Kellyanne Conway says progressive and socialist primary victories in New York won’t resonate with voters nationwide, arguing the wins reflect only regional political divisions ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Speaking to Fox News Digital after Tuesday’s Democratic primary elections, the former Trump White House counselor said candidates she characterized as “anti-America” may find success in “very curated, specific districts” but are unlikely to win over the country on a larger scale.
Three candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept congressional races on Tuesday: Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated incumbent Representative Adriano Espaillat, Brad Lander ousted Representative Dan Goldman, and Claire Valdez won her race. The victories fueled renewed debate over whether the Democratic Party is shifting further to the left.
Conway pointed to what she described as “a lot of anti-American, anti-Israel candidates winning” in the Democratic primaries. “I don’t think that plays everywhere,” she said. “That’s not aligned with the values of this country. It’ll happen in very curated, specific districts, but it won’t happen everywhere.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took a different approach, downplaying the primary results. He told reporters that what happens in “a handful of primaries” is not “indicative of the broader sentiment of the country,” according to CNN reporting. Jeffries said the victories were energizing younger voters.
Conway also cited polling data on patriotism to support her view. She said she was “very disturbed” by results from a recent poll showing 90% of Republicans say they are extremely or very proud to be American, compared to only 29% of Democrats. She argued the disparity reinforced her belief that the Democratic Party’s activist wing is increasingly out of step with most Americans on core values heading into the midterm elections.
The New York primary results have drawn national attention. Reuters described Mamdani’s sweep as a “political earthquake among Democrats,” while New York Magazine reported that Democratic Socialists of America co-chair Grace Mausser said there was “a huge wave of euphoria” over the wins. Outside New York, however, progressive candidates saw mixed results: they lost congressional primaries in Maryland and Utah on the same day.
Sources
- Fox News — Kellyanne Conway’s comments on Democratic primary results, her characterization of candidates as “anti-America,” and her citation of patriotism polling data
- BBC — Mamdani-backed candidate victories in New York primaries on June 23, 2026, including Brad Lander defeating Dan Goldman
- The New York Times — Details of Mamdani-backed candidates winning House primaries, including Darializa Avila Chevalier defeating Adriano Espaillat
- CNN — Hakeem Jeffries downplaying primary results as not indicative of broader sentiment
- Reuters — Characterization of Mamdani’s sweep as a “political earthquake among Democrats”
- New York Magazine — Democratic Socialists of America reaction to primary victories
