Rezoning Champ Brad Lander Victorious in Tuesday’s NYC Congressional Primary

Mayor Zohran Mamdani was a clear winner in Tuesday’s congressional primaries in New York City as all three of his endorsed candidates won their contests. For the real estate industry, though, the results were cloudier.

Former New York City Comptroller and rezoning champion Brad Lander emerged the victor over U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman. Meanwhile, NIMBY nemesis and sitting Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso lost to Mamdani-backed Claire Valdez in the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez.

Lander, in an interview with Commercial Observer during his unsuccessful mayoral run in 2024, touted his efforts to rezone swaths of the city to spur housing development. “When I was a council member,” Lander said, “I championed the city planning effort to do that for Gowanus. And it was unique in a way. I think Gowanus is the only neighborhood where we raised our hand to put together a vision for the kind of growth that we could see. That means opportunities for housing that don’t exist otherwise.”

And Reynoso, in a CO interview the same year, touted his plans to spread new housing development around Brooklyn, rather than focus development within a handful of neighborhoods. “Someone in Bay Ridge sees two cranes and they think that development is booming. And, in Williamsburg, there are like 18 cranes a day. No, it’s not booming. This is actually very slow growth. But they never get that perspective,” Reynoso said. 

Israel’s role in the Middle East conflict played a pivotal role in Lander’s victory over Goldman, but it was Mamdani’s endorsement of Lander, his ally in last year’s mayoral election, that almost certainly sealed the former comptroller’s victory in the district covering parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Meanwhile, Reynoso, who failed to get the support of the mayor,  attracted criticism from Velázquez, a left-leaning Democrat who has represented the Brooklyn and Queens district for decades.

Lander finished the Democratic primary with 64.5 percent to Goldman’s 34 percent, according to Politico. Valdez came away with a similar lead at 58.1 percent of the vote compared to Reynoso, who had 32.5 percent, and Queens Councilmember Julie Won with 7.5 percent, NY1 reported.

“Listen, we didn’t win the day this time. None of our efforts were in vain,” Reynoso said at an afterparty with his supporters Tuesday night. “Every time we speak to a voter, we let another person know that a better tomorrow is possible, and that is invaluable work.”

Reynoso, Lander, Goldman and Valdez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We are prepared to engage with elected officials focused on increasing housing opportunities, creating jobs and strengthening New York’s economy,” James Whelan, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, said in a statement.

Valdez and Lander weren’t the only candidates pulling off a win with Mamdani’s help on Tuesday.

Democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier also unseated incumbent U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a high-ranking Democrat who has represented Harlem and the Bronx since 2017. Mamdani had endorsed Chevalier.

This race was much tighter, with Chevalier gaining 49.4 percent of votes to Espaillat’s 45.9 percent, according to NY1.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.