Gov

Primary Election

PRIMARY WAS JUN 23

U.S. HouseNew York - 7

PrimaryDemocratic Party

Open seat in NY-07 draws four progressive primary challengers

The 2026 Democratic primary for New York's 7th congressional district is an open-seat race featuring four candidates: Vichal Kumar, Antonio Reynoso, Claire Valdez, and Julie Won. Claire Valdez leads in fundraising with over $1.3 million raised, followed by Antonio Reynoso and Julie Won, while Vichal Kumar trails significantly. The candidates share progressive stances on many issues but diverge on foreign policy and other topics, making the contest competitive.

Issues

9 issues · 4 candidates · every claim sourced

Healthcare

Candidates Kumar, Reynoso, and Valdez all support Medicare for All, framing healthcare as a fundamental right and criticizing the current system for leaving people uninsured or underinsured.

CV

Claire Valdez

Valdez supports Medicare for All, pledging to sponsor it on Day One. She argues that health insurance corporations profit while people are uninsured or underinsured, and that healthcare is a human right.

Campaign Issues Page
AR

Antonio Reynoso

Reynoso delivered $45 million for Black maternal health and supports Medicare for All to guarantee healthcare as a right, regardless of income, job, or zip code.

Reynoso for Congress Issues Page
JW

Julie Won

Julie Won supports universal healthcare for all, stating that nobody should go bankrupt because they got sick, ration insulin, or skip a doctor's visit due to cost. She criticizes the current health insurance system as a maze of paperwork, denials, and costs designed to discourage care.

Ballotpedia - Julie Won campaign website excerpt
VK

Vichal Kumar

Kumar supports Medicare for All and immediate reforms such as expanding ACA coverage, making prescription drugs affordable, and eliminating preexisting condition exclusions. He views healthcare as a fundamental right.

Campaign Issues Page

Housing

Kumar aims to protect families from losing their homes; Reynoso advocates for repealing the Faircloth Amendment and investing in public housing; Valdez supports universal rent control and tenant power, noting that 77% of NY-7 residents are tenants.

The data behind the debate

Renter vs. Owner Occupied Housing in NY-07

63.0%NY-07 renters
+26.0 NY-07 owners
CV

Claire Valdez

Valdez advocates for universal rent control, public investment in housing supply, the right to a safe home, and tenant power with landlord accountability. She notes 77% of NY-7 residents are tenants and she would be a tenant member of Congress.

Campaign Issues Page
AR

Antonio Reynoso

Reynoso advocates for repealing the Faircloth Amendment, investing in public housing at scale, and ensuring working people can afford to stay in their communities. He has fought for more affordable housing in every neighborhood.

Reynoso for Congress Issues Page
VK

Vichal Kumar

Kumar aims to protect families from losing their homes and make stable housing possible for every generation.

Campaign Issues Page

No public position yet from Won

Immigration

Kumar, Reynoso, and Valdez all support dismantling ICE and protecting immigrant families, with Reynoso highlighting his work ending NYPD coordination with ICE and Valdez also calling for demilitarizing the border and addressing root causes of migration.

CV

Claire Valdez

Valdez calls for abolishing and dismantling ICE, ending for-profit detention, demilitarizing the border, and prosecuting ICE agents who break the law. She supports a path to lawful permanent residence, the DREAM Act, expanding immigration judges, and protecting immigrant workers' right to organize. She also addresses root causes of migration such as U.S. intervention, climate change, and trade policy.

Campaign Immigration Memo
AR

Antonio Reynoso

Antonio Reynoso ended NYPD coordination with ICE on Rikers Island and helped immigrants access work permits and legal support. He supports abolishing ICE and using all available tools to protect immigrant families.

Reynoso for Congress Issues Page
VK

Vichal Kumar

Vichal Kumar advocates for dismantling ICE, stopping the expansion of detention centers, and halting the deportation machine. He supports immigration policies that prioritize protecting families and communities, restoring due process, and creating permanent pathways for those seeking to fulfill their dreams in the U.S.

Campaign Issues Page

No public position yet from Won

Advance Puerto Rico's Self-Determination

Kumar supports Puerto Rico's full control over its political and economic future.

VK

Vichal Kumar

Kumar supports Puerto Rico's full control over its political and economic future.

Campaign Issues Page

No public position yet from Valdez, Reynoso, Won

Drive Down Costs

Kumar advocates for reducing costs to leave room to live; Reynoso has fought to keep childcare centers open and support small businesses, supporting taxing the rich and taking on corporate greed.

AR

Antonio Reynoso

Reynoso has fought to keep childcare centers open, support small businesses, and deliver investments that lower costs. He supports taxing the rich, taking on corporate greed, and building an economy that works for working people.

Reynoso for Congress Issues Page
JW

Julie Won

Won supports prenatal and postpartum care that prioritizes the mother, including home visits with lactation consultants, postpartum depression care, conscious care, and midwives, so that giving birth does not lead to financial ruin.

Ballotpedia - Julie Won campaign website excerpt
VK

Vichal Kumar

Kumar advocates for reducing costs so that they leave room to live, rather than taking more and giving less.

Campaign Issues Page

No public position yet from Valdez

Technology that Serves Humanity, Not Corporations

Kumar believes the benefits of AI and automation belong to the people; Valdez supports tough AI regulation including a moratorium on new data center construction and a 32-hour work week with no pay reduction.

CV

Claire Valdez

Valdez supports tough AI regulation, including a moratorium on new data center construction (the AI Data Center Moratorium Act), opt-in consent for generative AI, a 32-hour work week with no pay reduction, and mass education programs on AI impacts. She also supports a moratorium on generative AI in early and developing education.

Campaign Issues Page
VK

Vichal Kumar

Kumar believes the benefits of AI and automation belong to the people who built the economy.

Campaign Issues Page

No public position yet from Reynoso, Won

Climate & Environment

Reynoso passed landmark reforms to cut pollution and supports investing in clean energy; Valdez supports a Green New Deal that creates union jobs, freezes electricity rates, and calls for global cooperation on climate.

CV

Claire Valdez

Valdez supports a Green New Deal that creates union jobs, freezes electricity rates, invests in resilient infrastructure, and updates labor standards with heat protections. She calls for global cooperation on climate, rejoining the Paris Agreement, de-escalating with China, and reducing U.S. military bases abroad.

Campaign Climate Page and Foreign Policy Memo
AR

Antonio Reynoso

Reynoso passed landmark reforms to cut pollution and hold corporate polluters accountable. He supports investing in clean energy and fighting for every community's right to clean air and water.

Reynoso for Congress Issues Page

No public position yet from Won, Kumar

Empower Workers

Kumar supports a meaningful minimum wage, strengthening the NLRB, and portable benefits; Valdez supports strengthening unions, passing the PRO Act, and ending at-will employment.

The data behind the debate

Self-Employment Rate in NY-07 vs. National Average

7.7%NY-07
−2.2 National
CV

Claire Valdez

Claire Valdez supports strengthening unions, passing the PRO Act, ending at-will employment, and guaranteeing a living wage, paid leave, and dignified retirement. She believes organized workers build power and expand democracy.

Campaign Issues Page
JW

Julie Won

Won supports expanding access to financial assistance for funeral expenses so that no family has to choose between mourning a loved one and financial ruin.

Ballotpedia - Julie Won campaign website excerpt
VK

Vichal Kumar

Kumar supports a meaningful minimum wage for all workers, strengthening the National Labor Relations Board to make union organizing easier, and ensuring benefits are portable across jobs. He also advocates for workers' right to share in profits and protections against AI and automation.

Campaign Issues Page

No public position yet from Reynoso

Protect Reproductive Freedom

Kumar asserts reproductive decisions belong to people, not politicians; Valdez supports codifying the right to abortion nationwide and ensuring access under Medicare for All.

CV

Claire Valdez

Valdez supports codifying the right to abortion nationwide, ensuring access to sexual and reproductive healthcare under Medicare for All, and defending telehealth and mail-order abortion care in states with bans or limited access.

Campaign Issues Page
VK

Vichal Kumar

Kumar asserts that reproductive decisions belong to people, not politicians, and supports full access and full autonomy.

Campaign Issues Page

No public position yet from Reynoso, Won