Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso is operating for Congress.
Photograph courtesy of the Workplace of the Brooklyn Borough President
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso will run for U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez’ congressional seat, he introduced Thursday.
Velázquez, a progressive who has represented components of Brooklyn and Queens in New York’s seventh Congressional District for 3 a long time, introduced late final month that she will retire in 2026.
In what’s shaping as much as be a heated midterm election in New York, Reynoso is the first individual to declare his candidacy for her seat — although Council Member Tiffany Cabán, state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez and Meeting Member Claire Valdez are all mentioned to be actively exploring runs.
In an announcement, Reynoso mentioned that the outgoing congresswoman, who he considered as a “hero and friend” had at all times been a mentor.
“She is the progressive pioneer who laid the groundwork for an entire generation of new leftist voices at every level of government, and no one can replace her presence,” he mentioned. “But we must continue her fight, and we will continue that fight because the need has never been greater. Under Trump’s cruel administration, working families are suffering while the wealthiest thrive; immigrants and people of color are being attacked, arrested, and erased; our rights are being trampled; and the safety net that families could once depend on is getting callously cut to shreds.”
Reynoso, a left-leaning Democrat and Brooklyn native who has been concerned in native politics for greater than 15 years, has already proved in style in components of Velázquez’s district. From 2014 to 2021, he represented the thirty fourth Council district — which covers Bushwick, Ridgewood and Williamsburg — on the Metropolis Council. NY-7 consists of these neighborhoods in addition to Lengthy Island Metropolis, Astoria, Sunnyside, Maspeth and Woodhaven in Queens; and Clinton Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, East New York, Fort Greene, and Greenpoint in Brooklyn.
In 2021, Reynoso earned greater than 72% of the vote within the Brooklyn Borough President’s race, and was re-elected earlier this yr by a barely wider margin.
As borough president — a job that’s largely ceremonial — Reynoso has centered on equitable improvement and public well being.
Shortly after he was elected, Reynoso fashioned a “Maternal Health Task Force,” to handle shortcomings in healthcare for pregnant folks and new dad and mom, he has since allotted important funding to maternal well being packages and wards in Brooklyn hospitals, fashioned a “Community Baby Shower Fund,” and earlier this yr helped to create a brand new Perinatal Psychological Well being program at Brooklyn School.
He has launched two “Comprehensive Plans” for Brooklyn, which search “to address New York’s lack of a citywide plan and chart Brooklyn’s way to a more equitable future,” by long-term, thorough planning and improvement.
Born to immigrant dad and mom who had been struggling to make ends meet, the Beep rose from childhood poverty in South Williamsburg to a profession in public service.
“Let me be clear, I am only here because of that safety net. Full stop,” Reynoso mentioned. “I was born to two immigrant parents struggling to make ends meet, and we needed food stamps, Head Start, and housing assistance to survive. But with those public investments, I was able to grow up, go to college, and build a career fighting for my neighbors on the City Council and now as Borough President. It was not my plan to go into public service, but when the ultrawealthy, special interests and corrupt politicians came for our neighborhood and our homes, I organized and fought back, and we won. That showed me the power of progressive organizing, and it’s exactly the kind of fight we need to bring to Trump’s door today. That is why I am honored and humbled to announce that I am running for Congress.”
He already garnered the endorsement of 4 members of the Metropolis Council whose districts overlap the extremely various seventh CD: Jen Gutiérrez, Sandy Nurse, Shekar Krishnan and Lincoln Restler.
All praised Reynoso’s confirmed monitor report of delivering on his progressive values.
Gutiérrez, his former chief of workers, famous that she had witnessed first-hand how he fought for his group.
“Together, we delivered millions for our parks, schools and NYCHA, and successfully fought environmental racism by passing the Waste Equity Bill to reduce trucks and trash in lower income communities,” Gutiérrez mentioned.“Now, I’m proud to endorse him for Congress so he can take our fight to DC and defend our community and our neighbors from Trump’s extremism.”
Nurse mentioned that Reynoso was “uniquely qualified” to grow to be the champion for working households in Congress.
“He knows what it means to be poor, he understands the needs of our immigrant neighbors, and he knows how to make government work for the people we serve. I’m thrilled to endorse him and look forward to helping him win this critical race,” she mentioned.
This story first appeared on our sister publication brooklynpaper.com.
