The New York Working Families Party (WFP) has endorsed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the race to succeed outgoing U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez in New York’s 7th Congressional District.
Reynoso is running against Assembly Member Claire Valdez and Council Member Julie Won to succeed Velázquez, who announced late last year that she would not seek re-election after 33 years in office.
The district, which straddles north Brooklyn and western Queens, is one of the most liberal congressional districts in the country, pitting three progressive candidates against each other ahead of the Democratic primary in June.
Reynoso, who scooped an endorsement from Velázquez in January, picked up the WFP endorsement on Monday, with the WFP describing the Brooklyn Borough President as the “best candidate” to represent working families.
“Antonio is deeply trusted by our movement,” Jasmine Gripper, WFP’s state director said in a statement. “We know that as a member of Congress, he will lead the fights to protect immigrants, stand up for tenants, stand arm in arm with labor, and make New York a place where working families can afford to live and thrive.”
Reynoso welcomed the endorsement, descrbing WFP as a “progressive powerhouse.”
“Since my time as an organizer and from the beginning of my time in public office, we have worked together on critical issues for working families in this city like affordable housing, universal childcare and supporting our immigrant communities,” Reynoso said in a statement welcoming the endorsement.
Reynoso has also picked up endorsements from a number of City Council Members, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards in his bid for Congress.
Valdez, meanwhile, has picked up endorsements from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, United Auto Workers and the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Won, who entered the race a month after Reynoso and Valdez, has not yet announced any major endorsements but has pointed to the fact that she won a 15-way contest for the 26th Council District in 2020 without any major endorsements.
“Elected officials are amazing and great, but they’re not your voters,” Won told QNS earlier in February.
The WFP endorsement, however, is a significant coup for Reynoso in a hotly-contested race to succeed Velázquez, which, like many ongoing races in western Queens, pits traditional progressives against a DSA-backed candidate.
It is also not the first time that the organization has broken with the DSA in a race in western Queens this year.
In Assembly District 34, the WFP endorsed candidate Brian Romero in his bid to succeed Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, while the DSA endorsed Aber Kawas. Kawas has since dropped out of the race to launch a campaign for the 12th Senate District.
Gripper said the WFP was endorsing Reynoso because he would “unequivocally” continue Velázquez’s legacy in the district.
“In this endorsement, we have big shoes to fill in replacing the titan of the NY Working Families Party, La Luchadora, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez. Antonio Reynoso will unequivocally be able to carry on her legacy of championing working families. The New York Working Families Party is ready to send Antonio Reynoso to Congress,” Gripper said.
