Three congressional candidates endorsed by Zohran Mamdani, New York's democratic socialist mayor, decisively won their primary races Tuesday, toppling establishment-backed incumbents and signaling a major shift in the cityâs Democratic politics.
Brad Lander, the former New York City comptroller, defeated two-term congressman Dan Goldman in the 10th district race. With 92% of the vote counted, Lander led by 31 points. The matchup had centered partly on their competing views of Israel's war in Gaza, with Lander, who is Jewish, publicly calling Israel guilty of genocide and calling for a ceasefire.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old doctoral student and community organizer with no prior political experience, pulled off a stunning upset in the 13th district. She captured nearly 49% of the vote against five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Avila Chevalier will be the first Dominican woman elected to Congress if she wins the general election in November. Her campaign withstood a costly barrage of negative advertising from super PACs supporting Espaillat, including racist attacks questioning her Dominican heritage.
In the 7th district, Claire Valdez defeated Antonio Reynoso, the Brooklyn borough president and handpicked successor of Nydia Velazquez, a progressive icon who was the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress.
All three candidates are expected to win their general elections in heavily Democratic districts, positioning them to form a fresh cohort of progressive Democrats in Washington. At Valdez's victory watch party, Mamdani rejected the political establishment's approach. "The old politics that got us into this crisis is not the politics that's going to get us out of this crisis," he said.
The sweep marks a dramatic expansion of Mamdani's influence as a kingmaker for the left and underscores the rising power of the Democratic Socialists of America in shaping electoral outcomes. The DSA backed both Mamdani and Avila Chevalier, and nine of its ten endorsed candidates won their races.
Lander's victory came less than five minutes after polls closed at 9 p.m. Cheers erupted at his Brooklyn victory party as the result was announced. Lander, who ran for mayor last year before endorsing Mamdani, was introduced by the mayor at the event. "Brad brings a kindness to this work. He brings a sincerity to this work," Mamdani told the crowd. The pair had executed a cross-endorsement strategy using New York's ranked-choice voting to ensure a progressive won the mayoral race.
At her victory celebration at a Puerto Rican restaurant in upper Manhattan, Avila Chevalier framed the result as transformative. "I have faith in the future that I know we are stepping into today. No longer will we accept the politics that throw scraps at us and act like we should be grateful for them," she said.
Author James Rodriguez: "Mamdani just proved he's not a flash-in-the-pan rookie mayor, he's a serious political operator who can deliver for his allies."
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