Rep. Nydia Velázquez endorses Antonio Reynoso, goes toe-to-toe with Mamdani

Rep. Nydia Velázquez may be retiring, but she’s not leaving office without a fight.

“La Luchadora” on Thursday threw her weight behind Antonio Reynoso, the current Brooklyn borough president, in the race to succeed her in Congress — marking the third proxy smackdown with Mayor Mamdani this week.

“Antonio is the leader this moment demands: courageous, progressive and grounded in lived experience,” Velázquez said in a statement. “As I pass the torch to the next generation, I ask New Yorkers to support him. Our legacy — one rooted in justice, dignity and opportunity — is in strong hands with Antonio.”

Velázquez cited Reynoso’s upbringing in South Williamsburg and said he has the chops to “unapologetically” stand up to President Trump and for immigrants and Puerto Ricans in New York’s heavily Latino 7th district.

This is the third time this week Velázquez has placed herself at odds with both Mayor Mamdani, of whom she was a relatively early supporter, and the Democratic Socialists of America, whose influence in New York politics has grown with Mamdani’s ascent.

The mayor has tried his hand at playing kingmaker both in local and congressional races in the early days of his term. And where Mamdani has signaled support, Velázquez is often on the other side.

Velázquez previously endorsed Brian Romero in a western Queens assembly race where the DSA has endorsed another contender, Aber Kawas. Mamdani is expected to also back Kawas.

Velázquez has also announced her support for Rana Abdelhamid, a candidate in a special election to replace Mamdani in the state assembly. Mamdani and the DSA have endorsed former Queens DSA co-chair Diana Moreno.

In an interview with the New York Times, Velázquez laced into Mamdani’s involvement in other races.

“Honeymoons are short, and people need to pay attention to the work at hand,” she told the Times when asked if she had advice for Mamdani. She also warned that the mayor’s involvement in primary races “opens up fights” among groups he needs to govern.

Asked about these comments at an unrelated press conference in Harlem on Thursday, Mamdani said he had “nothing but respect and admiration” for Velázquez.

“I will always continue to appreciate the relationship that we have and the shared vision in making this a city that we not only live in, but are also proud of,” Mamdani said.

The mayor has now put his fingerprints on three congressional races in total, backing former comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander in his challenge to Rep. Dan Goldman and dissuading Councilmember Chi Osse from primarying House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.