Three progressive candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won key primary elections results on Tuesday, defeating establishment-backed incumbents and reshaping the Democratic Party’s voice in Congress. Former city comptroller Brad Lander ousted two-term Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th District, capturing about two-thirds of the vote, while community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, 32, upset five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th District.
The victories mark a significant expansion of Mamdani’s political influence since his 2025 election as NYC mayor. According to NBC News, Mamdani “and key allies secured major wins in Tuesday’s congressional primaries, as they looked to build on the mayor’s 2025 victory by expanding the democratic socialist movement’s power and presence in Washington.” A third Mamdani-backed candidate, state legislator Claire Valdez, won the open 7th District race against Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.
Lander, who served as New York City Comptroller and ran for mayor in 2025, ran as an ally of Mamdani on progressive priorities. According to NBC reporting, he “dethroned Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary for New York’s 10th District without much tension Tuesday, the first victory for the Mamdani-backed slate.” Goldman, a two-term incumbent, was a lead counsel during Trump’s first impeachment.
Avila Chevalier’s victory was the most dramatic upset. According to NBC News, the candidate is “another young democratic socialist and community activist whose campaign flew under the radar prior to Mamdani’s endorsement.” She defeated Espaillat, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a former undocumented immigrant who had represented the district for a decade. The New York Times reported that Avila Chevalier “stunned the Democratic political establishment” with her win.
All three races were shaped by debates over Israel policy and the cost of living. According to NBC News, “fiery debates over Israel policy defined all three races, as the challengers all sought to speak to the growing group of Democrats who soured on Israel amid its war with Hamas in Gaza. All three called Israel’s conduct ‘genocide’ and made the issue an important piece of their campaign.” Their opponents pointed to progressive accomplishments—Goldman’s role in Trump’s impeachment, Reynoso’s leadership of the city council’s Progressive Caucus, and Espaillat’s advocacy on immigration—but the challengers argued the Democratic establishment had not moved far enough to address housing costs and other economic pressures.
The districts where all three candidates won share key similarities. According to NBC reporting, they “are among the city’s most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods” and “are also among the districts where Mamdani performed the strongest in his mayoral election last fall against former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.” This pattern reflects broader momentum for democratic socialist and progressive challengers in recent months, including victories in Maine, California, Philadelphia, and New Jersey.
For Mamdani, the results represent a major return on his political capital. He campaigned in person for the candidates in the final days and cut an ad branding them as his “team.” The victories underscore the durability of the democratic socialist movement within the Democratic Party and its growing influence over defining what it means to be progressive in the modern era.
Sources
- NBC News — reported that Mamdani-backed candidates won three contested House primaries, with Lander capturing two-thirds of the vote in NY-10 and Avila Chevalier defeating Espaillat in NY-13; detailed the role of Israel policy debates and economic issues in the races
- The New York Times — reported Avila Chevalier’s age (32) and that she “stunned the Democratic political establishment” with her primary victory
- CBS News — confirmed all three Mamdani-backed candidates won their primaries
- AP News — reported that Mamdani-backed candidates defeated establishment-backed Democrats in New York’s congressional primary elections
