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Democrat Congresswoman To Retire
Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) announced she will not run for re-election.
“Serving the people of New York City for over three decades has been the honor of my life,” Velázquez said.
“Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey, nothing I have accomplished would have been possible without your support,” she added.
Serving the people of New York City for over three decades has been the honor of my life.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey, nothing I have accomplished would have been possible without your support. pic.twitter.com/Y9GZFSfcqo
— Rep. Nydia Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) November 20, 2025
The 72-year-old is the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in Congress, first taking office in 1993.
“I love this work and I love my district, but I believe now is the right moment to step aside and allow a new generation of leaders to step forward,” she told The New York Times.
Roll Call shared more:
“New York’s recent mayoral election showed that Americans are hungry for change and determined to build a better future,” she said in a statement. Velázquez was an early supporter of Zohran Mamdani’s successful campaign for New York mayor.
Mamdani, in a post on the social platform X, said the congresswoman, “has always been a champion and tireless advocate for immigrants, small businesses and working families. Your grace and fight showed us what real leadership looks like. From the bottom of my heart, thank you La Luchadora.”
Velázquez’s retirement is likely to attract another crowded Democratic primary in the 7th District, which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Fellow Rep. Jerrold Nadler’s retirement has drawn a crowd of candidates in his Manhattan-based 12th District, while some primaries are expected in other districts in the city.
Velázquez, 72, is in her 17th term and is the ranking member of the House Small Business Committee. She served as chair of that panel twice — from 2007 through 2010 and again from 2019 through 2022.
“I’ve been here 34 years. So I know in my heart, I feel good, and I know that there is a pipeline of young elected officials that will step in and represent the district here with dignity, with compassion, with commitment,” she told POLITICO.
There is a strong possibility a socialist or progressive will emerge from the Democratic primary in the deep-blue district.
Nydia Velázquez leaves huge shoes. Who wants to fill them?
Both socialists and progressives are eyeing the seat, which is among the most left-leaning in the country. https://t.co/MitwTTrBRU
— City & State NY (@CityAndStateNY) November 22, 2025
POLITICO noted:
The House member’s career has been colored by her focus on immigrants, federal aid for Puerto Rico and the working class. More recently, she has been a forceful opponent to the Trump administration’s deportation agenda and is a frequent presence at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been arresting and holding migrants for removal from the country.
Several progressive and democratic socialist state and local lawmakers were already being floated Thursday as potential candidates to fill Velázquez’s shoes, though Velázquez didn’t name a chosen successor.
“I don’t want to put my finger on the scale,” she told POLITICO. “I just want to respect and give space for the candidates to come before the constituents and make their case and maybe closer to the primary I’ll get involved.”
Before Velázquez announced her retirement, no other candidates had filed to run for her seat — an indication of her popularity and the fact that she was considered a shoo-in for reelection.
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