State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky faces challenger from anti-affirmative action education advocate

A longtime education activist residing in Whitestone, Yiatin Chu, formally declared a run against state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, who has held the seat for over 20 years.

Stavisky, who currently represents a long strip of northern Queens in the 11th Senate District, has shaped her political tenure around education issues. Currently, she is the chair of the committee on higher education. But prior to holding office, she was a social studies teacher in the city’s public school system.