An insurgent progressive takes on a seven-term incumbent.
BY COLE SINANIAN
cole@queensledger.com
Incumbent Grace Meng and challenger Chuck Park are about as far apart as two Democrats could be, both in their politics as well as their style of campaigning.
Meng, 50, is a well-funded Democrat who keeps a relatively low profile in Queens while accruing influence in Congress. She is also a prominent supporter of Israel, a key difference between the candidates.
Park is a political outsider and insurgent progressive who refuses to take money from corporate or foreign lobbies, running a grassroots, social-media forward campaign with a focus on affordability, protecting immigrants, and ending US wars abroad.
Since launching his campaign late last year, Park, a 41-year-old former diplomat, has repeatedly criticized Meng for her alleged absenteeism in the district and for refusing to answer his calls for a public debate, which he’s characterized as indicative of the broader disconnect between establishment Democrats and voters’ needs. Meng, who’s gone unchallenged since 2020, has defended her strategy, telling the Queens Ledger she prefers to “meet constituents where they’re at” with attentive interpersonal support instead of highly publicized town halls. She’s also told local press that she doesn’t need to debate Park because her community already knows what she stands for.
Meng’s campaign has raised $1.69 million as of June 3, while Park’s has raised just over $445,000. We interviewed Park at the Queens Ledger’s Sunnyside office in April, while Meng stopped by on June 17, after our print issue went to press. Stay tuned for her online profile!
In the meantime, here’s what you need to know about each candidate.
Chuck PARK
While he has not been endorsed by the Working Families Party nor the DSA, the city’s two major left-wing political powerhouses, Chuck Park has positioned himself as an unapologetically progressive, anti-establishment populist with a grassroots, social media-heavy campaign not unlike that of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s last year. Park, 41, was born in Flushing to Korean immigrant parents who ran a clothing store in Jackson Heights. He worked in the foreign service under the Obama Administration and spent time in Mexico, Portugal, and Canada before returning to the US in 2019. Prior to launching his campaign, Park worked for New York City councilmember Shekar Krishnan and the NYC Economic Development Corporation. In his interview with the Queens Ledger, Park grew tearful discussing ICE raids on Manhattan’s Canal St, where his parents once sold clothes. He also called out his opponent’s and other Democrats’ willingness to accept money from corporate and foreign lobbyists, which he said undermines the democratic process and beholdens politicians to their donors. Park has been endorsed by Sunrise NYC, the Korean American Democratic Committee, Citizen Action of NY, and several other organizations.
“There’s no confusion among the Democratic base,” Park said in the interview. “We want health care and child care. We don’t want to be engaged in these endless wars overseas, there’s no confusion there. It’s our leadership that’s not meeting the moment.”
Where Do They Stand On…
ICE
Park wants to abolish ICE. “They murdered Alex Pretti and Renee Goode, they’re shooting high school kids in the face with pepper spray, point blank,” Park told the Queens Ledger. “And so that needs to be wiped clean.”
Foreign Policy
Park opposes all US military interventionism, including the US-Israel war in Iran and the kidnapping of Venezuelan leader Niclas Maduro. He told the Ledger he would support the Block the Bombs Act, which would prohibit the US sale of arms to Israel. Park has also publicly called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide, and branded PM Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal.”
Social Welfare
Park supports universal single-payer healthcare, including dental, vision, and hearing for people with or without a job. He’s also pledged to turn child tax credits into Universal Childcare Income, with parents receiving $6,000 per child per year in the form of monthly $500 checks.
Casinos in Queens
Park has staunchly opposed Steve Cohen’s Metropolitan Park Casino project, raising concerns about its social consequences, and has drafted legislation called the Gambling Addiction Mitigation, Enforcement and Oversight Act.
Climate
Park supports the Green New Deal, and has called for more investments into nuclear energy.
Grace MENG
Seven-term incumbent Grace Meng was the first New York Asian American elected to Congress, and has tended to shy away from social media and public appearances compared to Park.
The daughter of Jimmy Meng, a former NY State Assemblymember and the first Asian American elected to the NY State Legislature, Meng has grown her power and influence in the House since she was first elected back in 2012. She is now a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, which regulates the US Government’s expenditures, as well as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
As a legislator, Meng has focused on bills advocating for Asian American and women’s rights— particularly access to menstrual products — and protecting low-income New Yorkers in the wake of budget cuts to federal programs. Recently, she’s introduced legislation related to language accessibility for federal services and encouraging the donation of menstrual products to charities and nonprofit organizations. Earlier this month, Meng secured $3.1 million for a tech incubator at Queens College and $850,000 to fund a worker’s center at New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) in Jackson Heights. Meng has received endorsements from the 1199SEIU union, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, and NY State Senator John Liu, among others.
Where Do They Stand On…
ICE
Meng has called for reforms to the agency, but has stopped short of calling for its abolition. “My job is not about easy slogans, it’s about the nuance and it’s about doing the work,” Meng told the Queens Ledger. “The fact is, there needs to be an agency that deals with border security. But we can dismantle it and build it into an agency that is more transparent and accountable.
Foreign Policy
Meng is one of Israel’s strongest supporters in Congress. She’s taken more than $900,000 from the pro-Israel lobby throughout her political career and sponsored bills delivering billions of dollars in funding to its military. Yet she has also criticized President Trump’s war in Iran for his failure to gain approval from Congress.
Social Welfare
Meng has supported expanding healthcare access and was a co-sponsor of the 2019 Medicare for All Act. She’s has also introduced legislation to expand SNAP benefits to cover hot food.
Casinos in Queens
In interviews with other outlets, Meng has expressed a degree of ambivalence about the Metropolitan Park Casino, calling the project the responsibility of local and state legislatures and therefore outside her wheelhouse.
Climate
Meng has voiced her support for the Green New Deal, while touting her work in passing the Inflation Reduction’s $369 billion investment in energy security. The seven-term rep was also a co-sponsor on the Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act.
