The crowd of people in the temple listened intently as New York state senate candidate, Yiatin Chu, spoke about her campaign.

“I’m running for New York, not just for me, but for the future, for our children, for our daughters, for our granddaughters to have a better life here,” Chu said in an interview with The Ticker.

Chu visited Shiv Shakti Peeth Temple in Floral Park on Oct. 11, the eighth day of the nine-day Hindu celebration of Navratri.

Navratri is dedicated to the nine incarnations of the Goddess Durga. The festival celebrates divine feminine energy and the eighth and ninth days of the celebration place an emphasis on respect for young girls as they are regarded as reincarnations of Goddess Durga.

Chu is running for New York state senate District 11 in Queens, which covers Northeastern areas of Queens such as College Point, Whitestone, Bayside, Little Neck, Bellerose and Floral Park.

She is running against 85-year-old incumbent Democrat Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, who has represented Queens in the state senate since 1999 when she won a special election to replace her late husband.

Stavisky has remained in office since, winning against a multitude of contenders.

Sen. John Liu represented District 11 until 2022, when the legislative districts were redrawn after the 2020 census. Stavisky has since represented the communities in District 11, however, Chu aims to change that.

The demographics of Queens has changed drastically since Stavisky took office.

Senate district data provided by the New York State Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, shows an increase in the Asian and Hispanic populations, and a decrease in the white population over the years.

In 2022 the white population of District 11 decreased from about 49% in 2002 to 28%.

The immigrant population in northeastern Queens has grown over the years and continues to grow.

Chu is an immigrant herself, whose family moved to Whitestone, Queens in 1979 for a better life.

As a public school parent, she has also been an advocate for public school education and fought to keep the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test.

“I am running for state senate because I don’t feel like New York is going in the right direction,” Chu said. “People are unhappy about what the current electives have done to our great city. The great opportunities that we as immigrants come to the United States for, feels like it’s getting harder and harder to achieve.”

Chu disagrees with Bail Reform and immigration policies that Stavisky supports.

The Bail Reform law was introduced in 2019, and eliminates money bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies.

Chu stated that the Bail Reform law caused crime rates to go up 65% in Eastern Queens. While crime has increased in the borough since the law was implemented in 2020, there is not much evidence showing a connection between bail reform and rising crime rates.

Chu discussed issues on the growing migrant population and the recent uptick in crime.

According to weekly crime statistics reports by precincts that cover District 11, crime complaints of car thefts, retail theft, felony and misdemeanor assaults have increased in the area.

Despite protests of local officials and residents, the city opened a migrant relief center outside the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Eastern Queens in August 2023.

The shelter houses 1,000 single men, while Mayor Eric Adams has proposed to increase the capacity.

The shelter is located on Hillside Avenue, blocks away from schools and community centers.

“I’ve spoken to hundreds of people in Bellerose, Bellerose Manor and Floral Park that are very unhappy about the situation,” Chu said. “Not just in the taxes that we pay that is going to the migrants, but in the quality of life.”

Chu told The Ticker that New York already had about 500,000 undocumented immigrants before the migrant crisis that happened in 2022, who have mostly become productive contributors to the economy.

“I understand why people come here,” Chu said. “They did not get shelter, they did not get debit cards, they came here, and they found a job and they worked.”

In July, the city spent millions of dollars on prepaid debit cards for migrants living in hotels and city-funded shelters.

Her stance on the immigrant crisis is that immigrants should not be given so many benefits. She believes they should be able to find work and become productive members of society on
their own.

“If you’re not happy with where New York is today, don’t keep voting for the same person that keeps giving you what you don’t want,” Chu said.

“I am offering you an option to vote for something different, to vote for change. We need a change for the better in New York.”

Many voters do not educate themselves about the policies of candidates, so they choose to vote for the party they associate with.

This is a major reason why Chu is visiting local temples, and taking the time to talk to the people in the community she hopes to serve, Chu told The Ticker.

While she is running as a Republican, her policies aim to address the concerns of the predominantly democrat district. Chu called her approach a more pragmatic way of running.

“I’m just a regular person,” Chu told The Ticker.

The New York State Senate election will be held on Nov. 5, alongside the 2024 presidential election.

New York voters may also cast their vote early beginning Oct. 26 through Nov. 3.