Mayor Zohran Mamdani walked from one victory party to the next on Tuesday night, first in Brooklyn and later in Manhattan, and told crowds that a new path was open. “A year ago, it was not the end of a political movement. It was the beginning,” he said at Claire Valdez’s celebration, as supporters chanted “DSA! DSA!”
He had reason to smile. The three congressional candidates he endorsed in New York City’s Democratic primaries all won, and two of them knocked out sitting members of the House, according to Al Jazeera and the BBC.
The three races
In the 10th district, Brad Lander, a former city comptroller, beat two-term Rep. Dan Goldman by 65.7% to 34.1% with most votes counted. Lander accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, and Goldman was backed by pro-Israel groups. Bernie Sanders endorsed Lander too. “Tonight, the voters of 10th District have spoken,” Goldman said. “While this is not the outcome I worked so hard for, I respect their decision.” He added that he had called Lander to congratulate him.
In the 13th, Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Adriano Espaillat, a five-term incumbent who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Avila Chevalier is a doctoral student who has joined pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. Both outlets called her Mamdani’s most polarizing pick. Mamdani described her as a person “of clarity, of conscience and of conviction.”
In the 7th, state Assembly Member Claire Valdez beat Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, the handpicked successor of retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez.
All three candidates have vowed to “abolish ICE” and “tax the rich” and have accused Israel of genocide, which Israel denies, the BBC reported.
Where it did not go Mamdani’s way
Mamdani made no endorsement in the 12th district race to succeed Rep. Jerry Nadler. State Assembly Member Micah Lasher, a former Nadler aide backed by Democratic leaders, won. Jack Schlossberg, 33, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, lost. So did George Conway, the Lincoln Project co-founder, who took about 6%, and Assembly Member Alex Bores.
Reaction
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries had campaigned against Mamdani’s candidates. “We have agreed to strongly disagree,” he said on Capitol Hill. “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.”
President Donald Trump posted late that America would “never be a communist country!” and called Goldman “weak and pathetic.” Mamdani, who has described himself as a democratic socialist, has rejected the communist label Trump used during the mayoral race.
Al Jazeera described the night as a major gamble for the 34-year-old mayor. Establishment Democrats have warned that left-wing candidates may not appeal to swing voters in the November midterms. Most New York City districts are solidly Democratic, so the winners are all but assured of victory in the fall.
Sources
- Mamdani-backed candidates sweep New York City Democratic primaries
- Clean sweep for Mamdani-backed candidates in New York's Democratic primary
