New York City's progressive movement delivered a decisive message on Tuesday night, with three congressional candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani winning hard-fought Democratic primaries and reshaping the state's political landscape heading into November.
The sweep demonstrated Mamdani's growing control over the party's direction. Brad Lander, the former city comptroller, defeated incumbent Representative Dan Goldman in a commanding victory. Claire Valdez, a state legislator and former union organizer, toppled Antonio Reynoso, the endorsed successor of retiring Representative Nydia Velázquez. Most strikingly, Darializa Avila Chevalier, a public defense investigator running as a political outsider, defeated Adriano Espaillat, a five-term incumbent and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in Manhattan's 13th district.
With all three races representing deep-blue seats, the Democratic winners are virtually assured of reaching Congress in November. Mamdani's political gambit to elevate three left-wing allies has now fundamentally altered New York's congressional delegation and cemented his status as a kingmaker within the Democratic Party's progressive wing.
"The old politics that got us into this crisis is not the politics that's going to get us out of this crisis," Mamdani declared at a watch party for Valdez after the results came in, standing alongside Lander at a victory celebration in Brooklyn.
Meanwhile, a different political dynasty faced defeat elsewhere in the city. Jack Schlossberg, 33, grandson of President John F. Kennedy, failed in his attempt to win the House seat vacated by retiring Representative Jerry Nadler. Despite leveraging a massive social media following and name recognition, Schlossberg finished out of the running in New York's 12th district, a solidly Democratic seat where voters tend to favor liberal rather than left-wing politics.
Micah Lasher, a veteran New York political operative, won the crowded primary, which also featured prominent Trump critic George Conway and state assembly member Alex Bores. Lasher will enter November as a heavy favorite in the reliably Democratic district.
The night's primary results stretched well beyond New York. In Maryland, Adrian Boafo, a state delegate, won an extremely competitive race to succeed Steny Hoyer, the longest-serving House Democrat and a longtime member of party leadership who is retiring after 23 terms. Boafo defeated Harry Dunn, a Capitol Police officer who defended the building on January 6, and businesswoman Quincy Bareebe.
In another costly Democratic primary in Maryland's sixth district, Congresswoman April McClain Delaney held off a comeback attempt by former Representative David Trone, who previously held the seat and had sought to reclaim it after an unsuccessful Senate bid two years earlier.
The night also saw moderate Democrats hold their ground. On Long Island, Representatives Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen easily won primaries ahead of defending swing district seats in November. In the Hudson Valley, Cait Conley, a former White House counter-terrorism official and Army combat veteran, won a competitive Democratic primary to challenge Republican Representative Mike Lawler in a district that backed Kamala Harris in 2024 but elected a Republican to Congress.
In Utah, former Congressman Brad McAdams, a political moderate, won the Democratic primary for a newly drawn Salt Lake City district that now leans Democratic.
Republican contests reflected the continued dominance of Donald Trump's endorsement power. In upstate New York's 21st district, Anthony Constantino, backed by Trump, won the Republican primary over state Assemblyman Robert Smullen, who had support from local party officials. Constantino will be the favorite to win the heavily Republican seat vacated by Elise Stefanik, who withdrew a campaign for New York governor last year after Trump initially nominated her for UN ambassador.
In South Carolina, state Attorney General Alan Wilson won a Republican gubernatorial runoff. Trump's endorsement in the race proved flexible, as he initially backed Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette before deciding at the last minute to endorse both candidates, telling supporters they "can't go wrong."
Also in South Carolina, three-star Navy Rear Admiral Nancy Lacore, who was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year, won the Democratic nomination for the state's first congressional district, defeating Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford in a runoff.
Former President Trump used social media to celebrate the defeats of Goldman and Conway. He called Goldman "weak and pathetic" and referenced the congressman's role as lead counsel during Trump's first impeachment. Of Conway, Trump predicted a weak showing, mocking the field of candidates as "young and aggressive Communists." Conway's ex-wife served as a top Trump adviser during his first term.
Author James Rodriguez: "Mamdani just proved he's not just a mayor with outsized ambition, he's a party boss who can deliver. That's a harder trick in New York than anywhere else."
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