Mamdani allies defeat incumbents in New York Democratic primaries
Progressive candidates backed by New York City’s mayor ousted two House members, sharpening Democratic tensions before November’s midterms.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s endorsed candidates defeated establishment-backed Democrats in closely watched congressional primaries Tuesday, according to Al Jazeera and The Associated Press. The results give the democratic socialist mayor a stronger hand in city politics and raise new questions for national Democrats ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The slate backed by Mamdani beat two sitting members of Congress and won a third race for an open House seat. In many New York City districts, Democratic primary winners enter the general election with a strong advantage because the areas vote heavily Democratic.
Three wins for the mayor’s slate
Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Representative Adriano Espaillat, Al Jazeera and AP reported. Espaillat, in his fifth term, leads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Avila Chevalier is a democratic socialist who previously helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, according to the report.
Former city comptroller Brad Lander defeated Representative Dan Goldman, a two-term incumbent. Al Jazeera and AP described Lander as a longtime figure in New York progressive politics who has often shown support for the democratic socialist movement.
In another race, state Assembly Member Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Valdez is a democratic socialist and Mamdani ally, while Reynoso had been the chosen successor of retiring Representative Nydia Velazquez, according to Al Jazeera and AP.
The results marked a test of Mamdani’s reach beyond City Hall. The 34-year-old mayor campaigned hard for the three candidates, who ran on calls for major policy changes, with affordability and Israel’s war in Gaza among the central issues, Al Jazeera and AP reported.
Message to Democratic leaders
The outcome also landed as a setback for House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who campaigned against Mamdani’s endorsed candidates. Jeffries rejected the idea that a few primary losses would redefine House Democrats.
“We have agreed to strongly disagree,” Jeffries said of Mamdani on Capitol Hill, according to Al Jazeera and AP. “There are 215 members of the House Democratic caucus. A handful of primaries that go in one direction or the other, in a given state or two, aren’t going to reshape who we are as House Democrats.”
Mamdani celebrated with allies across the city after the results. At Valdez’s event in Brooklyn, he linked the victories to his own mayoral win last year, saying, “A year ago, it was not the end of a political movement. It was the beginning.” Later, at Avila Chevalier’s gathering in Manhattan, he said, “We are showing there is a new path for politics in our city and in our country.”
New York’s primaries help decide which Democrats will appear on the November ballot in races that could affect control of Congress. That balance will shape how much lawmakers can support or block President Donald Trump’s agenda in the final two years of his term.
Other New York races
In a separate contest for the seat being vacated by retiring Representative Jerry Nadler, Democrat Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, lost in a crowded field. Mamdani did not endorse a candidate in that race, according to Al Jazeera and AP.
State Assembly Member Micah Lasher, backed by Democratic leaders, won that contest. The field also included anti-Trump activist George Conway and Assembly Member Alex Bores, whose proposals to regulate artificial intelligence had drawn opposition from the tech industry, Al Jazeera and AP reported.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.