Justice Democrats is wading into a high-profile congressional race in New York City, where a competition between the progressive Brooklyn borough president and a socialist first-term State Assembly member is testing competing visions for the future of the electoral left under Mayor Zohran Mamdani.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The group is endorsing Claire Valdez, a State Assembly member from Queens and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez<\/a> in New York\u2019s 7th Congressional District. Valdez launched her campaign last week alongside Mamdani and United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, two of her highest-profile backers, in a signal that the race could prove divisive among the most influential figures in the Democratic Party\u2019s left flank.<\/p>\n Several prominent New York City groups <\/a>and progressives<\/a>, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and City Council Members Sandy Nurse and Lincoln Restler, are endorsing Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, a longtime ally and disciple of Vel\u00e1zquez who announced his candidacy to replace her early last month.\u00a0<\/p>\n Reynoso and Valdez may appear difficult for voters to distinguish on many fronts. They share several stated policy priorities \u2014 like Medicare for All, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and ending U.S. military support for Israel \u2014\u00a0 and both have backgrounds in labor organizing. Reynoso served as a city council member from 2014 to 2021 before being elected borough president in 2021. Valdez was first elected to the State Assembly in 2024. Prior to that, she worked in visual arts at Columbia University and was an organizer with UAW.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need a Democratic Party with a real agenda for the working class \u2014 one that organizes to govern and governs to deliver,\u201d Valdez said in a statement to The Intercept. \u201cJustice Democrats have helped show what\u2019s possible when we fight alongside working people and raise expectations about what politics can be. I\u2019m proud to have their support as we keep building a movement that takes on the billionaire class and wins real power for working people.\u201d<\/p>\n Valdez is the ninth congressional candidate Justice Democrats has endorsed so far this cycle<\/a> in what the group, which rose to prominence backing fellow New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, describes as a national campaign to end the Democratic Party\u2019s submission <\/a>to corporate PACs and billionaire donors.<\/p>\n \u201cAt a time when working class communities nationwide are being screwed over by corporations and billionaire bosses, we need leaders like Claire in Congress who will bring the whole might of organized, worker power to Washington DC,\u201d said Justice Democrats spokesperson Usamah Andrabi. \u201cWith her experience in both the labor movement and State Assembly, this is a real opportunity to transform Congress from a corporate establishment that exploits labor into a tool for workers to take their power back from the billionaire class.\u201d<\/p>\n Reynoso\u2019s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n We\u2019re independent of corporate interests \u2014 and powered by members. Join us. <\/p>\n Join Our Newsletter <\/p>\n Thank You For Joining! <\/p>\n \n Original reporting. Fearless journalism. Delivered to you. <\/p>\n Will you take the next step to support our independent journalism by becoming a member of The Intercept?\n <\/p>\n By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Use<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 7th District encompasses some of the city\u2019s most left-leaning neighborhoods in North Brooklyn and Queens, and Valdez\u2019s DSA membership could bolster her candidacy among an emboldened socialist bloc. Mamdani\u2019s decision to buck some of his progressive allies in the city drew attention when he endorsed Valdez, especially after the then-mayor-elect declined to support<\/a> City Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9\u2019s short-lived primary against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, urging the local DSA chapter to do the same.<\/p>\n
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