NY-07: Candidates take part in first televised debate ahead of June 23 primary

Candidates seeking to succeed the outgoing U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez in New York’s 7th Congressional District (NY-7) took part in the first televised debate Wednesday night ahead of the Democratic primary later in June, speaking on a number of issues from immigration enforcement to affordable housing in the district.

During the debate on Spectrum NY1, Council Member Julie Won, Assemblymember Claire Valdez and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso – all left-leaning Democrats – presented a united front on many of the core issues impacting voters in the district, which straddles western Queens and northern Brooklyn.

There were subtle differences, however, especially between Valdez – a movement socialist endorsed by the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) – and Won and Reynoso – two candidates more closely aligned with traditional Democratic progressives.

Reynoso, who was born in Brooklyn to Dominican parents, pointed to his working-class roots and his “lived experience” as a child who was “extremely poor.”





https://qns.com/2026/06/ny-7-debate-june-primary/