New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s gamble on three congressional primary races paid off Tuesday as all three candidates he endorsed won their Democratic primaries, cementing his role as a kingmaker in New York City politics and delivering a sharp rebuke to the Democratic establishment.
The victories included two democratic socialist first-time candidates and a former city comptroller running well to the left of their rivals. The results, reported by The Guardian, underscore an ideological shift among Democratic primary voters in New York City, who rejected incumbents and establishment-backed candidates in favor of candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America and more assertive positions on Israel and economic policy.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, who has not held public office before, defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Espaillat had the support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a fellow New Yorker. Chevalier was endorsed by Mamdani but not by Velázquez, who backed Reynoso.
In the race for the seat of retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez, state assembly member Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn borough president Antonio Reynoso. Velázquez had endorsed Reynoso, while Mamdani backed Valdez.
The most lopsided result came in a district where former city comptroller Brad Lander defeated Rep. Dan Goldman, a former federal prosecutor who served as lead counsel for Donald Trump’s first impeachment. Lander ran to Goldman’s left, criticizing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s support for Goldman and promising to sponsor legislation that would restrict military aid to Israel.
Mamdani, who was elected mayor one year ago after defeating then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary, had described the race as a matter of electing “better Democrats” who would “put working people back at the heart of politics,” according to The Guardian.
All three winners are expected to prevail in November in safely Democratic districts, according to the report, meaning three Mamdani allies would join Congress in January 2027.
Political commentator Van Jones, a former Obama administration official, said on CNN: “This is a battle between the establishment and this insurgency. And the roof is collapsing on the Democratic party establishment tonight … This is no longer a movement; this is a movement and a machine at the same time.”
The results follow other signs of leftward momentum in Democratic primaries. Democratic socialist mayoral candidates won the Democratic primary in Washington, D.C., and made the runoff in Los Angeles. A Gallup survey last year found that 42% of Democrats view capitalism favorably, while 66% have a positive view of socialism.
The party establishment did see some consolation elsewhere. Moderate candidates Ben McAdams in Utah and Cait Conley in New York’s suburbs won their primaries, a reminder that the fight for the House majority will be decided in swing districts in November. Party leaders have expressed hope that divisions will be papered over by strong anti-Trump sentiment in the general election.
But within New York, the results were widely read as a repudiation of both Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both New Yorkers and both staunch supporters of Israel. Jeffries had supported Espaillat and Goldman; Schumer declined to endorse Mamdani before the mayoral general election and only did so 11 days before polling day. Voters delivered a rebuke that observers compared to the Tea Party wave that once shook the Republican Party.
Mamdani’s political rise has been rapid. One year before Tuesday’s primary, he defeated Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary, a victory that put him on course to win the general election and become mayor. Speaking to supporters on Tuesday night, he cast the results as a sign of continued momentum. “A year ago, it was not the end of a political movement,” he said, according to The Guardian. “It was the beginning.”