The national progressive group Justice Democrats has thrown its support behind Queens State Assembly member Claire Valdez in the New York City congressional race, further splitting the left-wing factions within Mayor Zohran Mamdani's party.
In a move that has sparked controversy among some of Mamdani's allies, Justice Democrats has endorsed Valdez, a DSA member and labor organizer, to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez in the 7th Congressional District. This decision comes as several prominent New York City groups and progressives, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and City Council Members Sandy Nurse and Lincoln Restler, have backed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, a longtime ally of Velázquez.
Valdez's campaign has emphasized her experience as a labor organizer and her commitment to policies such as Medicare for All and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She has also highlighted her role in leading Palestinian human rights activism amid the genocide in Gaza.
Reynoso's campaign, on the other hand, has focused on his background in labor organizing and his efforts to address issues related to climate change and economic inequality.
The endorsement by Justice Democrats is seen as a significant blow to Mamdani's party, which had previously been expected to support Reynoso. The decision highlights the deepening divisions within the left-wing factions of New York City politics, with some groups opting to back Valdez's more radical platform while others continue to support Reynoso.
The split has sparked concerns that it could lead to a divisive primary campaign in the 7th District, which encompasses some of the city's most left-leaning neighborhoods.
In a move that has sparked controversy among some of Mamdani's allies, Justice Democrats has endorsed Valdez, a DSA member and labor organizer, to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez in the 7th Congressional District. This decision comes as several prominent New York City groups and progressives, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and City Council Members Sandy Nurse and Lincoln Restler, have backed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, a longtime ally of Velázquez.
Valdez's campaign has emphasized her experience as a labor organizer and her commitment to policies such as Medicare for All and abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She has also highlighted her role in leading Palestinian human rights activism amid the genocide in Gaza.
Reynoso's campaign, on the other hand, has focused on his background in labor organizing and his efforts to address issues related to climate change and economic inequality.
The endorsement by Justice Democrats is seen as a significant blow to Mamdani's party, which had previously been expected to support Reynoso. The decision highlights the deepening divisions within the left-wing factions of New York City politics, with some groups opting to back Valdez's more radical platform while others continue to support Reynoso.
The split has sparked concerns that it could lead to a divisive primary campaign in the 7th District, which encompasses some of the city's most left-leaning neighborhoods.
. It feels like the progressive groups are more interested in proving who's the "radical" one than actually uniting behind a strong candidate. And what's up with Justice Democrats throwing their weight behind Claire Valdez? I get it, she's got some solid credentials as a labor organizer and all that jazz 
. But does anyone care about the impact this is gonna have on the party's unity? Newsflash: we don't need more infighting in our politics 
. And what about Mamdani's allies who are left feeling like they're being punk'd for backing Reynoso? It's just gonna be a mess, mark my words 
.
The Justice Democrats endorsement for Claire Valdez is definitely going to shake things up and create some major divisions within Mamdani's party. I'm not surprised, though - the left wing has always been super split on these issues.
. I think we'll see some pretty heated debates on social media and at town halls as this plays out...
so I think what's going on here is like, super interesting... The Justice Democrats are basically saying they want someone more radical for the job 
and that's Claire Valdez, who's got a lot of experience in labor organizing and is all about Medicare for All and stuff. But meanwhile, Antonio Reynoso is getting support from other groups, like Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and he's also got a strong background in labor organizing 
. It just shows how divided the left is and how hard it is for them to come together on a candidate. I don't know who'll win in the end, but I do know that it's gonna be an interesting primary campaign 
. It seems like we're losin' sight of what's really important - gettin' things done for the people! I mean, Claire Valdez is all about Medicare for All and abolishin' ICE, which is definitely somethin' to think about. But then there's Antonio Reynoso, who's also comin' from a place of labor organizing and addressin' climate change... it just seems like we need more people with different perspectives at the table, you know? 
The thing that really got me though is how deep divisions are on the left wing in NYC politics right now - it feels like these groups can't even agree on who to back 
.
is it Valdez or Reynoso? I thought they were like besties 
. it's like they want to shake things up in NYC politics. meanwhile, Reynoso is all about the labor org aspect and climate change 
. can't help but wonder what this means for Mamdani's party... will we see a super divided primary? 
this is crazy! so there's this group Justice Democrats and they're like totally backing Claire Valdez for congress and it's causing a huge split among Mayor Zohran Mamdani's party 
and then you got others who are teaming up with Antonio Reynoso who's more about climate change and economic inequality 
especially since the 7th district is already super left-leaning 
especially with Justice Democrats jumping on board for Claire Valdez - she sounds like an amazing candidate 
her focus on Medicare for All and ending ICE is so needed ASAP! 
and can we talk about the fact that Reynoso's campaign was supposed to get all the love from Mamdani's party, but now he's getting some major heat 
it'll be super interesting to see how this all plays out in the primary