Mamdani-Backed Candidates Sweep NY Democratic Primaries
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- Mamdani-backed candidates swept three New York Democratic primaries, with the results seen as a test of the mayor's ability to pull the party leftward ahead of November's midterms
- Brad Lander ousted two-term Rep. Dan Goldman 65.7% to 34.1% in the 10th district, a race the source says "laid bare the party's divisions over the Israel-Gaza war" — Lander has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, while Goldman was backed by pro-Israel groups
- Darializa Avila Chevalier, a doctoral student and pro-Palestinian protester at Columbia, toppled five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in the 13th district
- Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the 7th district, completing the trio of Mamdani-endorsed winners, all of whom have vowed to "abolish ICE," "tax the rich," and accused Israel of genocide, which Israel denies
- Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy, lost his 12th district bid to Micah Lasher, an aide to retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler; George Conway, the Lincoln Project co-founder, also ran and won roughly 6% of the vote
- Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, downplayed the results, saying a handful of primaries "aren't going to reshape who we are as House Democrats," while Trump called Goldman "weak and pathetic" on social media and posted that America would "never be a communist country"
Why it matters: The clean sweep hands New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani a measurable boost of progressive power within the nation's largest city, validating his strategy of using endorsements to tilt the Democratic party leftward. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries publicly rebuffed the wins, and Trump weighed in with personal attacks, signaling an open fight over the party's direction heading into the midterms.
