NY-7 Democratic primary, 2026 — full tally
Published: retrieved 2026-08-13 | Source: reporting
Summary
The only retrievable full vote tally for a 2026 New York congressional primary. Claire Valdez, a 36-year-old DSA-aligned state assemblymember (Texas-born painter, elected to AD-37 in 2024), won the open NY-7 seat vacated by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez, beating Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso — whom Velázquez had endorsed — by a wide margin. Also records her 2024 Assembly path: she took the seat by defeating scandal-hit incumbent Juan Ardila in a primary where he finished third with under 10%.
Key Claims
NY-7 Democratic primary, 2026-06-23:
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Claire Valdez | 37,531 | 56.1% |
| Antonio Reynoso | 23,960 | 35.8% |
| Julie Won | 4,231 | 6.3% |
| Vichal Kumar | 1,134 | 1.7% |
| Write-in | 97 | 0.1% |
- Margin: Valdez by 20.3 points / 13,571 votes.
- Total primary ballots: ~66,953.
- This was an open seat — no incumbent was defeated in NY-7.
- 2024 AD-37 primary: Valdez 4,075 (58.6%), Johanna Carmona 2,179 (31.3%), incumbent Juan Ardila 675 (9.7%).
- 2024 AD-37 general: Valdez 34,293 (98.5%) on Democratic + Working Families lines.
Connections
Entities mentioned: Claire Valdez, Zohran Mamdani, Bernie Sanders, Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Events: 2026 New York Congressional Primaries (Mamdani slate sweep)
Contradictions / Tensions
- The 20-point margin is the cycle’s most lopsided DSA-aligned congressional result and the strongest single datum for Does socialism win elections in America? — but it is an open seat in a Brooklyn/Queens district (Williamsburg, Bushwick) that is among the most favorable terrain in the country for the left. Do not generalize it to purple-state contests like 2026 Michigan Democratic Senate Primary or 2026 Wisconsin Democratic Gubernatorial Primary.
- ~67,000 primary ballots against a general electorate several times larger — the low-turnout-primary critique applies here even though it does not apply to 2025 NYC Mayoral General Election.
Notes
Tertiary source, logged genre: reporting for schema compatibility. Reporting outlets covering this race (19th News, NBC News, ABC7) either paywalled, 403’d, or carried no tabulated numbers; this was the only full tally obtainable. Verify against NYC BOE certified results.