VoterLens
Data last updated 10/27/2026
Melvin Rivera is a first-time candidate for U.S. House New York District 7 and a longtime Bushwick housing advocate who was born and raised in Brooklyn. He has spent more than 30 years as a community activist, tenant organizer, and advocate for working families, including work protecting rent-stabilized tenants, defending homeowners from predatory real estate speculation, and supporting vulnerable populations. Patch reported that he has worked for New York City's Mayor's Public Engagement Unit for more than six years.
Committee Assignments: No committee assignments available.
Melvin Rivera’s healthcare-related platform emphasizes public-health prevention and community resilience rather than a broad health-insurance agenda. His stated positions focus on protecting residents from environmental health threats, lead and air-quality risks, heat vulnerability, and aging water/sewer infrastructure.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Rivera supports protecting communities from environmental and health threats through investments in flood resilience, sewer infrastructure, and climate adaptation.
SourceRivera supports expanding cooling centers and senior and disability support programs as part of a health and resilience agenda for safer neighborhoods.
SourceRivera supports strict enforcement of lead safety and air quality standards to reduce health risks in local communities.
SourceRivera supports a Safe Water Infrastructure Action Program to replace aging systems, prevent environmental hazards, and protect public health.
SourceRivera supports redirecting revenue from a reinstated stock transfer tax into drinking water systems, stormwater infrastructure, and sewer systems with a stated public-health purpose.
SourceMelvin Rivera’s Economy & Jobs platform emphasizes economic independence, workforce pipelines, small-business growth, labor rights, and cost relief for working families. He frames his approach as building careers and ownership while reducing dependency, monopoly power, and unnecessary regulation.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Rivera supports restoring HRA apprenticeship programs tied to high-income industries, creating pathways to $70K–$100K careers, and allowing families to keep benefits while advancing economically.
SourceRivera supports challenging monopolistic practices, expanding micro-loans and startup capital, revitalizing industrial zones with business incentives, and cutting unnecessary small-business regulations.
SourceRivera supports expanding trade schools, apprenticeships, and industrial high schools while requiring financial literacy and entrepreneurship training to connect education with real-world careers.
SourceRivera supports repealing the Taylor Law, protecting workers’ rights to organize, protest, and negotiate fair wages, and improving compensation and working conditions for public employees.
SourceRivera supports auditing MTA spending and congestion pricing, expanding Fair Fares, improving commuter affordability, and introducing regulated transit alternatives in underserved areas.
SourceMelvin Rivera describes his immigration stance as a "balanced approach" that is lawful, humane, and practical. He supports targeted enforcement focused on criminal offenders, stronger due-process protections for enforcement actions, and expedited green-card pathways for long-term, law-abiding, taxpaying immigrants while framing the approach as earned opportunity rather than amnesty.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Rivera supports an immigration system he describes as lawful, humane, and practical, with the stated goal of order, fairness, and stability.
SourceRivera supports focusing immigration enforcement on criminal offenders rather than a broader indiscriminate enforcement approach.
SourceRivera supports requiring proper warrants for enforcement actions and protecting places of worship as well as civic and administrative appointments.
SourceRivera supports expedited green-card pathways for people who have lived in the United States for more than 10 years, are law-abiding, pay taxes, and contribute.
SourceRivera frames his immigration plan as "not amnesty" but as earned opportunity with accountability for qualifying immigrants.
SourceMelvin Rivera supports a climate-and-energy agenda centered on local resilience and environmental health rather than a broad federal decarbonization plan. His stated positions emphasize flood resilience, sewer and stormwater infrastructure, climate adaptation, clean air and water, and attention to the energy, water, and environmental impacts of AI.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Rivera supports investing in flood resilience, sewer infrastructure, climate adaptation, cooling centers, and senior and disability support programs to protect communities from environmental and health threats.
SourceRivera supports a Safe Water Infrastructure Action Program to replace aging systems, prevent environmental hazards, and direct revenue toward drinking water, stormwater, and sewer infrastructure.
SourceRivera supports enforcing strict lead safety and air quality standards as part of a broader environmental-health and resilience agenda for neighborhoods.
SourceRivera said innovation should include responsible regulation and accountability for AI's energy, water, and environmental impacts while confronting climate change.
SourceMelvin Rivera’s education platform emphasizes workforce-oriented schooling, with an "Education & Workforce Transformation" agenda aimed at real-world career readiness. He supports expanding vocational pathways, requiring financial and entrepreneurship education, and shifting more control to parents and communities.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Rivera supports expanding trade schools as part of an education system focused on real-world success and career skills.
SourceRivera supports expanding apprenticeships to connect students with practical career pathways and skills beyond diplomas.
SourceRivera supports expanding industrial high schools as a workforce-focused education option for students.
SourceRivera supports requiring financial literacy education so students graduate with practical life and career skills.
SourceRivera supports requiring entrepreneurship training as part of a skills-based education agenda.
SourceMelvin Rivera’s public safety platform emphasizes "balanced and effective policing," with support for fully funding law enforcement, better officer compensation and mental health support, and expanded community policing. He frames these policies as a way to produce safer streets while strengthening public trust.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Rivera supports fully funding law enforcement as part of his public safety and community stability agenda.
SourceRivera says his public safety agenda is to pursue safe neighborhoods through balanced and effective policing.
SourceRivera supports increasing officer salaries and mental health support for law enforcement personnel.
SourceRivera supports expanding community policing to improve neighborhood safety and trust.
SourceBallotpedia
https://ballotpedia.org/Melvin_Rivera_(New_York)Fetched: biography, committee assignments
VOTE411
https://onyourballot.vote411.org/m/candidate-detail.do?id=73188926Fetched: biography, education
Patch
https://patch.com/new-york/brooklyn/election-q-meet-melvin-rivera-republican-candidate-ny-7Fetched: biography, age
FEC API
https://api.open.fec.gov/v1/candidate/C00949578/totals/Fetched: totalRaised, totalSpent, cashOnHand
FEC
https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H6NY07271/?cycle=2026&election_full=trueFetched: campaignFinance
Ballotpedia - New York's 7th Congressional District election, 2026
https://ballotpedia.org/New_York%27s_7th_Congressional_District_election%2C_2026Fetched: issuePositions
Ballotpedia New York's 7th Congressional District election, 2026
https://ballotpedia.org/New_York%27s_7th_Congressional_District_election%2C_2026Fetched: candidateStatus
Ballotpedia - New York's 7th Congressional District election, 2026
https://ballotpedia.org/New_York%27s_7th_Congressional_District_election,_2026Fetched: issuePositions
Ballotpedia - Melvin Rivera (New York)
https://ballotpedia.org/Melvin_Rivera_%28New_York%29Fetched: candidateInfo
BallotReady candidate profile
https://www.ballotready.org/people/melvin-riveraFetched: issuePositions