Money was supposed to settle races like these. In New York’s June 23 Democratic primaries, an Al Jazeera opinion article argues, it did not.
Brad Lander beat Congressman Dan Goldman, whom the piece calls one of the strongest defenders of Israel in Congress. Darializa Avila Chevalier unseated Congressman Adriano Espaillat, a veteran incumbent. Claire Valdez won her nomination while calling for a reassessment of US military assistance to Israel. Aber Kawas, a Palestinian American, won the Democratic primary for a state Senate seat.
The author, who is not named in the text, writes that the common thread was organisation. These campaigns ran on grassroots activism, volunteer networks and voter engagement, not on traditional party machines. AIPAC, the piece notes, remains one of the most influential lobbying groups in Washington with enormous financial resources. Even so, the New York results suggest heavy spending cannot always overcome a motivated movement when voters see a clear moral issue. For many younger Americans, the article says, Gaza is that issue.
Mamdani’s template
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sits at the center of the analysis. The author credits him with showing how grassroots organising, labour alliances, digital outreach, volunteer mobilisation and allied progressive networks can be converted into electoral power.
The piece argues that younger Democrats see the war’s devastation, the Palestinian civilian death toll, settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon as questions of human rights and justice rather than distant foreign policy.
A wider wave
The article treats New York as one part of a bigger pattern. It says 2026 has brought a record number of Muslim and Arab American candidates for office at every level. Adam Hamawy, an Egyptian American physician and military veteran, won the Democratic nomination for Congress in New Jersey. State Senator Aisha Wahab took a competitive Democratic primary in California.
In Michigan, home to one of the country’s largest Arab American communities, Dr Abdul El-Sayed is running for the US Senate. He is a physician and former Detroit health director, and his campaign focuses on healthcare reform and economic fairness. The author says many observers consider him the favourite.
Community organisations across the country, the piece reports, have seen increases in voter registration, fundraising and candidate recruitment since the Gaza war began. Harassment and disinformation remain obstacles for these candidates, and scrutiny of their religion and identity persists. The author concedes it is uncertain whether any of this will change American foreign policy.
Al Jazeera notes that the views are the author’s own.
