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.

- By ARIAMA C. LONG Amsterdam News Staff

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.