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 younger New York congressmen who are all considered firmly in line with the Democratic establishment, and all facing challenges from their left.

“She could be in that seat as long as she wants,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, a longtime ally whom Velázquez once described as one of her “children.” “Nydia is at her peak. So that she would go out like that — it’s so Nydia.”

Velázquez is known as something of a den mother for a generation of........

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