New York's 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (June 23 Democratic primary)

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← 2024
New York's 8th Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 6, 2026
Primary: June 23, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (general elections); primary times vary by county
Voting in New York

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
New York's 8th Congressional District
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New York elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

A Democratic Party primary takes place on June 23, 2026, in New York's 8th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
April 6, 2026
June 23, 2026
November 3, 2026



A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. New York utilizes a closed primary process, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members.[1][2]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on New York's 8th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 8

Incumbent Hakeem Jeffries (D) and Vance Bostic (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House New York District 8 on June 23, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Hakeem Jeffries
Hakeem Jeffries
Image of Vance Bostic
Vance Bostic  Candidate Connection

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Vance Bostic

Image of Vance Bostic

WebsiteYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "Born and raised in Brooklyn’s Coney Island projects, I know struggle firsthand. Lost both by 21, I’ve hustled as a carnie, waiter, line cook, and in food-truck in, surviving on tips while chasing my passions as a photographer and musician and working in nightlife as a photographer. After years of watching bosses exploit workers, I earned my MBA at 38, Gaining exposure to how capitalism rigs the system against the people. I’m fed up and ready to fight back. I’m not a politician. I’m a servant of the people, ALL people. From NYCHA tenants, to gig workers, and artists crushed crippling standards. For too long people have not been able to relate with their representatives. We need hope. I’ve lived every fight we’re in o Survived NYCHA neglect, wage theft, and the hypocrisy of “progressive” Democrats who take PAC cash while Brooklyn starves. o Went from high school dropout at 18 to MBA at 38 - only to fully see the system is designed to crush us. Now, I’m here to break it. I’m not just a candidate – I am NYC’s repressed workforce personified. I've lived the grind. Every photo I’ve taken, every dish I’ve plated, every track I’ve made is proof I am the real deal. With no corporate cash and no apologies, I bring Brooklyn’s grit, artistry, and unyielding fight to a seat too long held by corporate puppets. Change is HERE! I will gut every single puppet of the establishment, through every single crack and craves. Enough is enough now. NO MORE! E Pluribus Unum!"

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

In the richest city in the world, no one should have to choose between their passion and their survival. Yet artists and gig workers are systematically locked out of the basic protections like healthcare, stable pay, and the retirement that every worker deserves. As someone who has been paid in 'exposure' and worked at the mercy of an algorithm, I know this isn't a choice; it's exploitation. That ends now. We are launching a fight for an Artist & Gig Worker Bill of Rights. This is about more than a paycheck; it's about our power. It's about saying that health insurance shouldn't chain you to a toxic job. That no delivery driver should fear a hospital bill more than a car accident.

No New Yorker should have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table. Yet for decades, politicians have treated housing like a stock market, letting corporate landlords and Wall Street speculators evict, displace, and exploit our communities for profit. Housing is not a commodity for Wall Street to speculate on - it is a fundamental human right. No one should spend over 30% of their income on rent or live in fear of eviction and displacement. We must house Humanity with dignity, not criminalize poverty. We don’t need more empty promises. We need a Congressmember who’s lived in the cracks of a broken system and is ready to rebuild it from the ground up.

For twenty years, I’ve survived on tips and empty promises from bosses who told me my smile would pay the bills. I’ve worked triple shifts and still struggled to afford the city I call home. So many of my family and friends have been forced to move because they can't afford the city. Too many of our Politicians don’t know that choice. They are funded by the same entities that designed this poverty we live under. Funded by the same corporations that lobby our Representatives to keep our wages low. We are the collected frustration of the workforce who are told we aren’t worth a living income. Our fight for a $30/hour minimum wage isn’t just policy. It’s a personal promise, it’s a vow: in the richest nation on Earth.

Voting information

See also: Voting in New York

Election information in New York: June 23, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: June 13, 2026
  • By mail: Received by June 13, 2026
  • Online: June 13, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: June 22, 2026
  • By mail: Received by June 13, 2026
  • Online: June 13, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: June 23, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by June 23, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

June 13, 2026 to June 21, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

6:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. (ET)

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Hakeem Jeffries Democratic Party $10,327,241 $9,417,063 $5,864,742 As of December 31, 2025
Vance Bostic Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2025_01_03_ny_congressional_district_08.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+24. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 24 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made New York's 8th the 38th most Democratic district nationally.[3]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in New York's 8th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
71.0%27.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in New York, 2024

New York presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 19 Democratic wins
  • 13 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party R R R D R R R R D D D D R R R D D D R D R R D D D D D D D D D D
See also: Party control of New York state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of New York's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from New York
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 19 21
Republican 0 7 7
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 26 28

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in New York's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.

State executive officials in New York, October 2025
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorDemocratic Party Kathy Hochul
Lieutenant GovernorDemocratic Party Antonio Delgado
Secretary of StateDemocratic Party Walter Mosley
Attorney GeneralDemocratic Party Letitia James

State legislature

New York State Senate

Party As of February 2026
     Democratic Party 41
     Republican Party 22
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 63

New York House of Representatives

Party As of February 2026
     Democratic Party 103
     Republican Party 47
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 150

Trifecta control

New York Party Control: 1992-2025
Nine years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
Senate R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D
Assembly D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in New York in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in New York, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
New York U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 5% of voters from the candidate's same party or 1,250, whichever is less N/A 4/6/2026 Source
New York U.S. House Unaffiliated 1% of votes cast for governor in the last election or 3,500, whichever is less N/A 5/26/2026 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The New York State Senate, "N.Y. Election Law § 17–102," accessed December 12, 2025
  2. ↑ The New York State Senate, "N.Y. Election Law § 5–304," accessed December 12, 2025
  3. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


New York's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Kirsten Gillibrand (D)
Chuck Schumer (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
Pat Ryan (D)
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
Democratic Party (21)
Republican Party (7)


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