New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s bet on a trio of progressive challengers paid off big Tuesday night, as all three candidates he endorsed in Democratic congressional primaries emerged victorious, signaling a potential shift in the party’s national landscape.
The mayor’s slate, which includes two self-described democratic socialists, swept aside incumbent congressmen and establishment-backed rivals in races across Brooklyn, Queens, and Upper Manhattan. The results mark a significant victory for the city’s left flank and could reshape the Democratic Party’s direction heading into the 2026 midterms.
In the 10th Congressional District, former City Comptroller Brad Lander handily defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman, winning 66% of the vote to Goldman’s 33.8%. The race, which covered parts of Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan, became a referendum on the party’s stance toward Israel and corporate influence, with Lander taking a more aggressive position against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, a first-term legislator and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, won the 7th Congressional District primary with a 21-point lead over Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Valdez will now compete to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez in a district that spans gentrifying neighborhoods in northwestern Brooklyn and Queens.
The most dramatic upset came in the 13th Congressional District, where Darializa Avila Chevalier, a 32-year-old community organizer and PhD student, defeated five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat. With 83% of votes counted, Avila Chevalier held a 49.4% to 45.9% lead. Espaillat, the head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had represented the district since 2017.
All three winners favor abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and have described Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide, positions that put them far to the left of the party’s mainstream.
Mamdani, who rose to power last year in a stunning upset of his own, has kept a low profile about his own district, New York’s 12th, which covers Manhattan’s affluent core. That race featured 33-year-old Jack Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy, who trailed badly with less than 11% of the vote. State Assemblymembers Micah Lasher and Alex Bores led the crowded field to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler.
The New York results were part of a broader primary night that included races in Maryland, Utah, and South Carolina. In South Carolina, Attorney General Alan Wilson defeated Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the Republican gubernatorial runoff, despite President Donald Trump’s earlier endorsement of Evette. Trump declined to pick a side in the runoff, saying voters couldn’t go wrong with either candidate.
In Maryland, state Del. Adrian Boafo won the Democratic nomination to replace retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer, who had endorsed his former aide. In Utah, three Trump-endorsed Republican incumbents looked to advance in congressional primaries, though the state’s newly redrawn maps gave Democrats a rare chance to flip a seat.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries downplayed the significance of Mamdani’s victories, telling reporters that a handful of primaries won’t reshape the caucus. But the results underscore growing tensions between the party’s establishment and its increasingly vocal socialist wing, which has gained traction in municipal elections nationwide.
