Christian Celeste Tate

Christian Celeste Tate (Democratic Party, Working Families Party) is running for election to the New York State Assembly to represent District 54. Tate is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. Tate advanced from the Democratic primary on June 23, 2026. The Working Families Party primary for this office on June 23, 2026, was canceled.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Christian is a community organizer and a democratic socialist running to represent Bushwick and East New York (including Cypress Hills and City Line) in the State Assembly. He’s running because the status quo is suffocating us. We live in the wealthiest city on Earth and yet a quarter of New York families live in poverty. Every year, the wealthy accumulate power while the working class—Black, brown, and immigrant communities especially—are pitted against each other as if there isn't enough to go around. None of that is normal and none of it has to be this way.

As a member of Community Board 4, NYC-DSA, the East New York Community Land Trust, New York Communities for Change, and more, Christian has spent countless hours pounding the pavement with his neighbors to build a better future. He’s fought for the investment our community deserves, rallied against the worst landlords in the city, stood with neighbors in court to stop deed theft, and organized campaigns to tax the rich, freeze the rent, and create a public bank. We have the power to build the city we deserve but to do it we need an assembly member who is present with and accountable to the people of this community.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

In the richest city on Earth, nobody should face housing insecurity. Across Bushwick and East New York, developers and speculative investors have gotten rich by displacing thousands of our neighbors. We can stop this but we have to stand up to the real estate lobby and do everything possible to fight displacement. Together, we will create a Social Housing Development Authority to create hundreds of thousands of permanently affordable homes state-wide. We will support tenant organizing through the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. We will expand Good Cause protections and defend rent stabilization. We will protect our most vulnerable homeowners by renewing the cease and desist zone and adopting a tax on speculative home flipping.We need to stand together to protect each other from ICE and reject immigration fear-mongering. We are all better off when our city is welcoming to everyone and we have to refuse the idea that working class communities should compete for scraps. We will pass New York for All to prohibit state agencies from collaborating with ICE. We will adopt Access to Representation to guarantee every New Yorker access to an immigration lawyer in deportation cases. We will pass Dignity Not Detention to prohibit immigration detention facilities from operating in our state. We will continue to organize our neighborhoods to resist ICE because, through community, we keep us safe.Real public safety comes from community investment and prevention. We have to do more than just respond to crime when it happens; we have to address the generational cycles of poverty and inequality that cause crime in the first place. Bushwick and East New York have long histories of community-driven efforts to improve public safety. That work needs support from our state government. Together, we will invest in youth programming and workforce development. We will expand violence interruption. And we will increase access to school counseling, mental healthcare, and substance use treatment.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

This campaign is part of a much larger movement to build working class power and solidarity in our city. Christian believes that we have the power to build a city we can afford: one where everyone has access to housing, healthcare, safety, and dignity. But winning that world requires fundamentally shifting the balance of power in our society. Christian is passionate about building multiracial, working class political power and using that power to ensure that everyone’s needs are met.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Organizations:

NYC Democratic Socialists of America

New York Working Families Party

New York Communities for Change

Make the Road Action

DRUM Beats

Churches United for Fair Housing

New Kings Democrats

Lambda Independent Democrats

Brooklyn Young Democrats

… And many more!

Individuals:

Antonio Delgado, Lt. Governor of New York

Jumaane Williams, NYC Public Advocate

Jabari Brisport, NY State Senate District 25

Emily Gallagher, NY State Assembly District 50

Claire Valdez. NY Assembly District 37

Sandy Nurse, NYC Council District 37

Jennifer Gutiérrez, NYC Council District 34

Chi Ossé, NYC Council District 36

Tiffany Cabán, NYC Council District 22

Alexa Avilés, NYC Council District 38

Shahana Hanif, NYC Council District 39

… And many more!