QUEENS, NY – After careful consideration and a thorough review of the new, constitutional State Senate districts, the Stefano Forte campaign announced on May 31 that it has decided to launch their run for Senate District 11. Under the newly drawn lines, this district encompasses the neighborhoods of Whitestone, College Point, Little Neck, Douglaston, Glen Oaks, and Queens Village, as well as smaller parts of Astoria, Bayside, Hollis, and Jamaica.

This campaign looks forward to engaging in a robust and fair campaign going into the election season. The residents of the newly-drawn 11th District deserve to be represented by someone who truly represents their values and is willing to put their interests first and foremost – not a distant second to the powerful special interests working against common sense and the needs of everyday New Yorkers.

Forte said: “District 11 is home to hardworking New Yorkers who all have the same goals in mind for our state: restoring safety, increasing prosperity, and maintaining the way of life they have worked tirelessly for. I look forward to being a champion of the people’s values in Albany following our victory in November. Change is coming, and it will begin in District 11!”

Forte, a Republican who is of Greek and Puerto Rican descent, was born in Astoria and raised in Flushing. He spoke with The National Herald last month about running for office and how his Greek heritage has influenced his life.

Both sides of Forte’s family have lived the “American Dream.” According to his biography, his mother Evdokia Loudaros and her family immigrated to the United States from Amorgos, Greece, in 1971. Forte’s grandmother Sophia Loudaros was a stay-at-home mother who raised her four children while his grandfather George Loudaros supported the family by working on construction sites and ships. Stefano’s father Eric Forte was born in Queens to Luisa Lopez, a single mother who left her family in Puerto Rico to pursue a better life in New York City. All on her own, she worked hard and opened her own clothing factory, eventually selling her clothing in Macy’s and other department stores.