The rise of non producer power

NY Socialist Can’t Pay Rent, Wants to Write State Budget

https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/08/ny-socialist-cant-pay-rent-wants-to-write-state-budget/

Nothing builds voter confidence quite like a future lawmaker admitting he could not navigate a state program he now wants to fix.

Posted by  Ben Smith Monday, August 3, 2026 at 07:00pm 

New York Socialist Brian Romero has not yet reached Albany, but he has already launched his first public spending initiative: covering his own rent.

Romero, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 34th Assembly District, launched a GoFundMe asking supporters to cover his rent and groceries while he waits to take office. The campaign sought $2,000 and collected more than $1,000 from 13 donors before disappearing Friday.

The timing was apparently a coincidence. Romero pulled the fundraiser shortly after the New York Poststarted asking questions.

Romero is not exactly facing a difficult general election. He won 66 percent of the Democratic primary vote, and Republicans did not bother fielding a candidate in a deep-blue Queens district. Once sworn in, he will collect a $142,000 annual salary plus a $203 daily allowance while the Assembly is in session.

But first, socialism needed a little crowdfunding.

“As many of you know, I had to leave my full time job in the legislature when I got on the ballot for our Assembly race. I’m excited that we won and I saved for months to get by but I’ve now depleted my savings as I’m close to closing down some consulting gigs.” 

Romero previously worked as a senior adviser to Democratic state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez. He said he left that position in March after receiving ethics guidance related to his Assembly campaign.

State payroll records show Romero earned $106,469 last year as a legislative aide. He currently shares a $2,600-per-month Jackson Heights apartment with his partner.

Apparently, six figures does not go as far as it used to.

The GoFundMe said the donations would help Romero “cover the rest of rent and groceries.” Some contributions were anonymous, including one for $200. Romero later said he closed the campaign without keeping any of the money.

He acknowledged that soliciting grocery money from strangers might not have been the strongest opening argument for someone seeking influence over New York’s multibillion-dollar budget.

“I decided to take it down. It was kind of done pretty quickly in consultation with some friends.”

Romero called the fundraiser a “mistake.” That realization appears to have arrived somewhere between collecting the money and hearing from a reporter.

He also said he attempted to obtain unemployment benefits but could not navigate what he described as a “broken” system. The experience, he claimed, made him “very passionate” about fixing it.

Nothing builds voter confidence quite like a future lawmaker admitting he could not navigate a state program he now wants to fix.

Romero ultimately found an alternative funding source: friends. He said people close to him offered to cover his expenses because they understood that long breaks in politics can be difficult.

Most New Yorkers facing a gap between paychecks do not have a $142,000 government salary waiting for them at the finish line. They also generally do not ask strangers to subsidize their apartment after earning more than $100,000 the previous year.

Romero deleted the fundraiser. The preview of his governing philosophy, however, remains. When the personal budget runs short, pass the collection plate.