Williamsburg Picks a New Congress Member: Valdez, Rivera and Ghaznavi on the Ballot

By Williamsburg 365 Staff

Williamsburg will get a new member of Congress this year. Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who has served in Congress since 1993, is not running again. Voters will choose her replacement on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Early voting starts this Saturday, Oct. 24.

Much of Hasidic Williamsburg is in the 7th Congressional District. That includes blocks around Kent Avenue, Lee Avenue, Bedford Avenue, Division Avenue, Wallabout Street and Flushing Avenue. The district also covers Greenpoint, Bushwick and parts of Queens, including Long Island City 

Three names are on the ballot, according to the state Board of Elections. Assemblymember Claire Valdez is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Melvin Rivera is running on the Republican and Conservative lines. Priscilla Ghaznavi is running on the Our Future line.

Valdez, a democratic socialist backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, won the Democratic primary in June with 39,626 votes. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso received 25,127, according to the city Board of Elections. That’s a gap of about 14,500 votes, based on the board’s numbers.

Chasidic Williamsburg voted the other way. Before the primary, leaders from Satmar, Pupa, Vizhnitz, Skver, Klausenburg and other groups backed Reynoso, Williamsburg365 reported on June 8. Rabbi David Niederman said Reynoso “has built a strong relationship with our community.”

The results showed it. In eight voting districts around Kent, Lee, Bedford and Division avenues and Wallabout Street, Flushing, Marcy and Harrison  Harrison Avenues Reynoso won overwhelmingly, according to city Board of Elections results for those districts.

Since winning the primary, Democratic nominee Claire Valdez has met several times with Williamsburg leaders and promised to work side by side with the community on issues affecting residents

She attended and addressed a Williamsburg Shomrim appreciation event, met with the United Jewish Organizations board and Rabbi David Niederman, and attended a sukkah event hosted by Rabbi Moishe Indig 

Rivera, the Republican candidate, was born and raised in Bushwick. He has worked as a community activist and tenant organizer for more than 30 years.

The Federal Election Commission lists Ghaznavi as an independent.

Valdez has a big fundraising lead. Her campaign raised about $1.89 million and had about $139,000 left at the end of September, according to the FEC. Ghaznavi raised about $40,000 through Oct. 14, including a $30,000 loan she made to her own campaign, FEC records show. The FEC website shows no money reported by Rivera’s campaign.

The seat leans heavily Democratic. Velázquez won it in 2024 with 78.1 percent of the vote, and the Cook Political Report rates the race “Solid D.”

Early voting runs from Saturday, Oct. 24, to Sunday, Nov. 1, according to the city Board of Elections. Most days, polling sites are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Wednesday, Oct. 28, hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Thursday, Oct. 29, hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On Election Day, Nov. 3, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.