On the ground in Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre in June, the scene was loud and unambiguous. Mayor Zohran Mamdani took the stage before a packed house and led the crowd through chants of “Abolish ICE,” “Tax the rich” and “Free Palestine,” and the room roared back. What he was really doing was introducing New York to its next wave of representatives.
Within days, all three congressional hopefuls Mamdani endorsed had won their Democratic primaries. Claire Valdez, a state assembly member and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, won the race to succeed retiring Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. Brad Lander, the former city comptroller, beat Congressman Dan Goldman in a race defined by Israel. Darializa Avila Chevalier, who works as a community organiser, beat the longtime congressman Adriano Espaillat.
Residents describe three candidates whose platforms overlap on abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, cutting US military aid to Israel and creating Medicare for All. Their paths, though, differ. Lander came up through city government; Avila Chevalier through advocacy for Palestinian communities and her “Babies Not Bombs” agenda; Valdez through the labour movement.
Their districts are heavily Democratic, so the June primaries effectively decided who goes to Congress after Tuesday’s midterm. The question now is whether bold campaign promises survive contact with governing. Strategist Nomiki Konst pointed to Mamdani’s early move to fill 200,000 potholes as the kind of quick win the newcomers need.
Lander named a ban on stock trading by members of Congress as one early measure. “Maybe that restores a little bit of trust,” he said.
The wider stakes are control of Congress, and whether a new progressive bloc can turn momentum into policy.
Sources
- Mamdani’s progressive allies vie for seats in Congress | US Midterm Elections 2026 News | Al Jazeera
- Opinion | The secret to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s success
