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U.S. House · New York's 7th Congressional District

Parts of Brooklyn and Queens, including Bushwick, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Ridgewood, Sunnyside, Long Island City, and Bedford-Stuyvesant.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

RESULT · UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CERTIFIED

Claire Valdez, projected winner

CandidateVotesShare
Claire Valdez135,17983.3%
Melvin Rivera24,37015%
Priscilla Ghaznavi2,1551.3%
Total Write-ins5140.3%

About 88% of the expected vote counted. As of November 9. Winners take office next year. Counts can change until states certify. NBC News ↗

Sources re-checked September 25, 2026 · How we research

  • There is no incumbent in this race; Rep. Nydia Velázquez did not seek re-election. Claire Valdez defeated Antonio Reynoso, Julie Won, and Vichal Kumar in the June 23, 2026 Democratic primary, 56.2% to 35.6% to 6.3% to 1.7%.[1]
  • Antonio Reynoso had automatically advanced from the Working Families Party primary based on write-in votes before the Democratic primary was decided. After losing the Democratic primary, Reynoso withdrew from the Working Families Party line; Ballotpedia lists him as a withdrawn/disqualified candidate for the general election. Claire Valdez appears on the November 3 general-election ballot on both the Democratic and Working Families Party lines.[1][2]
  • Melvin Rivera automatically advanced from both the Republican and Conservative Party primaries, which were canceled. He was also initially certified on the No Kings Party and Arts & Culture Party lines, but Ballotpedia lists those two lines as withdrawn/disqualified for the general election; Rivera appears on the ballot on the Republican and Conservative lines.[1]

On the November 3 ballot · 3 candidates

Issue evidence — side by side

Recorded votes, documented positions and candidates’ own words are shown with sources. “In their own words” quotes a candidate on the topic without inferring a stance. Votes describe specific bills or motions; they do not establish overall support or opposition to a broad issue. A dash means our research has no evidence on that topic, not that the candidate has no position.

Expand immigration enforcement and deportations

  • Claire Valdez
    Opposes[4]

    Opposes expanded immigration enforcement; campaigns to abolish and dismantle ICE and push for immigration reform that legalizes the status of millions of immigrant Americans.

  • Melvin Rivera
    —
  • Priscilla Ghaznavi
    —

Stronger rent regulation and tenant protections

  • Claire Valdez
    Supports[6]

    Campaigns for universal rent control and greater tenant power, and as an Assemblymember is the prime sponsor of a bill to cap initial regulated rents at the average for comparable rent-stabilized units.

  • Melvin Rivera
    Supports[12]

    Proposes a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act giving tenants the first right to make an offer before a landlord lists a property for sale, and an anti-flip tax on speculation.

  • Priscilla Ghaznavi
    —

Loosen zoning rules to build more housing

  • Claire Valdez
    Supports[4]

    Supports a full supply of homes through public investment, as part of a housing platform centered on universal rent control and tenant power.

  • Melvin Rivera
    —
  • Priscilla Ghaznavi
    Supports[15]

    Supports expanding access to affordable housing and homeownership for working families.

Expand public health coverage

  • Claire Valdez
    Supports[6]

    Will sponsor Medicare for All in Congress, aiming to guarantee health care regardless of employment.

  • Melvin Rivera
    —
  • Priscilla Ghaznavi
    Supports[15]

    Supports treating health care access as a fundamental right, with an emphasis on expanding community-based mental-health services.

Faster transition away from fossil fuels

  • Claire Valdez
    Supports[6]

    Supports a Green New Deal-style transition, including freezing electricity rates and rapidly investing in clean, publicly accountable energy.

  • Melvin Rivera
    —
  • Priscilla Ghaznavi
    —

Increase police funding and staffing

  • Claire Valdez
    —
  • Melvin Rivera
    Supports[12]

    Proposes fully funding police departments with higher officer salaries and added mental-health support.

  • Priscilla Ghaznavi
    —

Raise the minimum wage

  • Claire Valdez
    Supports[6]

    Calls for guaranteeing a job with a living wage as part of a broader labor and economic security agenda.

  • Melvin Rivera
    —
  • Priscilla Ghaznavi
    —

Continue U.S. military aid to Israel

  • Claire Valdez
    Opposes[4]

    Opposes continued U.S. military aid to Israel and calls for an end to weapons sales tied to the conflict.

  • Melvin Rivera
    —
  • Priscilla Ghaznavi
    —

Research notes & limits

Sitting-member key floor votes and FEC finance totals are added separately by script and intentionally omitted here for the eventual incumbent. Ghaznavi's biography comes from her campaign website and Ballotpedia, and Rivera's mainly from his campaign website; no independent news profile of either was found.

Sources · 33

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.New York's 7th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
  2. 2.Claire Valdez · Ballotpedia Reference
  3. 3.Claire Valdez · Ballotpedia Reference
  4. 4.Issues · Claire Valdez for Congress Candidate's own words
  5. 5.Assemblymember Claire Valdez launches campaign for congress · NY1 · 2026-01-09 News report
  6. 6.Issues · Claire Valdez for Congress Candidate's own words
  7. 7.Bill A08084 · New York State Assembly Official record
  8. 8.Bill A05427 · New York State Assembly Official record
  9. 9.Bill A08917 · New York State Assembly Official record
  10. 10.Bill A08931 · New York State Assembly Official record
  11. 11.Bill A11160 · New York State Assembly Official record
  12. 12.Issues · Melvin for Congress Candidate's own words
  13. 13.Biography · Melvin for Congress Candidate's own words
  14. 14.Priscilla Ghaznavi for Congress · Priscilla Ghaznavi for Congress Candidate's own words
  15. 15.Community Concerns · Priscilla Ghaznavi for Congress Candidate's own words
  16. 16.New York's 7th Congressional District election, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
  17. 17.Claire Valdez · Ballotpedia Reference
  18. 18.Issues · Claire Valdez for Congress Candidate's own words
  19. 19.Claire Valdez (Wikipedia) · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
  20. 20.Claire Valdez pitches herself as fresh voice for workers, tenants in NY-07 · New York Daily News via The Daily Gazette · 2026-10-21 News report
  21. 21.Claire Valdez for Congress · Claire Valdez for Congress · 2026-10-21 Candidate's own words
  22. 22.Claire Valdez - Assembly District 37 Biography · New York State Assembly · 2026-10-21 Official record
  23. 23.New York State Assembly District 37 · Ballotpedia Reference
  24. 24.Claire Valdez wins Democratic primary in NY-7, defeats Antonio Reynoso in closely watched progressive battle · PoliticsNY · 2026-06-23 News report
  25. 25.New York U.S. House District 7 election results 2026 · NBC News News report
  26. 26.Issues · Melvin for Congress Candidate's own words
  27. 27.Biography · Melvin for Congress Candidate's own words
  28. 28.Melvin Rivera (New York) · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
  29. 29.U.S. House New York's 7th Congressional District results 2026 · NBC News News report
  30. 30.Priscilla Ghaznavi for Congress · Priscilla Ghaznavi for Congress Candidate's own words
  31. 31.Community Concerns · Priscilla Ghaznavi for Congress Candidate's own words
  32. 32.Priscilla Ghaznavi · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
  33. 33.U.S. House New York's 7th Congressional District results 2026 · NBC News News report