JUNE 24, 2026
Mamdani-backed progressive candidates win three New York Democratic House primaries, defeating two incumbents
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's three endorsed congressional candidates — Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier — each won their Democratic primaries on Tuesday, with Lander defeating incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th District and Chevalier defeating incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th District. All three candidates are expected to win their general elections in deep-blue districts, which would place three Mamdani allies in Congress in January. A fourth notable primary in Manhattan's 12th District was won by Assemblymember Micah Lasher, who was not backed by Mamdani but defeated a crowded field that included Jack Schlossberg and George Conway.
Tuesday's primaries marked the first major test of Mamdani's political influence since his election as New York City mayor, and all three of his endorsed candidates prevailed. Chevalier, a 32-year-old community organizer and democratic socialist who had never held public office, defeated Espaillat — the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the first Dominican American elected to the House — in what CNN described as a race that "encapsulated divides between the Democratic old guard and a new class of progressive challengers." Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who had been endorsed by the retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez, by more than 20 points, according to Fox News. Lander, a former New York City comptroller who ran to Goldman's political left, made Israel and Gaza a central issue, according to the Associated Press.
The Manhattan 12th District primary drew outsized attention for a separate reason: a proxy war between competing factions of the artificial intelligence industry. Candidate Alex Bores, a former Palantir employee who had championed state-level AI regulation, attracted more than $7 million in attack ads from a group financed by OpenAI investors and more than $10 million in supporting ads from a group connected to Anthropic, according to the AP. Lasher, who won the race, told supporters he would not take cues from either side of the AI industry fight.
Coverage of the progressive wins diverged sharply across the political spectrum. NPR described the outcome as "a major victory for the left and a major blow for establishment Democrats," emphasizing that Mamdani's candidates were "unafraid to openly criticize Israel and advocate for ambitious economic policies," and quoted supporters who said the results would "energize young voters." The AP and Politico led with Mamdani's demonstrated political muscle and the DSA's declared intention to use Tuesday's momentum toward the 2028 presidential primary, with Politico reporting that DSA has already begun surveying its 250 chapters on which candidate to back. Fox News framed the results as a "far-left surge" that would give Republicans "more ammunition" to use Mamdani as a political foil in competitive House races, and quoted the National Republican Congressional Committee calling it "the night the Democrat establishment officially surrendered to Zohran Mamdani and the socialist wing of their party."