Council Member Julie Won has launched a campaign to succeed U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez in the 7th Congressional District, joining a competitive race in one of the most progressive districts in the city.
Won launched her campaign Monday afternoon, announcing a “Lifetime of Care” platform that includes universal healthcare, universal childcare, housing for all, expanded social security and the abolition of ICE.
The 26th Council District, which Won represents, almost entirely overlaps with the 7th Congressional District, which straddles North Brooklyn and Western Queens.
Assembly Member Claire Valdez, whose Assembly District overlaps with the 26th Council District, and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso have already launched campaigns for the seat in a race now pitting three progressive candidates against each other.
Velázquez, who announced late last year that she would not seek re-election after 16 terms in office has endorsed Reynoso in the race, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced his support for Valdez. Several of Won’s colleagues in the City Council, including Council Member Shekar Krishnan, have also endorsed Reynoso in the race, while the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has endorsed Valdez.
Won did not immediately respond to QNS’ request for comment.
In a statement announcing her campaign, however, Won said she would fight to move society away from a “profit economy” toward a caring economy.
“Here’s what I believe: from the moment you’re born until the day you retire, your country should have your back,” Won said in a statement. “That’s not how it works right now. We live in a society built to extract, not to care. You’re treated as valuable only when you’re most productive.”
Won, an immigrant from South Korea, is the first immigrant to represent the 26th Council District and the first Korean-American to serve in the City Council.
Elected to the City Council after winning a 15-way primary in 2021, Won was influential in the passage of the OneLIC Neighboorhood Plan. The plan, which was the largest neighborhood-specific rezoning in over 25 years, will add up to 14,700 new homes to the neighborhood, 4,300 of which would be affordable. Won said she helped secure almost $2 billion in community investments during last-minute negotiations for the project.
As an immigrant member of the City Council, Won has also made the abolition of ICE central to her campaign. She has also vowed to advocate for seniors, parents and workers if she is elected to Congress.
“Parents can’t find affordable childcare. Seniors are warehoused or forgotten. Workers are one illness away from losing everything. Immigrant families are being ripped apart by ICE,” Won said. “I’m running to build a “Lifetime of Care” — to move us away from a profit economy towards a care economy, where success isn’t measured by how much we take from people but by how well we take care of each other.”
