A new candidate has entered the already-contentious race for New York’s 7th congressional district.
Public defender Vichal Kumar announced his campaign with an event in Bushwick and a campaign launch video, highlighting his intention to “Resist. Reclaim. Reimagine.”
“This campaign is about more than winning a seat — it’s about restoring confidence that government can work for working people,” said Kumar.
“We need bold ideas, and we need leaders who understand how to implement them. I’ve spent more than twenty years inside courtrooms and public institutions, reforming systems that weren’t serving people. That’s the experience I’m bringing to Congress.”
The son of working-class immigrants, Kumar previously served as President of the South Asian Bar Association (SABA)
He joins an increasingly crowded field, as Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, State Assemblymember Claire Valdez, and City Council Member Julie Won have already declared their candidacies. Like his competitors, Kumar is running on a progressive platform, with top priorities including dismantling ICE, empowering workers, and universal health care.
This particular race could be a referendum on New York City politics as a whole, in one of the country’s furthest-left political districts, pitting entrenched progressives against the new guard DSA (incumbent Nydia Velázquez has endorsed Reynoso, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has endorsed Valdez).
The primary election will take place on June 23.