Bernie Sanders Backs Claire Valdez in NYC House Race Dividing Left and Progressives

Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed socialist New York State Assembly Member Claire Valdez on Thursday in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez in New York's 7th Congressional District, backing her campaign alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America. Valdez has raised $750,000 from 11,200 donors, significantly outpacing her main competitor Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who raised just over $317,500 by the end of 2025. The race has fractured New York's progressive wing, with Velázquez endorsing Reynoso and backing from powerful unions and officials including Attorney General Letitia James, while Valdez draws support from national progressives, pro-Palestine groups, and Justice Democrats. Sanders' endorsement signals the national progressive movement is choosing sides in what local observers see as a test of whether competing factions can work together under Mamdani's mayoralty after tensions over his involvement in primaries.