Election Q&A: Meet NY-13 Candidate Candace Niles

HARLEM, NY — Democratic candidate Candace Niles is running for Congress in District 13 in New York City's primary election on Tuesday, June 23.

Niles will face off against fellow Democratic candidates Darializa Avila Chevalier, Oscar Romero, Theo Chino-Tavarez and Adriano Espaillat, the incumbent. Though Niles will not appear on the ballot, she is still running as a write-in candidate.

District 13 includes parts of upper Manhattan and the Bronx, including all of Inwood, Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, Hamilton Heights, Harlem, East Harlem, Randall's Island, and parts of the Upper West Side and Upper East Side, as well as Marble Hill, Kingsbridge and Fordham.

Ahead of the election, Patch posed several questions to Niles about her platform, priorities, experience, and district. See her replies below.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article contains information about one of several candidates who have announced their campaigns for NY-13 in the 2026 primary election. Patch has contacted the other candidates with the same questions and will post replies as they are received. None of what Niles said during this interview has been fact-checked.

PATCH: What neighborhood are you from?

NILES: Harlem

PATCH: What languages do you speak?

NILES: English

PATCH: What’s your professional and educational background?

NILES: I have worked as a pharmacy technician for the last 9 years in various positions. The longest position I had was working at Health First as a pharmacy technician working with the senior population in medication adherence. My education background is Criminal Justice and I will be a paralegal as of 06/10/2026.

PATCH: Renter or owner?

NILES: I am a homeowner.

PATCH: The cost of living in NYC is going up. What’s your plan to make New York City more affordable?

NILES: The cost of living in New York City is pushing too many families, seniors, tenants, homeowners, and young people out of the communities they helped build. My plan to make New York City more affordable starts with housing, because housing is the biggest pressure people are facing. I will fight to protect tenants from unfair rent increases, expand truly affordable housing, strengthen protections against deed theft and housing scams, and make sure longtime homeowners are not taxed or priced out of their homes. I also believe affordability means lowering everyday costs. That includes fighting for prescription drug affordability, expanding food assistance for seniors and working families, supporting childcare access, and investing in good-paying jobs so people are not just surviving in New York — they are able to build a future here. We also need to support small businesses, because when commercial rents and operating costs rise, those costs get passed on to the community. I want to see more support for local businesses that hire locally and serve our neighborhoods. For me, affordability is about dignity. No senior should have to choose between food and medicine. No parent should have to choose between rent and childcare. No family should be forced out because the city they love has become too expensive to live in. My focus will be simple: protect tenants and homeowners, lower everyday costs, and make sure NY-13 families can afford to stay in NY-13.

PATCH: What is your position on bike lane expansion and street redesigns?

NILES: I support safer streets, but I believe street redesigns must be done with the community, not to the community. Bike lanes can help reduce accidents, support cleaner transportation, and make our streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians. But in neighborhoods like ours, redesigns also affect seniors, people with disabilities, small businesses, delivery workers, drivers, emergency vehicles, and families who rely on curb access. My position is simple: safety first, community input always. Before any major street redesign, residents and local businesses should have a real voice. We need safer crossings, better lighting, traffic calming, protected bike lanes where they make sense, and designs that do not create more congestion or hardship for working families.

PATCH: List two ways you plan to make New York safer.

NILES: First, I want to invest in prevention, especially for our youth. That means more after-school programs, job training, mentorship, mental health support, and safe spaces so young people have opportunity before they ever end up in the justice system. Second, I want to focus on community safety and accountability. We need law enforcement that responds quickly and respectfully, but we also need to address quality-of-life issues, housing insecurity, substance abuse, and lack of services. Safety is not just about policing — it is about making sure people have stability, support, and a future.

PATCH: What are your thoughts on the buffer zone bills sparked by protests in the borough?

NILES: I believe people have a constitutional right to protest and make their voices heard. That right must be protected first and foremost. At the same time, no one should be threatened, harassed, blocked from entering their home, workplace, house of worship, school, or medical facility, or made to feel unsafe in their own neighborhood. So, my position is about balance. Any buffer zone bill must be carefully written so it protects public safety without silencing anyone's free speech. I would want to review the exact language closely, listen to residents, civil rights advocates, faith leaders, and public safety experts, and make sure the law does not go too far or get used unfairly.

PATCH: What type of relationship will you have with the Trump administration?

NILES: My relationship with any administration will be based on one thing: what is best for NY-13. I will not be afraid to stand up to the Trump administration when its policies hurt our communities, our immigrants, our seniors, our tenants, our homeowners, our students, or working families. But I also will not play political games if there is an opportunity to bring resources back to the district. My job is not to serve a president. My job is to serve the people of NY-13. I will be firm, independent, respectful when possible, and aggressive when necessary.

PATCH: It’s a large field: what sets you apart from the other candidates?

NILES: What sets me apart is that I am not running because I was handpicked to run or because I’m a career politician. I am running because I know what it feels like to be ignored when you need help. When my home was threatened by deed theft, I reached out for help and saw firsthand how broken the system can feel when offices do not answer, when families are left scared, and when regular people feel invisible. That experience changed me. I also spent years working with seniors on medication access and adherence. I saw people struggling to afford medicine, dealing with barriers, and sometimes feeling like metrics mattered more than people. I bring lived experience, empathy, and urgency. I understand what families are going through because I have been there, and I am running to make sure government responds to people before they are in crisis — not after.

PATCH: What local experience most shaped your politics?

NILES: The experience that most shaped my politics was having my home threatened by deed theft. That situation opened my eyes. I was scared, I was looking for help, and I felt how hard it can be for an ordinary person to get answers from the very offices that are supposed to protect us. Only a few people were willing to help, and that stayed with me. It made me think about seniors, tenants, homeowners, and families across NY-13 who may not know where to turn. If I could be ignored, so could anyone else. That experience taught me that housing is not just policy — it is personal. It is safety, dignity, stability, and family. That is why protecting tenants, homeowners, seniors and children is at the center of my campaign.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.