC. I believe these events are joyful, affirming spaces that celebrate creativity, literacy, and the LGBTQ community. I would welcome the opportunity to partner with JOLDC and community organizations to help host one in my district.
8. How will you work to enhance protections for immigrants and uphold New York’s role as a “Sanctuary City”?
As the child of immigrants and an Asian American woman representing a diverse, immigrant-rich district, I will always be a fierce advocate and ally for our immigrant communities. New York has long been a place of refuge and opportunity, and we must actively defend that legacy — especially in the face of escalating federal immigration enforcement targeting our neighbors.
This past year, we have witnessed aggressive federal immigration enforcement attacking our immigrant communities. I recently introduced the ICE Contract Transparency Act (A.10460), which requires companies doing business with New York State to disclose any contracts they have with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). I am proud to be, and will continue to be, fighting for the New York For All, and a package of legislation (MELT Act, RADAR Act, New York Civil Rights Act, and SAFE AIR Act) to rein in abuses and ensure state and local resources are used to keep all New Yorkers safe, not to advance a mass-deportation agenda. I am also the proud sponsor of the Pro-Banking Act, which mandates that all financial institutions, including foreign branches, accept the NYC identity card as a primary form of identification to expand financial access to all New Yorkers. I successfully passed the bill through the Assembly in the face of strong opposition from Republicans.
All who call New York home deserve to be treated with respect, the full protection of their rights, equal opportunity, and the ability to live without fear.
9. Do you support New York becoming a Transgender Sanctuary State?
Yes, as transgender rights face coordinated attacks across the country, New York has a responsibility to step up and protect its residents and to serve as a safe haven for transgender Americans. When the federal government abuses constitutional and civil rights by interfering in deeply personal decisions between parents, patients, and doctors, states like ours must act as a firewall.
We are already seeing the chilling effect of federal hostility. Providers, even in New York, are pulling back from offering gender-affirming care out of fear of losing federal funding. At the same time, as restrictive voter ID laws advance nationally, states like Kansas have moved to invalidate the driver’s licenses of transgender people. New York must send a clear message that we will not participate in this rollback of rights.
Becoming a Transgender Sanctuary State means codifying protections for gender-affirming care, shielding providers and patients from out-of-state prosecution, safeguarding accurate identity documents, and ensuring that trans and nonbinary New Yorkers, and those who seek refuge here, can live with dignity and safety. I fully support taking the legislative steps necessary to uphold and expand protections for transgender people without compromise.
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, New York’s affordability crisis is pushing working families out of the state, and I believe the ultra-wealthy, major corporations, and other entrenched interests that profit from living and doing business here must pay their fair share so we can fund housing, childcare, transit, and the public services our communities rely on. That means raising taxes and revenue from the wealthiest New Yorkers and the most profitable corporations, and organizing with other elected officials, community-based organizations, and leaders across the city and state to overcome machine politics.
That is why I have been a co-sponsor of, attended rallies for, and have pushed for the passage of the Invest In Our NY package and Fair Share legislation to make our tax code more progressive, including: the Progressive Income Tax (S1622 Jackson / A1281 Meeks) to add new brackets so top earners pay higher rates; the Corporate Tax proposal (S953 Hoylman / A1971 Kelles, Shrestha) to raise taxes on the most profitable corporations; a Capital Gains surcharge (S1439 Rivera / A676 Kim) so investment income over a high threshold is taxed more fairly; an Heirs Tax (S914 Brisport / A2049 Solages) to update our inheritance tax structure for very large inheritances; and the Fair Share Act (S8577 Liu / A8953 Forrest) to authorize a local surcharge on income over $1 million in cities with a personal income tax, like New York City, to fund major affordability priorities.
As the next State Senator, I will continue this fight and will work tirelessly to ensure the wealthiest New Yorkers and corporations contribute their fair share so we can rebuild a more equitable New York.
11. How will you represent the most vulnerable, including individuals experiencing homelessness and asylum seekers? Have you ever opposed any shelter in your district?
The most vulnerable members of our community often have limited access to essential services like healthcare, stable housing, and legal aid. In the Senate, I will continue to fight for affordability and expand funding for services that directly support individuals experiencing homelessness and asylum seekers. By partnering with local organizations like Goddard Riverside and the Legal Aid Society, I will work to ensure New Yorkers are connected to the resources they need.
New York City’s shelter system is strained, lacks capacity, and is a last resort, after people have already lost their housing. The most effective way to address homelessness is to prevent it at its root – by keeping people in their homes and expanding access to stable, truly affordable housing. At the same time, we need a more equitable distribution of shelter and supportive housing resources across the city so that no one community is disproportionately burdened and services can be delivered effectively.
We must recognize that many people experiencing homelessness are also navigating serious mental health challenges. Addressing homelessness requires stronger investment in mental health services, supportive housing, and community-based care so people can receive treatment and stability before crises escalate. Expanding access to mental health services and supportive housing will help ensure that New Yorkers experiencing homelessness receive the care they need while also reducing long-term pressure on the shelter system.
Preventing homelessness, expanding affordable housing, and investing in mental health care must work together. As State Senator, I will continue working with tenant leaders, advocates, and service providers to address the root causes of homelessness and ensure every New Yorker has access to safe, stable housing and the support they need to remain housed.
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, over the past year, we have witnessed unprecedented attacks on immigrant communities and abuses of our constitutional and civil rights in the name of immigration enforcement. I recently introduced the ICE Contract Transparency Act (A.10460), which requires companies doing business with New York State to disclose any contracts they have with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). New Yorkers deserve to know if companies are supporting Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Companies that fail to disclose these relationships would face disqualification from state contracts and civil penalties of up to $5,000. No company should benefit from taxpayer dollars while supporting policies that harm our communities. I am also proud to support a broader package of legislation, including the New York for All Act, to rein in ICE abuses, ensure state and local resources are used to keep New Yorkers safe, and protect immigrant communities.
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, I support this key legislation. My vision for public safety is one that prioritizes real community investment, especially in mental health care, so we aren’t using jail as a default response to crisis. Reducing overcriminalization and overincarceration requires shifting away from punishment-first approaches and investing in the services that actually keep people safe.
I support concrete reforms to reduce unnecessary incarceration and address the humanitarian crisis in our prisons. I voted for and co-sponsored last session’s omnibus corrections package to strengthen oversight and prevent abuse, and I will keep pushing for independent monitoring, whistleblower protections, and real accountability when staff violence occurs.
To confront racial inequities and support successful reentry, I supported Clean Slate in 2023 because permanent punishment blocks jobs and housing and makes communities less stable. I am a co-sponsor of the Treatment Not Jails Act to address people’s needs for mental health and substance abuse with diversion courts and mental health treatments. I am a co-sponsor of the bill to end qualified immunity so violations of rights are not insulated from consequences. And I support expanding Community Councils to strengthen trust and communication between residents and precincts.
I also support parole reform as a core public safety strategy. I am a co-sponsor of Elder Parole (S454 Hoylman-Sigal / A514 Davila) and Fair & Timely Parole (A127, Weprin) because people should not be warehoused, especially seniors, when there is no public safety justification. Parole decisions should be based on current risk and readiness to return home, not solely on a conviction from decades ago.
14. Do you oppose the death penalty?
Yes. I oppose the death penalty. I believe in a system centered on rehabilitation, which the death penalty is fundamentally incompatible with. Extensive research has also shown that it is not an effective deterrent, meaning its primary function is purely punitive. I do not believe it is moral for the state to take the life of its own citizens as a form of punishment.
15. Do you support outlawing solitary confinement?
Yes. Solitary confinement is cruel, unjust, and counterproductive. It causes serious harm to individuals and does not make prisons safer for either incarcerated people or staff.
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 did not rank Andrew Cuomo on my Democratic primary ballot.
Further, when Andrew Cuomo announced his mayoral candidacy last year, many treated his victory as inevitable. I refused to accept this and instead introduced the STOP Act to call out his abuse of public funds to retraumatize and harass survivors. I did that under intense pressure, knowing it would draw attacks, and I’ll bring that same fight and fearlessness to the Senate.
I supported Zohran Mamdani for Mayor. I was proud to work closely with him in the Assembly as co-chairs of the Asian Pacific American Task Force. Together, we elevated the voices of Asian Americans statewide through historic legislative wins and secured record funding in the state budget for organizations serving Asian American communities, including immigrant-led groups, through the Equity Budget Coalition. During the mayoral race, I was proud to campaign with him, including visiting poll sites in my district.
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
20. What is your legislative remedy to secure the building of low and moderate-income housing around the state?
Housing affordability is one of the most important issues that my constituents are facing. I have and will continue to fight to support expanding housing that is truly affordable for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers.
I have fought, and will continue to fight, for more housing that is affordable, sustainable, and high-quality for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers, while strengthening tenant protections so families can stay in their homes. As an Assemblymember, I’ve fought to advance housing justice in New York State, including passing Good Cause Eviction. I also championed the effort to secure nearly $400M in ERAP funding for NYCHA and Section 8 residents to help protect thousands of families from eviction. And I helped secure a 50% tax cut for Mitchell-Lama buildings to keep developments stable and rents down, and pushed for stronger protections for tenants.
I support fully funding and expanding the Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) so low-income households can lease stable, permanent apartments rather than cycle through shelters. I am also fighting to expand eligibility for SCRIE and DRIE, which freeze rent for seniors and New Yorkers with disabilities, so more fixed-income households can remain in their homes.
On production and long-term affordability, in 2024, I pushed to strengthen the 485-x housing program by lowering affordability thresholds and making affordability requirements permanent, and I supported office-to-residential conversions as a tool to add housing supply while ensuring units remain permanently affordable. I was also an early co-sponsor of A.6265 (Gallagher) / S.5674 (Cleare) to establish the New York State Social Housing Development Authority, empowered to acquire land, rehabilitate property, and build new housing that remains permanently affordable. In addition, I co-sponsor A4954 / S1354 (Cleare) to preserve expiring affordable housing by creating a framework for condominium conversions that require long-term stewardship of permanently affordable units.
Finally, improving affordability requires strengthening tenant rights and enforcement. I will continue to support policies that prevent displacement and landlord harassment, expand access to legal and eviction-prevention resources, and ensure strong, enforceable tenant protections so families aren’t priced out or pushed out. And I will keep pushing for investments that improve building conditions and sustainability—so “affordable housing” also means safe, healthy homes with reliable heat, repairs, and energy-efficient upgrades.
21. Will you refuse donations from AIPAC, SolidarityPAC, police and corrections associations, the fossil fuel industry, and the charter school industry?
Yes, my campaign does not accept PAC money or money from the fossil fuel industry, real estate developers, or the charter school industry. Our campaign is powered by strong grassroots support. With our first filing, we fully maxed on the full $375,000 available through public matching funds. We received 417 in-district donor contributions from every zip code in the district. This broad base of support positions us to run a competitive campaign and secure victory.
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.
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
24. What additional information would you like the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club to consider when we are making our endorsement decision?
As State Senator, I look forward to partnering with the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club to advance policies that protect LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, strengthen civil rights, and ensure our communities are represented and respected in government. An endorsement from Jim Owles would be an honor and a reflection of our shared commitment to equality, dignity, and justice for all New Yorkers.
This race will be won by building a broad, diverse, and hyperlocal grassroots coalition. I have built a broad and growing coalition of support since I officially launched my campaign. I am proud to have earned the endorsements of the NY Hotel & Gaming Trades Council (HTC) and Citizen Action; HTC represents thousands of working New Yorkers and their members power the city’s hospitality industry and have long led the fight for strong contracts, good wages, and dignity on the job, and Citizen Action, a leading statewide progressive organization at the forefront of the fight for healthcare, housing, and economic justice.
Together, these endorsements reflect the kind of coalition we are building, rooted in workers, working families, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, and committed to taking on entrenched systems of inequality while delivering real, material gains for people across New York.
I am also proud to have the support of the outgoing State Senator Brian Kavanagh, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Assemblymembers Deborah Glick, Charles Fall, Keith Powers, Tony Simone, and Linda Rosenthal, State Senators Liz Krueger and Erik Bottcher, and Councilmember Gale Brewer. I also have the endorsement of the six major Democratic clubs in the district: the Downtown Independent diamonds (DID), the United Democratic Organization (UDO), the Village Independent Democrats (VID), the Coalition for a District Alternative (CODA), the Three Bridges Democratic Club (3BDC), and the Grand Street Democrats (GSD).
Our campaign is supported by NYCHA tenant leaders, labor partners, housing advocates, parent activists, small business owners, and new immigrant voters — forming a broad, diverse base that reflects the district itself. This coalition reflects years of on-the-ground organizing and deep relationships across the district.
Our path to victory is grounded in expanding this coalition through robust, field-driven voter outreach and continued partnership with labor, tenant leaders, and community organizations. By consistently showing up, delivering a clear message centered on affordability and economic justice, and building trust across neighborhoods, we will mobilize the voters needed to win and govern effectively. That momentum is also reflected in our strong grassroots fundraising: this cycle, we have already raised over $400,000, and have fully maxed out in state matching funds. By the end of the campaign, we anticipate raising over $800,000 — positioning us to run a competitive and winning campaign.
I love this job because it allows me to make a difference every single day. For me, becoming a State Senator isn’t about a bigger title — it’s about expanding our ability to deliver. It means scaling the community-centered work we’ve built, securing more resources, passing stronger legislation, and ensuring that all New Yorkers, including LGBTQ+ New Yorkers, have a stronger voice in shaping our future.
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