The popular New York City progressive cited the need for a changing of the guard.
NEW YORK — Rep. Nydia Velázquez, the Brooklyn progressive known to allies as “La Luchadora” for her fighting spirit, announced Thursday that she’s retiring from Congress and will not seek reelection next year.
The Democrat’s surprise decision against a 17th term sparked instantaneous debate over who would become her successor. And it marked the second planned departure by a septuagenarian member of Congress in New York City. Manhattan Rep. Jerry Nadler, 78, announced his retirement in September and has at least 10 Democrats vying to take his seat.
Velázquez, 72, said the time had come for generational change.
“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 in a brief interview.
Velázquez is closely allied with younger, left-leaning Democrats viewed as the future of the party. She is close to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow elected leader of Puerto Rican descent. Velázquez also endorsed Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the June primary when most of her fellow House delegation members sat out the race or backed other candidates.
“New York’s recent mayoral election showed that Americans are hungry for change and determined to build a better future,” Velázquez said in a statement earlier Thursday.
Mamdani responded to her retirement announcement by posting a photo of them together on X.
“Your grace and fight showed us what real leadership looks like,” Mamdani wrote. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you La Luchadora.”
The retirement was first reported by the New York Times.
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.
Velázquez’s district covers sections of North Brooklyn and western Queens dubbed the “Commie Corridor” for its residents’ leftist political leanings. Democratic socialist Mamdani beat moderate former Gov. Andrew Cuomo by 52 points in the mayoral primary.
Potential contenders for the seat include state Sen. Julia Salazar, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and New York City Council Members Jen Gutiérrez and Sandy Nurse.
“No individual and no political organization are entitled to a seat,” said Salazar, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. However, she added, “it makes perfect sense that a democratic socialist would run for this seat and, in doing so, continue the legacy and the work that Nydia Velázquez has done.”