Who's running in New York's 7th congressional district
3 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.
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.
The PRO Act, to make union formation easier and protect workers from retaliation.
Housing as a human right rather than a commodity: the Homes Act for public housing and full funding for the New York City Housing Authority.
Medicare for All, which she has pledged to sponsor on her first day.
Reducing military spending and opposing U.S. military intervention abroad.
Dismantling ICE and legalising undocumented immigrants.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Member of the New York State Assembly since 2024.
Union organiser; member of UAW Local 2110 and its bargaining committee while employed at Columbia University.
Member of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Dual citizen of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Nation.
Won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary with 58.1% against Antonio Reynoso and Julie Won.
Endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, UAW president Shawn Fain, Justice Democrats and Sunrise Movement NYC.
Arguments in favor
She organises rather than campaigns: a rank-and-file organiser in UAW Local 2110 before she was elected, she says she will "do everything in my power every single day in Congress to give the labor movement the tools it needs to be a fighting force for the entire working class", and builds volunteers into organisers rather than one-time supporters.
— Claire Valdez, quoted by the Brooklyn Paper and the American Prospect
She won a four-way primary with about 58% against a sitting borough president and a sitting council member, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Sen. Bernie Sanders and the New York City DSA behind her — a mandate, not a plurality.
— Primary result reported by Ballotpedia and the Brooklyn Paper
Arguments against
She is "beholden to Zohran" and slower to act than to speak: "My opponent could say the same things I'm saying but when it's time to take action, it's a different story." Her "hypocrisy is staggering" in taking super PAC money while attacking an opponent for the same thing.
— Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn Borough President, and Council Member Julie Won, her primary opponents
The retiring member of Congress whose seat this is endorsed against her, and scolded the mayor for intervening: Mamdani should not involve himself in city elections because doing so could divide his base.
— Nydia Velázquez, reported by the New York Times and the Brooklyn Paper
What we couldn’t verify
Her response to the super PAC criticism was not established from the sources found.
She has served in the State Assembly since 2024; no criticism of that record by name was found.
No National Republican Congressional Committee page about her by name was found; the case above comes from her Democratic primary opponents.
Housing reform and protecting rent-stabilised tenants from what he calls predatory rent increases.
Community ownership and economic empowerment.
Public safety and neighbourhood strengthening.
Workforce development and free enterprise.
Infrastructure supporting public health, and environmental justice.
Transparent government and accountability.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Community activist with more than thirty years in grassroots organising; former tenant organiser.
Experienced homelessness earlier in his life.
Also carries the Conservative Party line on the November ballot.
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 Rivera by name could be found: not from Claire Valdez or her campaign, not from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and not from Brooklyn or 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 is a Brooklyn tenant organiser running on the Republican line with a platform that mixes small-business deregulation with an anti-flip tax and a stock transfer tax; how that fits his party's programme was not established from the sources found.
His fundraising totals were not reported in material available.
Independent candidate for the 7th District, qualified for the November 3, 2026 general election.
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 Ghaznavi by name could be found, and no published case for her beyond her own campaign site. As a candidate with no party organisation behind her she has drawn very little coverage. Because no case against her exists on the record, none is presented for her either.
Her fundraising and any endorsements were not reported 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.
This seat is open: Democrat Nydia Velázquez, who has held it since 1993, did not run for re-election. State Assemblymember Claire Valdez won the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary with 58.1%, ahead of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso on 32.5% and Council member Julie Won on 7.5%. She faces Republican Melvin Rivera, who also carries the Conservative Party line, and independent Priscilla Ghaznavi in this north Brooklyn and western 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, Ballotpedia and Wikipedia. No candidate is listed with arguments for or against here: no published criticism of any of them by name from someone opposing them in the general election could be found, and setting out a case against one and not the others 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.