Who's running in New York's 6th congressional district
2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
2 candidates · ballot order · Grace Meng currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Access to affordable health care for Queens families.
Good jobs for working and middle-class residents.
Keeping schools safe from gun violence.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 6th District since January 2013.
First Asian American elected to Congress from New York.
Member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Advanced from the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary.
Arguments in favor
She brings money back to Queens institutions and legislates on things nobody else does: funding for child care centres and business development centres at Queens colleges and public universities, menstrual equity legislation, and a Housing is a Human Right Act investing $300 billion against homelessness. "I love my job. I don't ever want to leave Queens."
— Grace Meng, in a QNS candidate profile
On immigration enforcement she has written law, not just statements: "The way ICE is just able to kidnap people... that infrastructure needs to be dismantled", and her bill would require ICE agents to identify themselves.
— Grace Meng, in a QNS candidate profile
Arguments against
She has voted repeatedly to send offensive as well as defensive weapons to Israel. At a January 2024 town hall more than 100 residents called on her to back a ceasefire in Gaza and criticised her for taking more than $900,000 in career campaign contributions from pro-Israel super PACs; pro-Palestinian groups have since protested outside her home demanding an arms embargo.
— Constituents at her town hall and protest organisers, reported by QNS
Her telephone town hall shut constituents out rather than reaching them: "You didn't hear the voice of a single constituent. There was no way of trying to correct the question or ask for clarity", and "it was not meaningful or substantive." Her office answers that more than 2,500 constituents took part and that the format suits seniors and people who cannot attend in person.
— Melissa Bair of Woodside and Rafael Shimunov of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, reported by QNS
What we couldn’t verify
She missed 309 of 7,561 roll call votes between January 2013 and July 2026 — 4.1%, against a 2.1% median for sitting members. No published criticism framed around that record was found.
Her committee assignments were not established from the sources found.
No National Republican Congressional Committee page about her by name was found, and no criticism of her from her general election opponent.
Policies he says honour the district's diversity while promoting safety, prosperity and unity.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Naturalised U.S. citizen.
Also carries the Conservative Party line on the November ballot.
Won the June 23, 2026 Republican primary.
Has not held elected office.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Chou by name could be found: not from Grace Meng or her campaign, not from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and not from Queens news coverage, which covered the Democratic primary rather than the Republican side. Because no case against him exists on the record, none is presented for him either, rather than showing his own campaign's case unanswered.
He ran for this seat in 2024 on the Truth Party line and lost; his fundraising totals for this cycle were not reported in material available.
His positions beyond taxes and immigration were not stated in material available.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
New York held its primary on June 23, 2026. Democratic incumbent Grace Meng faces Republican Joseph Chou, who also carries the Conservative Party line, in this central Queens district. New York allows fusion voting. The 2026 elections use the congressional map enacted on February 28, 2024. Roster from the New York qualifying lists as reported by Politics1 and Wikipedia. Neither candidate is listed with arguments for or against here: no published criticism of either candidate by name from someone opposing them could be found, and setting out a case against one and not the other would tilt the page.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A New York ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at New York State Board of Elections.