Brooklyn Borough President Reynoso

Brooklyn Borough President Reynoso Enters Race for Velazquez’s Congressional Seat as Socialists Circle

Antonio Reynoso becomes first major candidate for NY-7 as Democratic Socialists prepare counter-offensive following Nydia Velazquez’s retirement announcement

Antonio Reynoso, the 42-year-old Brooklyn Borough President, announced Thursday he will run for the U.S. House of Representatives seat being vacated by Representative Nydia M. Velazquez, setting the stage for what political observers expect will be a contentious Democratic primary that could reshape New York’s progressive politics.

The announcement makes Reynoso the first major candidate to enter the race for New York’s 7th Congressional District, which spans northern Brooklyn neighborhoods including Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Bushwick, as well as western Queens communities like Astoria and Ridgewood.

Velazquez’s Historic Legacy and Planned Departure

Velazquez, 72, announced her retirement after 33 years and 16 terms in Congress, framing her decision as a passing of the torch rather than a retreat. The first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, Velazquez has served as Chair of the House Small Business Committee and has been a fierce advocate for immigrant rights, small businesses, and working families.

“I love this work and I love my district, but I believe now is the right moment to step aside and allow a new generation of leaders to step forward,” Velazquez told The New York Times. “After devoting so much energy and so much time to help elect young leaders, I feel at ease.”

Her departure ends an era of representation that combined pragmatic legislative work with progressive advocacy, leaving what political analysts describe as a “big left-leaning, loyal, Latino-progressive” constituency.

Reynoso’s Progressive Credentials and Early Entry

Reynoso praised Velazquez as a mentor and promised to continue her legacy on behalf of immigrants, working families, and small businesses. The son of working-class Dominican immigrants, Reynoso began his career organizing child care providers to join the teachers’ union before entering electoral politics.

As a New York City Council member representing District 34, Reynoso co-chaired the body’s Progressive Caucus and sponsored the Right to Know Act, which required NYPD officers to provide identification during stops and inform citizens of their right to refuse consent searches.

Reynoso co-founded New Kings Democrats, a progressive reform organization dedicated to challenging Brooklyn’s more moderate political establishment. He was elected Brooklyn Borough President in 2021, succeeding Eric Adams.

“I want to be a voice to push the party to the left,” Reynoso said in an interview. He cited his motivation to counter President Trump’s immigration policies and federal program cuts, while working to “decorporatize the Democratic Party.”

Evolution on Housing Policy

Reynoso’s political evolution on housing issues reflects broader debates within New York’s progressive movement. While initially criticizing overdevelopment as a council member, he has more recently supported upzoning initiatives and criticized NIMBY opposition to housing construction.

In 2023, he criticized Mayor Eric Adams for slow progress on addressing the New York City housing crisis and suggested the city should eliminate single-family-exclusive zoning. In 2023, he announced he would invest his office’s entire capital budget for a year, approximately $45 million, in maternal health programs.

Democratic Socialists Prepare Alternative Candidates

Despite Reynoso’s progressive credentials, the Democratic Socialists of America has privately signaled that he is not their preferred choice for the seat. The organization, emboldened by Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory in November, views the 7th District as prime territory to expand its congressional representation.

Reynoso met with DSA leaders in recent weeks to gauge potential support but said it became clear the organization intended to run one of its own members. Although he is not formally a DSA member, his early endorsement of Mamdani and alignment with progressive housing policies have positioned him as a bridge candidate between traditional Democrats and the insurgent left.

Socialist Contenders Circling

Several democratic socialist lawmakers are actively exploring runs for the seat, including City Council Member Tiffany Caban, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, and Assemblywoman Claire Valdez. State Senator Julia Salazar, who became the first DSA member elected to the New York State Legislature in 2018, is viewed as an early frontrunner for the organization’s endorsement.

Salazar has held her Brooklyn state senate seat since 2018 and has governed on a progressive platform, sponsoring bills to increase tenant protections and decriminalize sex work. Her district sits directly inside Velazquez’s congressional district, centering on Bushwick and covering over a third of the 7th Congressional District.

The district’s progressive profile makes it ideal territory for the DSA. It contains neighborhoods where young voters have consistently elected socialists to state and local offices. More than a third of the district’s population is Latino, and voters overwhelmingly supported Mamdani in his mayoral campaign, with the 7th District providing his largest margin of support by more than 50,000 votes.

A Test of Progressive Politics in New York

Political observers frame the upcoming primary as more than a routine succession. It represents a potential referendum on the future direction of progressive politics in New York City and could signal how far the Democratic Party swings left in heavily progressive enclaves.

“It’s a huge, large Latino base and a large progressive base. Most people expect it to be a Latino progressive,” said one political insider. The open question is whether voters will choose what some describe as “a socialist or a non-socialist progressive.”

The race could cascade beyond this single district. As established figures like Velazquez and Representative Jerry Nadler exit Congress, younger progressive and socialist-aligned leaders may vie to reshape not just their districts, but the broader identity of the Democratic Party in New York.

DSA’s Rising Influence and Limitations

The race represents both an opportunity and a test for the DSA at a moment of unprecedented visibility. Mamdani’s come-from-nowhere victory has popularized many of the organization’s positions, including strong opposition to Israel, tax increases for the wealthy, and ambitious climate action.

However, the organization’s influence in New York still outpaces its membership numbers. There are currently only three democratic socialists serving in the House, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Most Democratic primary voters in the June election will not identify as socialists, creating uncertainty about whether DSA-backed candidates can overcome more establishment-aligned progressives like Reynoso.

What’s at Stake for the District

For immigrant, small business, and working-class communities that Velazquez has represented for more than three decades, the transition raises questions about continuity and representation. Her advocacy for issues like immigrant rights, small-business federal contracting, and aid for veterans has been central to her congressional work.

The next representative may bring different priorities, tactics, and approaches to these issues. Some analysts wonder whether the progressive ideology embraced by Mamdani and other DSA-aligned politicians will translate into sustained policy shifts, or whether pragmatism and legislative continuity will prevail.

Reynoso’s early entry gives him advantages in terms of name recognition, established local networks, and political experience. But the open question is whether those credentials will outweigh the allure of more radical leftist contenders in a district increasingly drawn to unabashed progressivism.

The Road Ahead

The Democratic primary is scheduled for June 2026, with the general election in November virtually certain to favor the Democratic nominee in this deep-blue district. Key factors to watch include fundraising totals, endorsements from local and national figures, and whether the local party machinery throws its weight behind an establishment-aligned progressive or embraces the socialist insurgency.

Velazquez has declined to name a preferred successor, saying only that she has “complete confidence that NY-7 will remain in good hands.” At Mamdani’s victory celebration on November 4, when one supporter joyfully asked if she could believe his win, Velazquez replied: “I believed it a year ago.”

That confidence in the progressive tide sweeping through her district may prove prophetic as multiple candidates prepare to fight for her legacy in what promises to be one of the most watched congressional primaries of the 2026 cycle.

This turnover marks more than a routine political handoff. It represents a potential pivot point that could reshape how representation, identity, and class politics converge in New York’s most progressive corners, with implications that extend far beyond the boundaries of the 7th Congressional District.