Brooklyn Borough President (BP) Antonio Reynoso is marching on the marketing campaign path on this yr’s essential congressional primaries, however in a brand new path. He’s operating for New York seventh congressional district since Rep. Nydia Velázquez isn’t in search of re-election.
Reynoso, 42, a Brooklyn native, is the son of Dominican immigrants, and the primary Dominican to be elected as a borough president within the metropolis. In his present function, he’s primarily answerable for land use, price range suggestions, and neighborhood board appointments. However he has additionally labored to make his workplace extra energetic in the case of points like Black maternal well being and immigration providers over his years. Earlier than being elected BP in 2021, he spent eight years as a councilmember and co-founded the New Kings Democrats.
The seventh Congressional District consists of elements of Brooklyn and Queens, which was redistricted in 2022 to group largely Black and Brown communities with white, wealthier neighborhoods. This consists of Lengthy Island Metropolis, Astoria, Sunnyside, Maspeth, Ridgewood, and Woodhaven in addition to Bushwick, Clinton Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, East New York, East Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg. Reynoso was the primary to announce his bid for Velázquez’s seat again in 2025, and he’s raised about $630,067 in complete contributions, in line with Federal Election Fee (FEC) newest filings.
The Amsterdam Information caught up with Reynoso over the telephone. Right here’s what he needed to say about his marketing campaign to this point. Questions and solutions have been shortened or edited for area and readability.
AmNews: First query out the field, fairly apparent: Why run for Congress, particularly in a yr like this?
Reynoso: I used to be born and raised within the south facet of Williamsburg on public help. So, you realize, we had been on welfare. We had meals stamps. We had Part 8. And, I bear in mind a time when the federal government used to work for individuals, and I’m deeply grateful for what the federal authorities did for me. I’ve been trying to pay it ahead ever since. However proper now, it looks as if all the complications, all the nonsense, and the damage that individuals are feeling on this nation are coming by the use of the federal authorities. Whether or not that’s rising gasoline costs, inflation going up, a warfare with Iran, cuts to SNAP and cuts to Medicare. There’s at all times one thing happening that’s making our lives tougher, not simpler from the federal authorities. So I need to have the ability to go to Washington. Not solely to be an activist, but additionally to get issues achieved.
AmNews: Due to that political panorama you simply described, how are you gonna push again in opposition to these conservative insurance policies?
Reynoso: I’ve been capable of present in my time within the Metropolis Council, for instance, that at the same time as a freshman member that I’m very efficient. I understand how to construct coalitions. I understand how to get controversial payments handed. I received the NYPD Proper to Know Act (RTKA) handed. I received Business Waste Zones handed. I received outside eating handed. These are all items of laws that had been very controversial. And I used to be capable of converse to a ton of individuals with totally different factors of view to get it achieved. So the talents that I used to be capable of develop into and attain as a councilmember, I feel are expertise that can be utilized to lastly get some stuff shifting in Congress. I really feel like I’m uniquely certified to push the agenda of the working class individuals of America.
AmNews: New York’s seventh Congressional District, proper? Very various. I do know you’re already tremendous accustomed to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. So how in regards to the Queens half? How are you attending to know the opposite half of the district?
Reynoso: I represented Ridgewood, not solely as a employees member with Metropolis Councilmember Diana Reyna, however then after I turned a councilmember, Ridgewood was part of my district. I already knew Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale, all of Neighborhood Board 5 in Queens. Elements of this district that I’m very accustomed to so it’s not fully international to me. For the reason that marketing campaign began, I’ve been in Lengthy Island Metropolis. I’ve been in Sunnyside. I went to Queensbridge homes and Woodside. I’ve been shifting across the district and it’s been superb. It’s been an awesome expertise on this marketing campaign to get to know the neighborhoods, their character, their individuals, their small companies. It’s been fairly the expertise.
What I’ve come to notice is that we’re all combating the identical factor. Affordability is giving us a tough time. It doesn’t appear to be this federal authorities is working for the working class individuals.
AmNews: I seen you’ve been endorsed by the Queens Democrats, New Kings Democrats, naturally, and the Brooklyn Younger Dems, however not the Brooklyn Democratic Celebration. What’s up with that?
Reynoso: So my historical past, I used to be a founding father of New Kings Democrats, and was one of many first activists working in opposition to the county celebration in its corrupt methods of the previous. And I grew up as a reformer in politics. So I’ve been combating in opposition to the Brooklyn County Celebration for a very long time. I feel we’d like extra transparency, extra reform.
We’re the biggest county of Democrats within the nation, and we needs to be a mannequin for a way the Democratic Celebration needs to be shifting, and as an alternative we’re not. We’re continuously caught up in corruption. We use bully ways. We don’t improve participation. It’s extra about amassing energy versus serving to Democrats win. And so I wished to vary that and I labored for greater than a decade to make that occur. So, I’ve a relationship with Queens County, with New Kings Democrats, with Brooklyn Younger Dems. These are all organizations that proceed to maneuver progressively and have exhibited motion in direction of extra transparency and inclusion. The Democratic Celebration of Brooklyn hasn’t essentially moved in that manner. So yeah, it’s no shock to me that I haven’t been endorsed by them.
AmNews: On to coverage issues. What precisely would you alter by way of the federal immigration insurance policies to raised help immigrant communities and asylum seekers?
Reynoso: The very first thing is an trustworthy and true path to citizenship. I feel the problem we have now is that there’s no clear system by which we accomplish immigration reform, and we have to begin engaged on that. There have been alternatives for the final couple of many years to get one thing achieved, and we haven’t been capable of accomplish it. So the very first thing I need to do is see if we will construct complete immigration reform. And abolishing ICE is deeply necessary in work that should get achieved. It’s a militaristic pressure that’s terrorizing our communities, terrorizing immigrants which have contributed drastically to this nation, particularly in cities like New York. In order a son of immigrants, and somebody that understands the worth of immigrants, I’m going to be sure that I battle for each single one among them.
AmNews: How would you advocate for environmental initiatives and reasonably priced housing on the congressional degree? Even with the cuts being made.
Reynoso: Ever for the reason that Faircloth Modification was enacted within the late Nineteen Nineties, we haven’t constructed reasonably priced housing or contributed drastically to the development of recent housing on this nation. And I feel it’s damage us. Throughout disaster moments of the previous, presidents and mayors have come collectively to construct a ton of housing throughout emergency and disaster instances. I consider we’re in a housing disaster proper now, and the federal authorities performs virtually no function in supporting the American individuals. I need to repeal the Faircloth Modification, to permit for the federal authorities to associate within the development and improvement of recent housing, like NYCHA or what individuals name social housing. Then we have to have a dialog about reestablishing the American dream and helping with center class house possession.
After which environmental justice. We’ve fought right here in north Brooklyn in opposition to ExxonMobil and Newtown Creek round truck visitors. What we see is a president that’s prepared to undo many years of environmental, sustainability work over how he awoke that day. We have to construct securities within the contracts which can be signed by the federal authorities for points like environmental justice. When the president wakes up and thinks that wind farms usually are not one thing he needs to do, despite the fact that we had a contract and thousands and thousands of {dollars} have been spent. He shouldn’t have the authority to unilaterally push it again, value us thousands and thousands, delay the undertaking, and value individuals jobs. So I need to be certain that as soon as contracts are signed, that if a president has an objection, he has to undergo correct protocols and channels, to have the ability to object to it. Freeze the cash after which have a courtroom decide on whether or not it may well keep frozen or whether or not the corporate can preserve it. The burden of proof that this system isn’t working, ought to fall on the president’s workplace or the president to make a dedication, and thereafter if it’s discovered that it’s not one thing that ought to proceed, then we may pull cash. However for us to simply pull cash via government order, it speaks to partisan politics and political choices based mostly on feelings versus information and truth.
AmNews: Adjoining to the environmental subject is the rising value of vitality and the warfare in Iran. What do you suppose?
Reynoso: Two issues. It’s completely ridiculous that we’re at warfare, a warfare that we don’t have to be in and a warfare the place no imminent risk truly existed. I feel that we’ve made a giant mistake getting into there. However then the repercussions of which can be that vitality costs are via the roof. We’ll pay extra for gasoline in a time when individuals have much less disposable earnings than ever. I simply suppose it’s irresponsible for the president to have gone to warfare and put the American individuals via this prolonged disaster.
And the opposite factor is, we wouldn’t be so reliant on oil if we simply put forth a variety of the environmental and sustainability practices that we’ve been committing to. I simply suppose that we have to get there and double down on the constructing of renewable vitality infrastructure so we may wean away from the necessity for pure gasoline and petroleum. That hasn’t been the case. We’ve been sluggish taking part in our transition and what you see as we speak with the costs of gasoline and the way individuals are burdened with that could be a reflection of our lack of ability to behave on the state and metropolis degree.
AmNews: So, on the off probability that you just don’t win your congressional run, would you take into account operating in opposition to Mayor Mamdani for what can be his second time period in 4 years?
Reynoso: I’m targeted on operating this race. This race is the one which I feel is most necessary proper now. I feel the American individuals want a fighter in Congress, and that’s the place I need to be to battle for them. Something associated to my future is one thing that I’ve not thought of. I’m targeted on this race and this race solely. I haven’t thought previous June twenty third.
The New York State major will takes place June 23, 2026. The final election follows on November 3, 2026.
