After more than three decades in Congress, Representative Nydia Velázquez announced she was stepping down, opening up New York’s 7th Congressional District for the first time in roughly 30 years. The June 23 Democratic primary drew four major candidates: Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, City Council Member Julie Won, Assemblymember Claire Valdez, and public defender Vichal Kumar, according to a voter guide published by Greenpointers.
NY-7 covers Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and stretches of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, including Long Island City, Sunnyside, Woodside, and parts of Ridgewood and Bushwick. The issues shaping the contest, per Greenpointers, included commercial rent stabilization, the G train weekend shutdown, Superfund environmental cleanup, and small business access to capital.
Reynoso grew up in Williamsburg and previously served on the City Council before becoming Brooklyn Borough President. He had the backing of Velázquez herself and Council Member Lincoln Restler, per Greenpointers. He pointed to outdoor dining legislation he led during COVID, which he credited with saving more than 100,000 jobs, and called for expanding SBA access and low-interest loans for small businesses beyond periods of crisis.
Won represents Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Woodside on the City Council. Per Greenpointers, she ran on a record that included 32,000 housing units approved, free internet service for NYCHA residents, and what she described as the city’s largest rezoning in 25 years. She advocated for low-interest loans for small businesses, tech grants to help shops build out e-commerce, and expanded access to government contracts for non-English-speaking owners. During COVID, she helped local restaurants secure city contracts to deliver meals to frontline workers.
Valdez, an Assemblymember representing parts of Ridgewood and Bushwick, ran with endorsements from Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, per Greenpointers. A former union organizer, she centered her campaign on commercial rent stabilization and federal action on rising utility costs, and named the G train weekend shutdown as a direct economic hit to Greenpoint foot traffic that warranted federal transit investment.
Kumar, a public defender for 20 years and the son of working-class immigrants who ran a corner store in Brooklyn, told Greenpointers he wanted to fix the tax code to stop incentivizing landlords to leave commercial spaces vacant. He also cited the G train shutdown as harmful to Greenpoint businesses and said his environmental priorities included completing Superfund cleanups and directing federal infrastructure investment to flood-prone communities.
State Assembly District 50 was also on the June 23 ballot, per Greenpointers, with incumbent Emily Gallagher facing a rematch against local attorney Andrew Bodiford, who campaigned on housing, transit, and keeping large developers off public land.
