New Yorkers will vote in a primary election in June to determine who appears on the November ballot to represent them in Congress.
The primary carries high stakes, as longtime representatives Nydia Velázquez and Jerry Nadler retire from lengthy careers in Congress, provoking competitive races for their empty seats.
In Brooklyn, Manhattan, The Bronx and Queens, a theme has emerged: Progressive candidates, many of them young, are challenging more moderate incumbents, some inspired by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s win in the city’s mayoral race. And as in the contest that propelled the young Queens assemblymember to City Hall, candidates’ stance on the war in Gaza could be a defining issue.
The list of contenders includes a political refugee who was previously spied on by the Chinese secret police, a scion of the Kennedy political dynasty better known for his absurdist social-media content than policy ideas and the ex-husband of Trump-world political figure Kellyanne Conway.
House Representatives are elected every two years and are not term-limited. And remember: These races are for federal seats, and therefore do not use ranked choice voting. You’ll have to pick only your top candidate, not a list of favorites.
These are the races we’re watching and who’s jumped into the fray so far:
6th Congressional District: Queens
This Queens district includes the neighborhoods of Bayside, Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Woodside and parts of Jackson Heights and Astoria. The district is majority Asian, with Chinese people having the largest population followed by Hispanic residents and then white residents. Rep. Grace Meng has represented the district since 2013. This is only the second time Meng has ever been challenged in a primary.
Chuck Park, a Queens native and former U.S. diplomat, is positioning himself as a progressive alternative to Meng, campaigning on affordability and pledging not to accept donations from corporate donors.
Yan Xiong is also in the mix. He previously ran for a congressional seat in District 10 in Brooklyn in 2022 and was a victim of stalking and harassment by Chinese secret police. Xiong came to the U.S. as a political refugee after being imprisoned for participating in pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. He is a Christian pastor and previously served in the U.S. Army.
7th Congressional District: Brooklyn and Queens
Rep. Nydia Velázquez announced she is retiring from her seat representing a district which runs from Astoria, Sunnyside and Ridgewood in Queens into Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Bushwick in Brooklyn, after more than 30 years of serving in Congress. When she was elected, Velázquez was the first Puerto Rican woman in Congress. She said she is stepping down at a time when she feels confident in the next generation of political leaders. As the top Democrat on the House Small Business Committee, she made small business and entrepreneurship a legislative priority, in which she made significant contributions to.
The district race has been the focus of tension between Velázquez and the new mayor over their decisions to endorse different candidates to fill the seat.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso announced his election bid on Dec. 4, 2025. Reynoso, a Brooklyn native, began his political career in 2014, first serving on the City Council. He has the backing of Velázquez, is the son of Dominican immigrants and served two terms in the City Council.
Assemblymember Claire Valdez, a democratic socialist who has represented Queens in the New York State Assembly for just over a year, launched her campaign on Jan. 8. She and the mayor have deep ties; Valdez was the only elected official who appeared with Mamdani at the launch event for his mayoral campaign in 2024. Valdez began her political career as a labor organizer for the United Auto Workers, the union which has also backed her bid. The 36-year-old moved to New York City from Texas in 2015.
Velázquez did not plan to endorse a successor, but chose to do so after Mamdani backed Valdez. “I am supporting Antonio because I know him,” she told the New York Times. “I know his heart. I know his record, and I know he is the only one in this race who has actually governed and delivered for this community.”
Mamdani’s endorsement sparked a disagreement between himself and Velázquez, but the mayor said he is standing by his endorsement.
Councilmember Julie Won, the first woman and immigrant to represent District 26 in the City Council, entered the race in early February. Her family immigrated from South Korea when she was eight years old, and she is running “to fight for a lifetime of care,” according to her campaign website, which includes universal paid leave and healthcare.
Other contenders who have entered the race to represent the district that encompasses the left-leaning “commie corridor” include civil servant Edwin Osorio, Brooklyn-born Sydney Martinez and perennial candidate Paperboy Prince, who last year conceded in the June mayoral primary after receiving 0.1% of votes.
8th Congressional District: Brooklyn
The 8th Congressional District in Brooklyn encompasses Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, Canarsie, East Flatbush, Coney Island, Mill Basin and Brighton Beach.
The district is currently represented by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The Brooklyn native has been in Congress since 2013 and has sponsored legislation to reform criminal justice and policing and protect the intellectual property of workers. He also served in 2021 as one of the House Impeachment Managers during Trump’s second impeachment trial.
The district race drew attention as a potential fight between establishment Democrats and a new guard aiming for more progressive representation in Congress when City Councilmember Chi Ossé filed paperwork to challenge Jeffries in mid-November. The 27-year-old Ossé has since ended his campaign bid after fellow democratic socialists Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez chose not to support the City Council member. Ossé has drawn comparisons to Mamdani, as a fellow member of the Democratic Socialists of America and for his savvy use of social media. Ossé also campaigned for Mamdani.
Ossé’s dropping out of the race made Jeffries its frontrunner, who is politically more moderate than Mamdani and did not endorse his mayoral run until a day before the start of early voting, as pressure mounted from other Dems to get behind the party’s pick for mayor. Mamdani won Jeffries’ district in the primary and general mayoral race.
Vance Bostic, who identifies as a fighter rather than a politician, has also entered the race.
9th Congressional District: Brooklyn
The Central Brooklyn district where Black residents make up the largest group has been represented by Rep. Yvette Clark since 2013. There is also a sizable Jewish population in the district, which could be a powerful voting bloc for first-time candidate Michael Goldfarb, a grandson of Holocaust survivors.
Goldfarb, a businessman, Harvard graduate and former analyst at Blackstone, says the district could use new leadership.
In the first 48 hours after entering the race, Goldfarb said he raised over $100,000, which has since grown to $300,269, according to federal campaign finance records in late April. According to the Federal Election Commission, Clarke has raised $821,642.89.
Joshua Bristol has also filed to run.
10th Congressional District: Manhattan and Brooklyn
New York’s 10th Congressional District spans Lower Manhattan from 14th Street to western Brooklyn, including Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Park Slope, Sunset Park and Bay Ridge.
The district is currently represented by Rep. Dan Goldman, an attorney who previously served as lead counsel in Trump’s first impeachment trial. Goldman, a moderate Democrat, is a strong supporter of Israel and a top recipient of support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group, which has drawn disapproval from progressive voters according to some recent polling.
However, Goldman’s personal and political connections to Israel have not stopped him from speaking out on the crisis in Gaza and calling for Israel and the United States to “immediately put an end to this humanitarian catastrophe.”
The representative has deep pockets — having raised $4,274,013, which includes $1 million Goldman personally poured into his campaign.
The 49-year-old father of five has also received criticism from Democrats over flip-flopping on abortion and accepting money from Wall Street and big real estate. An heir to the Levi Strauss & Co. fortune, Goldman has also been accused by his sharpest critics of “buying” his seat through a campaign that is mostly funded from personal wealth.
Brad Lander, the former city comptroller and progressive mayoral candidate who lost to Mamdani, is challenging Goldman from the left with the endorsement of the mayor and senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. He has also served on the City Council, where he co-chaired the Progressive Caucus.
“The challenges we face can’t be solved with strongly worded letters or high dollar fundraisers, and not by doing AIPAC’s bidding,” Lander said in a video announcement of his run. “While the oligarchy drives an affordability crisis, they shouldn’t be able to buy a seat in Congress.”
Lander has raised $1,374,757 for his campaign as of late April.
While we will not know who District 10 voters favor until the election, it’s clear that Goldman is ahead in the money race. He is estimated to have a personal net worth of more than $250 million and has received more than $188,000 from AIPAC.
Nickie Kane is also running for the seat.
12th Congressional District: Manhattan
The Manhattan district that includes the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Morningside Heights, Roosevelt Island, Midtown, Chelsea and Union Square, has been represented by Rep. Jerry Nadler, 78, for more than 30 years. In September, Nadler announced he will not be seeking reelection, leading a flurry of Democratic candidates to jump at the opportunity to claim the open seat.
The district is heavily Democratic, the wealthiest congressional district in New York State, the third-wealthiest in the entire country and the best-educated district nationally. The safely blue district is a plum job, and could make for a long career in Congress for the right candidate. Money is flowing in the race; four contenders have each raised over $2 million for their campaigns as of late April. Here are some notable candidates in the crowded battle for the district seat.
Assembly member Alex Bores is currently in his second term representing the East Side of Manhattan in the New York State Assembly. Before running for office, Bores was a software engineer, and claims to be the only Democrat elected at any level of New York’s government to have a degree in computer science. On social media, Bores leans into his tech expertise, writing that he’s running to “recode Washington” and “reimagine how government works in the digital age.”
The 32-year-old has faced criticism for being a former employee of Palantir, a software company that contracts with ICE. Bores left the company in 2019, citing that he quit because Palantir refused to guardrail against its software being used for deportations. He has raised the second-highest amount of money for his campaign at $2,873,154.
Laura Dunn, a civil and victim rights attorney who is committed to ending sexual violence and ensuring gender equality, is making her first run for public office.
Micah Lasher is endorsed by Nadler, whom he served as an aide for two decades. Lasher brings a long political resume to a race with many younger and first-time candidates and is a first-term assemblymember.. Nadler’s chief of staff, Rob Gottheim, will work on Lasher’s campaign as treasurer. Lasher has raised just over $2 million for his bid.
He has been endorsed by Comptroller Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, City Councilmember Gale Brewer and former city Comptroller Scott Stringer. He has worked in the Bloomberg administration and with Gov. Kathy Hochul as a policy director. He endorsed Mamdani in the mayoral election, but not without emphasizing his differing beliefs over Israel.
Jack Schlossberg is the son of Caroline Kennedy and the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who has said he was “born and raised” in District 12. The 32-year-old has made a name for himself (outside of being a Kennedy heir) for his “silly goose” social media presence where he dances, lip syncs and acts out absurdist characters for his over 900,000 Instagram followers and more than 800,000 TikTok followers.
He has publicly criticized his cousin, RFK Jr., and briefly worked as a political correspondent for Vogue during the leadup to the 2024 presidential election, having seven articles published. In February, Rep. Nancy Pelosi endorsed the Kennedy heir. Schlossberg trails after Bores in campaign funds with $2,295,141 raised.
On his campaign website, he has made 12 promises to the 12th district, framed more as values than policy: service, courage, strength, accountability, optimism, independence, focus, pragmatism, unity, patriotism, creativity and positivity.
Christopher Diep is the son of Vietnamese immigrants and a software engineer. His campaign website says he supports pro-AI and fair immigration policies.
George Conway announced he’s running on Jan. 6. He is a former Republican who was outspoken against President Trump in his first term and was previously married to Kellyanne Conway, a one-time top aide to the president. George Conway told The New York Times that the recent government shutdown motivated him to consider a run and that he wishes Senate Democrats hadn’t caved to Republicans’ demands. He has raised the most money in the race with over $3,233,720 for his campaign as of late April.
Michah Bergdale grew up in Arizona and South Dakota but lives in New York City, where he launched an all-electric vehicle rental car company in 2021. He is campaigning on increasing diversity in Congress as a gay man, completing construction of the Second Avenue Subway project within a decade, divesting the MTA from its OMNY contractor that has ties to the Trump administration and funding affordable daycare and universal preschool. His campaign website advocates for a “path to peace” between Israel and Palestine based on his travels to Israel and the West Bank, and mentions Berdgale grew up predominantly Christian with Jewish heritage until a trip to Israel deepened his Jewish faith.
Nina Schwalbe, another District 12 native, is the latest candidate to enter the race. She is a public health researcher and holds a PhD in public health. Schwalbe led a USAID emergency initiative that distributed vaccines to low-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her campaign website supports investments in science and climate resilience.
Former candidates who have since dropped out of the race for District 12 include Erik Bottcher, Liam Elkind, Jami Floyd, Cameron Kasky and Alan Pardee.
13th Congressional District: Manhattan and The Bronx
District 13 represents parts of the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood in Manhattan, and parts of Fordham, Morris Heights, University Heights, Norwood, Bedford Park and Jerome Park.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat has represented the district in the House since 2017. As the first Dominican-American and formerly undocumented person to be elected to Congress, Espaillat has fought for protections for immigrants, efforts to abate gun violence, and recently called for the Trump administration to unfreeze funding for the Second Avenue Subway. He leads in campaign funds with over $1 million raised.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Florida native who now lives in Harlem, is vying for Espaillat’s seat, charging that he is beholden to corporate and lobbyist funding and overly sympathetic to Israel. She is a political newcomer backed by the progressive group Justice Democrats, the same PAC that helped jumpstart Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional campaign in 2018. An internal campaign poll showed the 32-year-old gaining support against Espaillat and she has raised $402,878 in her grassroots campaign. She canvassed for Mamdani and told the New York Times she was partly inspired to run based on his mayoral campaign.
Oscar Romero, chief information officer of the city’s Civic Engagement Commission, lives in East Harlem and is running as a democratic socialist. He’s running to make healthcare, housing and education a right for all, and has promised not to take any money from corporations, wealthy individuals, foreign lobbyists or AIPAC.
James Felton Keith, who goes by JFK, has founded the Harlem Center, which provides programs and services to LGBTQ New Yorkers. Keith has referred to Espaillat as “AIPAC Adriano,” and says he can’t solve the problems facing the constituents of District 13.
Matt Miller and Theo Chino-Tavarez are also officially running, according to campaign finance records.
15th Congressional District: The Bronx
District 15 covers parts of The Bronx, including Mott Haven, Allerton, Morrisania, Fordham, Melrose and Riverdale, as well as the areas around Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Zoo.
Rep. Ritchie Torres has represented the district in the House since 2021. He was the youngest elected official in New York City history, as well as the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected in The Bronx when he ran for the City Council at the age of 25. Torres has been a staunch defender of Israel, leading some more progressive candidates to eye his seat.
Born to Puerto Rican parents and raised in public housing in The Bronx, Torres championed funding and fixing failures in NYCHA during his stint in the City Council. In Congress, Torres has advocated for public housing, helped launch the Congressional Crypto Caucus and pushed for legislation that would allocate federal funds for bodegas to buy security equipment. Like Schlossberg, Rep. Nancy Pelosi has backed Torres with an endorsement in March.
Michael Blake, a Bronx native and ordained minister, worked for Barack Obama while he was a senator and later in the White House. Blake represented The Bronx for one term in the State Assembly, and has run failed campaigns for public advocate, Congress and most recently for mayor. His latest loss was in the mayoral primary, where he finished eighth among a dozen candidates. Blake is running on support for the rent freeze, local businesses, repairing NYCHA housing, lowering grocery and energy bills and making The Bronx safer. Blake has been endorsed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
He’s faced issues in the past about the legitimacy of his residency in The Bronx and related tax troubles.
Torres has raised nearly $4 million for his 2026 campaign. Vega has reported $101,386 in campaign funding and Nemorin has not reported any yet as of late April.
Andre Easton, a Bronx native and special education teacher, has also filed to run.
Additional reporting by Marina Samuel.
