Mamdani-backed socialist wins NYC House seat as DSA expands its reach in Congress

By Fox News · Fox News

Claire Valdez, a Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 7th Congressional District, is projected to win her congressional race against Republican challenger Melvin Rivera, a community activist, on Tuesday evening in the race to fill the seat of outgoing Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y. Velázquez, who has held the seat since 2013 and has been a member of Congress since 1993, is retiring. The district’s strong Democratic lean made Valdez the favorite, and her victory marks another noteworthy win for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) in the 2026 midterms. MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALISTS LOOK TO TAKE NEW YORK PLAYBOOK NATIONWIDE AFTER PRIMARY VICTORIES In the June primary, New York’s 7th District was seen as a proxy for the direction of the party. During that race, Valdez faced off against a crowded field of other congressional hopefuls. Among them was Antonio Reynoso, the Brooklyn borough president. While Valdez enjoyed the backing of the DSA and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani , a self-proclaimed socialist, Reynoso received support from more established Democrats — including the outgoing Velázquez. "It’s very nice to get to New York for a few years and to have opinions about other elected officials without knowing the history and the struggle and who was there fighting corrupt government," Velázquez told the New York Times ahead of the primary. JEFFRIES' SOCIALISM DILEMMA: NEW YORK VICTORIES EXPOSE DEMOCRATIC PARTY DIVIDE "Now, all of the sudden, people want to come in and decide who is the best candidate with total disregard to the history, the background." U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries didn’t endorse in the race, but surmised the divides at play in the race, noting the DSA’s break with many other New York Democratic figures, including Letitia James, the state’s attorney general. "Nydia Velázquez and a coalition of very progressive Democrats, including Tish James… along with the Working Families Party and many of the…