Is everybody getting primaried? 2026 congressional midterm challengers emerge

The 2026 congressional primaries are still several months away, but candidates looking to challenge entrenched Democrats in New York are already coming out of the woodwork to announce their campaigns.

Democrats rejoiced last week as they swept in elections all over the country, such as New York City, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Georgia, and Maine. These wins have not only rejuvenated the party but put a fire under Democratic National Committee leadership heading into next year’s midterms.

“American voters just delivered a Democratic resurgence. A Republican reckoning. A Blue Sweep,” said DNC Chair Ken Martin in a statement. “And to all the Republicans who have bowed a cowardly knee to Trump all year, consider this: We’re coming after your jobs next. Over the next year, the ability to stop Trump in his tracks runs directly through the Democratic Party. We will earn every vote. We will win.”

The ultimate goal is to at least shift the balance of power away from a Republican-controlled Senate and House. But a slew of progressives and younger voters have become so steadfast in their disapproval of President Donald Trump and far-right Republicans that even high-ranking Democrats aren’t safe if they are perceived to be “weak.”

As of this Tuesday, former Bronx Assemblymember Michael Blake is vying for a chance to unseat Congressmember Ritchie Torres, the first openly gay Afro-Latino member, in the Bronx’s 15th Congressional District.

“People are pissed. As they should be. We should not be deciding on meals or Medicare; we should have both,” said Blake, who is building his campaign on affordability. “This is a moment where it’s clear that people want to see who is going to stand up for people.”

This would be the second time Blake is up against Torres, since he lost to him in the Democratic primary for District 15 in 2020. He is also fresh off his campaign for New York City Mayor in June’s primary, in which he opted to cross-endorse Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani early on.

Blake has heavily criticized Torres for his adamant pro-Israel stance and American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) funding, seemingly capitalizing on the momentum behind Mamdani’s win.

“I am an ordained reverend who has baptized people in the Jordan river, prayed at the Western Wall, and has been with Israelis and Palestinians together. You can say you are against AIPAC and against the actions of the government and not be anti-Israel,” said Blake. “In the same way, I can criticize what is happening with Trump as well as Senate Democrats and not be anti-American. We can say that Hamas is a terrorist organization that is brutalizing Israeli and Jewish people, and at the same time, say that a genocide is happening that is brutally taking the lives of Palestinians. We all deserve to live.”

Dalourny Nemorin, a staff attorney at The Legal Aid Society, is also planning on campaigning against Torres in the congressional race.

Brooklynite U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, and even House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, aren’t safe from challengers either.

Amid the longest government shutdown in history, Democrats were holding the line to save Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Schumer drew outrage for “orchestrating” a Senate bill this Monday, Nov. 10, to end the shutdown. Eight Democrats ended up voting with Republicans to make the deal work. The uproar has voters and organizers calling for Schumer to leave office or be replaced.

It was rumored that Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) would run against him in 2026, but she has denied planning to do so.

“With Donald Trump and the Republican Party doubling health care premiums, weaponizing our military against us, and ripping food away from children, MoveOn members cannot accept weak leadership at the helm of the Democratic Party,” said MoveOn Political Action Executive Director Katie Bethell in a statement. “Inexplicably, some Senate Democrats, under Leader Schumer’s watch, decided to surrender. It is time for Senator Schumer to step aside as minority leader to make room for those who are willing to fight fire with fire when the basic needs of working people are on the line.”

Brooklyn Councilmember Chi Ossé, a 27-year-old progressive, has made his intentions to primary Jeffries known but hasn’t officially announced just yet.

Meanwhile, Manhattan’s 12th Congressional District Congressmember Jerrold Nadler decided not to seek re-election in 2026, leaving his seat wide open to potential challengers. So far, Assemblymember Alex Bores, spotted on the campaign trail with Mamdani, is a favorite in a growing list of candidates.

The post Is everybody getting primaried? 2026 congressional midterm challengers emerge appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.