Three candidates endorsed by Zohran Mamdani swept to victory in Democratic congressional primaries on Tuesday, demonstrating the growing political strength of the mayor's progressive coalition. According to reports from NBC New York, all three of Mamdani's endorsed candidates for Congress were victorious, marking a massive win for the left and a major blow for establishment Democrats. The biggest upset of the night came in New York's 13th district, where Mamdani-backed candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old community organizer and democratic socialist, narrowly defeated five-term incumbent Democrat Adriano Espaillat, 71, to represent Upper Manhattan and part of the Bronx. Additionally, former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander decisively unseated two-term Rep. Dan Goldman in New York's 10th Congressional district, while New York state lawmaker Claire Valdez won in the 7th district in Queens and Brooklyn, as reported by NBC New York.
Tuesday's Congressional primaries were viewed as a test of the political strength of Mamdani, who has been in office less than a year but is already trying to reshape New York's Democratic power structures. As reported by NBC New York, Mamdani endorsed in three competitive House primary matchups in New York City, breaking with Democratic leaders by throwing support behind leftist candidates who were unafraid to criticize Israel and push for ambitious economic policies. The victories appear to have validated this political strategy, with the mayor's wins certain to further unsettle his opponents and demonstrate the effectiveness of his coalition-building approach. Mamdani's most polarizing pick was Avila Chevalier, who has not held political office and casts herself as an outsider, standing on street corners with controversial streamer Hasan Piker in her final campaign push. Around an hour before polls closed, she was standing on a street corner in Harlem with controversial streamer Hasan Piker, chatting with voters in a final Election Day push.
The primary results highlighted divisions within the Democratic party over ideology, Israel and immigration. According to NBC New York, establishment Democrats also suffered a blow elsewhere in the city, including in New York's 10th congressional district, where progressive challenger and former City Comptroller Brad Lander decisively unseated two-term Rep. Dan Goldman, also endorsed by Jeffries. The victories for Valdez and Avila Chevalier were the latest gains for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who have drawn increasing political power from voter discontent about rising rents, costly childcare and stagnant wages. Espaillat, who was the first Dominican-American elected to Congress and chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had a slew of endorsements from powerful elected Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, but still fell to the progressive challenger. Voter Sara Hyler in East Harlem said she flip-flopped several times between Avila Chevalier and Espaillat in the lead up to Election Day, but eventually cast her ballot for Avila Chevalier after learning about AIPAC's heavy support for the incumbent. "It was the breaking point, my last straw," she said of AIPAC's donations to Espaillat.
The DSA currently has two members in Congress — Queens Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib — but is trying to expand its political power at the local and national level. As reported by NBC New York, Mamdani threw his support behind state Rep. Claire Valdez, a democratic socialist, instead of Antonio Reynoso, who had the backing of Velázquez and the Working Families Party, in the open race to succeed retiring progressive Rep. Nydia Velázquez in New York's 7th district. The organization is capitalizing on voter discontent about economic issues to build its political influence beyond its current congressional representation. All three of Mamdani's candidates have promised to "abolish ICE," condemned the "genocide" in Israel and vowed to "tax the rich" if elected. In his celebration speech on Tuesday, Lander vowed to abolish the federal bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, described Israel's war in Gaza as "genocide" and referred to "Trump's fascism."
The primary victories have significant implications for New York's political landscape, with these districts heavily favoring Democrats, meaning Valdez, Lander and Avila Chevalier are expected to win their general election matchups in the fall. According to NBC New York, these results mark a major shift in New York's political landscape, with the mayor's political movement demonstrating strong electoral appeal. Mamdani's most polarizing pick was Avila Chevalier, who has not held political office and casts herself as an outsider, standing on street corners with controversial streamer Hasan Piker in her final campaign push. The war in Gaza was a dividing line between Goldman and Lander, both of whom are Jewish. Lander assailed Goldman for not being tough enough on Israel over its military action against Palestinians. Goldman has consistently criticized Israel's government and condemned settler violence but has stopped short of describing the conflict as a genocide, which Lander has done. Despite opposition from wealthy residents concerned about his tax policies and Jewish voters angered by his criticism of Israel, the voters have shown strong support for the mayor's political movement, suggesting continued challenges for traditional Democratic leaders who may face further disruption from the progressive coalition's growing influence.
