Mamdani went three for three. On Tuesday night, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani saw every candidate he endorsed in the city’s congressional primaries win, and two sitting Democratic members of Congress lost their seats to challengers he backed.
The third winner took the primary for an open House seat in the city. Two of the three are affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America. If they win in November, they would join Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib in Congress, adding to DSA representation there.
“What I see these results as a reflection of are the fact that New Yorkers are hungry for a new kind of politics,” Mamdani said. “They are hungry for a politics that understands working people should be at the heart of it.”
Republicans seize on the result
Republicans wasted no time. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had been warning for weeks that “mini-Mamdani’s” were popping up around the country. “It is a dangerous thing,” he said. “It is not a joke, we are in a fight right now to save the Republic and everyone in America needs to wake up.”
Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., said Democrats should look at whether socialism has worked where it has been tried. “It’s been tried in Western Europe. It’s been tried in England; it’s failed miserably,” he said.
Jeffries on the defensive
The night was a setback for the Democratic establishment. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had backed the incumbents who lost. Elsewhere, more moderate Democrats won primaries, in Maryland and Utah among other states.
Jeffries pointed to the bigger goal. “I think the goal is to win as many seats currently held by Republicans as possible and take back control of the House of Representatives,” he said.
Asked whether Mamdani is making enemies on Capitol Hill by endorsing challengers against incumbents, Jeffries was dry. “Listen, the mayor and I agreed to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements,” he said, “and he’s got work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward.”
The Democratic Socialists of America, meanwhile, are surveying their chapters about what to try next, including who the group should back for president in 2028. The organization wants a candidate on stage for the primary debates.
