Campaign Insiders is PoliticsNY’s latest Q&A series featuring candidates running for office in the 2026 New York primary election. This edition of Campaign Insiders features current Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who is running to represent New York’s 7th Congressional District. The 7th Congressional District includes Queens neighborhoods of Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside, Maspeth, Ridgewood and Woodhaven; and the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick, Clinton Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, East New York, East Williamsburg, Fort Greene, Greenpoint and Williamsburg.
What are the top three issues for your campaign?
In Congress, I will fight to abolish ICE, tax the rich to fully fund healthcare, housing, and childcare, and stand up to corporate power wherever it shows up. I will also fight to end the genocide in Gaza that the United States has enabled and stop Donald Trump and his allies from selling our democracy to oligarchs piece by piece.
Why did you decide to run for office?
I’m running for Congress because I know what it means to fight broken systems and win. The scale of the crises we face, whether it’s housing, healthcare, or our crumbling democracy, demands that elected officials be bold, brave and always side with working people, tenants, and immigrants. The best way to do that is on a federal level, working to create systematic change that puts the power back into the hands of the people.
What do you believe is the top issue facing voters and how do you plan to address it if elected?
The government no longer works for working people. Across NY-7, families are being crushed by skyrocketing rents, unaffordable healthcare, underfunded childcare, and an economy rigged to reward corporations while workers fall behind. We must tax the rich and close loopholes that allow mega-corporations to pay zero dollars in taxes. I will champion a worker-first economy that empowers unions, promotes living wages, and allows Americans to lead balanced, dignified lives.
How does your background qualify you to hold office?
I’ve spent my life taking on broken systems and winning for working people. From defeating a corrupt Brooklyn machine to passing landmark reforms like Commercial Waste Zones and the Right to Know Act as a council member, I’ve delivered real change. As borough president, I’ve stood with immigrants, workers, and tenants and never backed down to the powerful. I know how to build coalitions, take on tough fights, and deliver results.
Why should voters choose you over your opponents?
My campaign is not built on promises, it’s built on a decades-long record of service that turns promises into guarantees. I do not back down from a fight, and I will dedicate my time in office to delivering on the policies that my constituents elected me to achieve: abolishing ICE, taxing the rich, ending the genocide in Gaza, and funding healthcare, childcare and housing.
From now until early voting, Campaign Insiders will be featuring candidates from select democratic primary races across the City & State. Be sure to check back to hear from a wide range of candidates from assembly, senate, and congressional races as well as the NYS comptroller race!
Early voting in NYC is June 13th-21st and Election Day is June 23rd. Check out the PoliticsNY Election Primer to see who will be on your ballot and don’t forget to vote this June!
