Diamant Hysenaj, the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress in New York’s 14th Congressional District (NY-14) in the Nov. 3 general elections, says he’s committed to being a reliable presence for his community.
Hysenaj, who previously advanced to the general election by default after the Republican and Conservative Party primary elections had been canceled, will challenge incumbent Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who has held the seat since 2019.
NY-14 encompasses parts of the East Bronx neighborhoods of City Island, Country Club, Morris Park, Parkchester, Pelham Bay, Throggs Neck and Van Nest, among several Queens neighborhoods. In total, NY-14 has a population of more than 700,000 city residents.
Born in Kosovo, which at the time was a province within the Republic of Serbia, Hysenaj, escaped the escalating conflict and arrived in the United States, specifically in the South Bronx, at just nine years old. Since then he has built his life in New York City.
He held several jobs during adolescence, including working as a lifeguard and as a paperboy, and he also shoveled snow in his neighborhood during the winter months in the Bronx and later when his family moved to Yonkers in Westchester County.
Hysenaj attended Westchester Community College and received an Associates degree in liberal arts.
At 22 years old, he founded DCG New York Inc., a real estate development and construction management firm located in downtown Manhattan, which offers real estate development, general building construction management, pre-construction planning and permit approvals, among other services.
Despite his original intention to attend New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), Diamant decided to shift his focus on launching his own business.
Hysenaj’s main interests include lowering housing costs, economic relief and lowering taxes, boosting neighborhood safety, reforming legal immigration, increasing non-government-funded health care options and restoring community representation at all levels of government.
He has also expressed his intention to eliminate all taxes for senior citizens.
“Affordable housing has been a disaster and a joke — there’s nothing affordable about it,” Hysenaj told the Bronx Times. “I mean, local residents are being displaced while hotels are being used as emergency homeless shelters and the government is still taking steps to squeeze federal funding.”
Hysenaj has said he understands both the struggles and opportunities which define the very communities he wants to represent, simply because, as he put it, he’s lived them.
“As a [family man], citizen, entrepreneur, business owner and immigrant, nobody understands overcoming obstacles and hardship more than I do,” Hysenaj said.
As Ocasio-Cortez’s challenger in the upcoming general election, Hysenaj openly voiced his disdain for AOC’s perceived inaction during her tenure and offered particular criticism of the congresswoman.
“She’s not present for her district at all,” Hysenaj said. “I’ve attended more than 400 events across the district, from parades to community board meetings — I’ve never seen AOC at one of them, but unlike her, I will be there for my community.”
Hysenaj also claimed the incumbent refuses to debate a Republican candidate.
“It’s a shame that the people of the Bronx don’t get to hear a spirited debate between her and someone of another political party,” he said.
In terms of advocating for future generations, Hysenaj maintained funding should be directed toward community projects such as new youth facilities and community centers.
“Children don’t have enough parks and recreation [space], especially during the winter,” Hysenaj said. “Kids are stuck inside these cubicle apartments, and we need to invest money into building facilities, like centers for sports, to keep them engaged in their community and out of trouble.
Additionally, Hysenaj told the Bronx Times he favors expanding ferry service to Orchard Beach instead of City Island, following last month’s City Council bill which was introduced to study City Island’s feasibility.
Hysenaj hopes to restore faith in the American Dream while fighting for working families, supporting small businesses, improving public safety while also ensuring every neighborhood in the Bronx and Queens has a voice and representation in the federal government.
AOC did not return a request for comment as of press time. She became the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress when she took office in January 2019 at the age of 29.
She officially became the Democratic nominee of NY-14 after she defeated candidates Marty Dolan and Felipe Garcia in the 2026 primary elections.
