Joe Santangelo AD 46

Joe Santangelo

Office Sought:
State Assembly District 46

Campaign Site: Bay Ridge, Coney Island, Seagate, Brighton Beach, Dyker Heights, and Bath

Beach

Endorsements so far: I am seeking endorsements from local democratic clubs, elected

officials, and progressive unions.

Why do you want to represent your neighbors and fellow Brooklynites in Albany? (100

words max) It is time for an urgent change across all levels of government. We must tax the

rich, fund universal childcare and healthcare, and build affordable housing throughout the city

and state. At the same time, we must protect our democracy from a fascist federal government

that is actively threatening our rights, launching illegal and immoral wars, and funding a

genocide. If we do not act now, we will lose things we will never get back.

What difference will you make for your community? (100 words max) In local government,

South Brooklyn has long been plagued by corruption. Real estate developers, the casino lobby,

and other corporate interests donate tens of thousands of dollars to candidates every election

cycle, including this one, and those candidates then fail to represent the interests of the working

and middle class of South Brooklyn! I am the only candidate in this primary who has never

accepted donations from or been on the side of the casino or real estate lobby, and I never will.

I will represent this working class district fairly, by actually voting in the interests of my

neighbors.

How will you support and empower the LGBTQ+ community, particularly at a time when

transgender people are under sustained attack from the Trump Administration? (100

words max) As a candidate, I have sought to highlight the strength of of the LGBTQ+

community in South Brooklyn, by attending and co-hosting events with groups including

GayRidge. We currently have a representative who has used every opportunity to cruelly attack

the LGBTQ+ community. He also has a terrible voting record. In office, I would support

healthcare and gender-affirming care for all New Yorkers. Additionally, I support the Gender

Identity, Respect, Dignity, and Safety Act, which would allow incarcerated trans individuals to be

placed in a facility conforming with their gender identity.

How will you support and empower Brooklynites being targeted by I.C.E? (100 words

max)

The federal government and ICE have placed us in great danger. ICE agents have assaulted

and killed our nieghbors. All in the name of an inhumane immigration policy in which the cruelty

is the point. We do not have to tolerate living this way. As a very basic starter, I support the New

York for All Act and ensuring that New York does not cooperate or share information with ICE.

Fighting back also means holding ICE accountable. Federal agents who commit crimes in

New York should also be investigated by the appropriate authorities for potential criminal

violations of the New York Penal Code.

Who did you endorse in the 2025 Mayoral Election, in both the primary and the general

election? (100 words max) I supported Zohran Mamdani in both the primary and general

elections. His campaign was inspiring, fusing a focus on affordability with a generational shift

that we desperately needed. His election as the first Muslim-American mayor is incredibly

significant. Mayor Mamdani’s political career had some of its beginnings here in Bay Ridge,

where he worked on the galvanizing political campaigns of candidates such as Reverend

Khader El-Yateem and Ross Barkan. My campaign is very much in the spirit of those

campaigns.

Although you are running for a state legislative position, we recognize that our state

elected officials have an important voice in local political communities. With that in mind,

do you/will you support the Brooklyn Can’t Wait slate of District Leader candidates and

Brooklyn Can’t Wait’s reforms to make our local party more accountable, transparent,

inclusive, and effective? (100 words max) Yes. I believe in good government. Reforming our

local political institutions, which have a long history of corruption in New York City, will provide

the basis for broader political success.

Similarly, we recognize that our state elected officials have an important voice in national

political dialogue as well. How will you use your voice to speak out about ending US

support for the genocide in Gaza and putting a stop to the aggression being

implemented by the Trump Administration against Venezuela, Greenland, and other

areas? (100 words max) I have spoken out in condemnation of the genocide in Gaza, and the

continuing war crimes being perpetrated in Lebanon, Iran, and elsewhere. I will continue to do

so in office. My father was a Vietnam veteran and I also served in the Army. My father’s

generation did not deserve to be uprooted from their lives, drafted into a war, nor did the

Vietnamese people deserve to have war waged upon them. And yet, we see the same cycle

again and again, largely due to the military-industrial complex within our capitalist hellscape.

Though limited as a State Assemblymember, I would do everything in my power to prevent

unjust wars and the funding of war crimes abroad.

Legislation:

[Please answer “yes” or “no” for each piece of legislation. Feel free to add additional

discussion of your perspective on the legislation.]

Do you support the Gender Identity, Respect, Dignity, and Safety Act (GIRDS)

(A5478/S1049A)? Yes

Do you support Cecilia’s Act for Rights in the S*x Trades S2513/A3251 (formerly SVSTA)

(A3251/S2513)? Yes

Do you support the New York Health Act (A1466/S3425)? Yes

Do you support the Repeal STI Discrimination Act (A733A/S4545A)? Yes

Do you support the Freedom to Read Act (A7777/S1099) and overriding the Governor’s

veto of this act? Yes

Do you support the New York for All Act (A3506/S2235A)? Yes

Do you support adding a constitutional right to privacy to New York’s State Constitution

(A9377/S8603)? Yes

Commitments:

If endorsed, do you commit to using LID’s full logo (will be provided) and full name on all

materials and other places where you list endorsees (with the exception of lists of

specific organizations (unions, etc) or elected officials)? Yes

Do you commit to using inclusive and gender-neutral language in press releases and

other announcements (e.g., “the people of the..” instead of “the men and women of

the...”) Yes