Mamdani Allies Defeat Establishment Democrats in NYC Congressional Primaries

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On Tuesday night, all three congressional candidates endorsed by progressive New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their primary election contests, upsetting the choices of establishment Democrats and potentially setting the party on a new course.

Two of the Mamdani- and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-backed candidates won against incumbent Democratic Party members of Congress, while the third candidate won an open primary election.

Brad Lander defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman by a margin of around 31.8 points, as of Wednesday morning. Darializa Avila Chevalier bested Rep. Adriano Espaillat by 4.5 points. And Claire Valdez won against her opponent, Antonio Reynoso, by 20.3 points.

The primary election wins are being viewed as a show of force for progressive candidates, with one Democratic consultant describing them as “seismic.” Some establishment leaders of the party expressed questionable sentiments about whether they could cooperate with the winners should they move on to Washington.

“What we have to do is sit down and work with the left-leaning part of the party and see if we can come to some sort of understanding going forward,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani claps during a visit to Learning Through Play Pre-K on April 18, 2026, in the Bronx borough of New York City.

The center could be a model for other cities exploring ways to make life more affordable for workers.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, downplayed the losses for establishment Democrats, asserting that the victories for progressive candidates wouldn’t change the trajectory of the party.

“We have agreed to strongly disagree,” he said of the three candidates who won. “There are 215 members of the House Democratic caucus. 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.”

Meanwhile, DSA New York co-chair Gustavo Gordillo celebrated the wins, saying they put the party on a new path.

“We’re going to start thinking about 2028 and what comes next,” Gordillo said.

At a victory party in Brooklyn, Mamdani said the wins marked a “new chapter in our party’s history.”

“A year ago, it was not the end of a political movement,” Mamdani said, referring to his own election as mayor of New York. “It was the beginning.”

He continued:

It’s not just a question of electing more Democrats. It’s a question of electing better Democrats. When I look at these candidacies, I see in them a willingness to also put working people back at the heart of our politics.

Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza played a significant role in the races, with the progressive winners campaigning on ending the U.S.’s role in the genocide.

“Democrats are painfully divided by our differences about the U.S. relationship to Israel and Palestine, and we have to face up to it squarely,” Lander said on Tuesday, adding that he intends to become “one of the Jewish members of Congress most willing to stand up for Palestinian human rights.”

Lander’s opponent Goldman has had very close ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The organization also donated to Espaillat, which Avila Chevalier criticized during the campaign.

It’s unclear whether Tuesday’s results will translate to progressive candidates emerging elsewhere in the country.

“The energy is there, but every congressional district is different,” Mamdani-aligned Democratic strategist Rebecca Katz said. “To win in November, Democrats must embrace candidates who can authentically speak to the electorate they’re running to represent.”

Political journalist Taegan Goddard suggested on his Political Wire news site that the primary election wins for progressives indicated a “rejection of a political model” traditionally employed by the Democratic Party — one that is “incremental, institutionally minded, and focused on protecting incumbents.”

“Mamdani — along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — represent the party many city voters increasingly want: younger, more ideological, more confrontational, and far less interested in deference to seniority,” Goddard added.

Polling suggests that voters are receptive to Mamdani-backed political beliefs. A YouGov poll last fall, for example, found that 69 percent of U.S. voters backed raising taxes on corporations and millionaires; 66 percent backed free child care for children up to age 5; and 56 percent backed raising the minimum wage to $30 an hour by the year 2030.

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Required: Required: You must credit Truthout and retain our links, as follows: "This article was originally published by Truthout." Required: You must preserve the article exactly as it appears on our site. You cannot edit, shorten or otherwise alter the content. Required: You must clearly credit the author(s) and retain their byline. Prohibited: You cannot republish our photographs or illustrations without specific permission. Prohibited: You cannot use this work for commercial purposes. Republish HTML code for copying <h1>Mamdani Allies Defeat Establishment Democrats in NYC Congressional Primaries</h1> By Chris Walker This article was originally published by <a href src="https://truthout.org/articles/mamdani-allies-defeat-establishment-democrats-in-nyc-congressional-primaries/">Truthout</a> "It's not just a question of electing more Democrats. It's a question of electing better Democrats," Mamdani said. On Tuesday night, all three congressional candidates endorsed by progressive New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their primary election contests, upsetting the choices of establishment Democrats and potentially setting the party on a new course. Two of the Mamdani- and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-backed candidates <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/06/24/new-york-primary-election-results/90619460007/">won against incumbent Democratic Party members of Congress</a>, while the third candidate won an open primary election. Brad Lander defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman by a margin of around 31.8 points, as of Wednesday morning. Darializa Avila Chevalier bested Rep. Adriano Espaillat by 4.5 points. And Claire Valdez won against her opponent, Antonio Reynoso, by 20.3 points.  The primary election wins are being viewed as a show of force for progressive candidates, with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/nyregion/mamdani-politics-influence.html">one Democratic consultant describing them as “seismic.”</a> Some establishment leaders of the party expressed questionable sentiments about whether they could cooperate with the winners should they move on to Washington. “What we have to do is sit down and work with the left-leaning part of the party and see if we can come to some sort of understanding going forward,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/nyregion/mamdani-politics-influence.html">New York Attorney General Letitia James said</a>.  House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, downplayed the losses for establishment Democrats, asserting that the victories for progressive candidates wouldn’t change the trajectory of the party. “We have agreed to strongly disagree,” he said of the three candidates who won. “There are 215 members of the House Democratic caucus. 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.” Meanwhile, DSA New York co-chair Gustavo Gordillo celebrated the wins, saying they put the party on a new path. “We’re going to start thinking about 2028 and what comes next,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/nyregion/mamdani-politics-influence.html">Gordillo said</a>.  At a victory party in Brooklyn, Mamdani said the wins marked a “new chapter in our party’s history.” “A year ago, it was not the end of a political movement,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/nyregion/mamdani-politics-influence.html">Mamdani said</a>, referring to his own election as mayor of New York. “It was the beginning.” <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/mamdani-slate-sweeps-democratic-primaries-in-new-york-ousts-2-incumbents-from-congress">He continued</a>: <blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> It’s not just a question of electing more Democrats. It’s a question of electing better Democrats. When I look at these candidacies, I see in them a willingness to also put working people back at the heart of our politics. </blockquote> Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza played a significant role in the races, with the progressive winners campaigning on ending the U.S.’s role in the genocide. “Democrats are painfully divided by our differences about the U.S. relationship to Israel and Palestine, and we have to face up to it squarely,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/nyregion/ny10-primary-lander.html">Lander said on Tuesday</a>, adding that he intends to become “one of the Jewish members of Congress most willing to stand up for Palestinian human rights.” Lander’s opponent Goldman has had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/nyregion/mamdani-politics-influence.html">very close ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)</a>. The organization <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/24/israel-democratic-party-new-york-primaries-00973287">also donated to Espaillat</a>, which Avila Chevalier criticized during the campaign.  It’s unclear whether Tuesday’s results will translate to progressive candidates emerging elsewhere in the country. “The energy is there, but every congressional district is different,” <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/zohran-mamdanis-picks-take-key-house-primaries-broad-battle-democrats-rcna351128">Mamdani-aligned Democratic strategist Rebecca Katz said</a>. “To win in November, Democrats must embrace candidates who can authentically speak to the electorate they’re running to represent.” Political journalist Taegan Goddard <a href="https://politicalwire.com/2026/06/23/new-york-democrats-wallop-the-establishment/">suggested on his Political Wire news site</a> that the primary election wins for progressives indicated a “rejection of a political model” traditionally employed by the Democratic Party — one that is “incremental, institutionally minded, and focused on protecting incumbents.” “Mamdani — along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — represent the party many city voters increasingly want: younger, more ideological, more confrontational, and far less interested in deference to seniority,” Goddard added.  Polling suggests that voters are receptive to Mamdani-backed political beliefs. <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/mamdani-poll">A YouGov poll last fall</a>, for example, found that 69 percent of U.S. voters backed raising taxes on corporations and millionaires; 66 percent backed free child care for children up to age 5; and 56 percent backed raising the minimum wage to $30 an hour by the year 2030. <hr> This <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/mamdani-allies-defeat-establishment-democrats-in-nyc-congressional-primaries/">article</a> was originally published by <a href="https://truthout.org">Truthout</a> and is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)</a>. Please maintain all links and credits in accordance with our <a href="https://truthout.org/republishing-policy">republishing guidelines</a>.

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Mamdani Allies Defeat Establishment Democrats in NYC Congressional Primaries