Rep. Nydia Velázquez knew it was time to retire when Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral race.

“What I saw during that election was that so many young people were hungry for a change and that they have a clear-eyed view of the problems we face and how to fix them,” Velázquez, D-N.Y., told The Intercept. “That helped convince me that this was the right time to pass the torch.”

Velázquez, a native of Puerto Rico who has served in Congress for more than 30 years, announced her retirement Thursday, in the early days of what is sure to be a frenzied 2026 midterm season across the country and in several solidly Democratic New York districts. She was not facing a notable primary challenger, unlike her House colleagues Hakeem Jeffries, Ritchie Torres, and Adriano Espaillat: three you

See Full Page