As Rep. Nydia Velázquez, the Puerto Rican progressive pioneer nicknamed “La Luchadora” for her willingness to fight for her community, exits her historic 16-term seat, her Thursday retirement announcement leaves a competitive primary in its wake.

Velázquez’s congressional district, which covers parts of northern Brooklyn and western Queens, is a leftist hotbed, having overwhelmingly voted for Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the primary. This upcoming congressional primary will likely see a wave of progressives – including members of the Democratic Socialists of America – seeking to capitalize off of Mamdani’s momentum. The central question, according to Democratic strategist Trip Yang, will be if Velázquez’s successor is “socialist or a non-socialist progressive.”

“From the bottom of my he

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