NYC Councilwoman Carlina Rivera scores Rep. Nydia Velazquez’s endorsement in crowded NY-10 primary battle

The congressional primaries are still two months away, but that didn’t stop City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera from unveiling key endorsements on Friday from Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the crowded battle for New York’s 10th congressional district.

Rivera, a progressive rising star in the Democratic Party, also won the nod of Councilmember Lincoln Restler, who represents Brooklyn Heights and much of downtown Brooklyn, and Councilmember Alexa Aviles, who represents Sunset Park and Red Hook.

“You need to have that lived experience of being born and raised in this community,” Velazquez said at an endorsement press conference outside Brooklyn Borough Hall, noting that Rivera grew up in public housing. “At a time when developers and Bitcoin are giving away New York City, she will be there for all of us.”

New York City Councilmember Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan) (Shawn Inglima/)

Velazquez’s focus on Rivera’s roots was a not-so-subtle shot at Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), a fellow progressive who moved from Westchester County to run in the new 10th district.

Rivera, who was born and raised on the Lower East Side and has represented the neighborhood in the Council since 2017, took her own dig at Jones, who joined the race with a sizable campaign war chest.

“I know I didn’t come into the race with $3 million,” Rivera told a cheering crowd of about 40 supporters on the sun-splashed steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall. “I came into this race with a few very simple things: The communities that raised me, my record and a future that I promise you will be to deliver.”

Besides Jones, Rivera is taking on ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio, Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, ex-Rep. Elizabeth Holtzman and several other Democrats in the fight for the newly drawn open district that spans lower Manhattan and a chunk of Brooklyn.

As a member of the Council, Rivera championed the rezoning of SoHo and NoHo last year, a move that affordable housing advocates say should ease the housing crisis in the city.

Velazquez’s endorsement in the Aug. 23 primary is both a huge boost to Rivera and a snub of Jones, who is her colleague in the House of Representatives.

New York City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan) from unveiling key endorsements on Friday, June 17, 2022, from Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

Jones decided to run in the new district after his home in Westchester was drawn into the district of fellow progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Mondaire Jones fumes at Democratic heavyweight in redistricting feud

Most of Jones’ previous constituency is included in the new 17th district, but powerful Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) decided to run there.

There has been little polling in the 10th district contest, which has attracted more than a dozen candidates in all.

De Blasio, though, enjoys an edge in name recognition, and has his home base of Park Slope at the heart of the district.

De Blasio vows to be progressive champion in Congress as he launches NY-10 run

The district also has significant Latino populations in Rivera’s base on the Lower East Side and Red Hook, where Velazquez’s endorsement should carry significant weight.

The congressional game of musical chairs was sparked by the decision of the state’s highest court to reject a redistricting plan created by Democrats as an unconstitutional gerrymander. As a result, a special master was appointed to rejigger the state’s congressional districts, giving Republicans a better chance of winning a number of seats and tossing several Democratic incumbents into each other’s districts.