Socialist Who is Winning Seat in NY Assembly Launches GoFundMe to Cover His Rent and Groceries Until $142K Salary Starts

A self-described socialist who is virtually assured of winning a seat in the New York State Assembly has been publicly begging for donations on GoFundMe to help pay his rent and buy groceries while he waits for the November election and the $142,000 annual salary that comes with the job.

Brian Romero, the Democrat nominee for the 34th Assembly District covering parts of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst in Queens, created the crowdfunding page titled “Help Brian Cover Rent After State Assembly Run” after depleting his savings.

Romero left his job as a legislative aide earlier this year to focus on his campaign.

The fundraiser was seeking $2,000 and had raised just over $1,000 before Romero abruptly took it down Friday afternoon following questions from the New York Post, calling the effort “a mistake.”

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

Romero won the June Democrat primary with 66 percent of the vote against local activist Rosa Sanchez.

He faces no Republican opponent in the deep-blue district, guaranteeing the seat once occupied by his former boss, Jessica González-Rojas, who is moving to the State Senate.

In addition to the base salary, Assembly members receive a $203 daily per diem when the legislature is in session.

Romero previously earned $106,469 as a senior advisor to state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez before stepping down due to ethics guidance related to his candidacy. He has said he tried and failed to navigate what he called a “broken” unemployment insurance system and is now relying on friends for help covering his $2,600 monthly rent in the Jackson Heights apartment he shares with his partner.

“I’m excited that we won and I saved for months to get by but I’ve now depleted my savings,” he wrote on the GoFundMe page before removing it.

Romero said he did not keep any of the donated money.

Many have pointed out the awful optics of a politician who will soon help decide how New York spends billions in taxpayer dollars publicly pleading poverty online.

Jordan Libowitz of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington told The Post that he could not recall seeing anything quite like it before.

Romero also spent nearly 15 years living in NYCHA public housing before moving to a private apartment.

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