According to a recent report by The Queens Daily Eagle, authored by Jacob Kaye, former President Donald Trump saw notable gains in his home borough of Queens in the latest election. Following a nationwide trend of increased support, Trump improved his vote totals in Queens by about 10.5 percentage points over his 2020 performance, second only to the Bronx for the largest shift toward Trump in New York City. While Vice President Kamala Harris ultimately won the borough with around 68% of the vote, Trump’s increase across nearly every district underscores changing dynamics in this predominantly Democratic area.
Trump’s gains were especially evident in traditionally conservative areas like Whitestone, Beechurst, Howard Beach, and parts of the Rockaway Peninsula, where he secured an increase of 5-15 percentage points. In an unexpected twist, Trump also made inroads in more diverse neighborhoods that previously favored Democrats.
“If I were a citywide official, or if I were a local official running for office next year, I’d be very careful in portions of Queens,” Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic political consultant, told the Eagle on Wednesday.
In areas like Corona, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights—home to large Latino and immigrant communities—Trump flipped six districts and made double-digit gains in dozens of others. Jewish communities in Kew Gardens Hills, Hillcrest, Rego Park, and Forest Hills, areas he carried in 2020, also showed strong support.
It’s important to note that many of the Bukharian Jewish residents of Queens are registered Democrat, but vote Republican in national elections, according to David Aronov, who ran as a Democrat for City Council’s District 29 in 2021.
While Queens Daily Eagle notes that it remains unclear if these gains will persist into the 2028 presidential race, Sheinkopf suggested that officials eyeing next year’s citywide elections may need to recalibrate their strategies.
“It all depends on the conditions of the four years,” Sheinkopf said. “Five minutes in politics is 20 years in anything else.”
Erin Levi