Sean Hannity and former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio clashed on Wednesday over the surge of democratic socialist candidates winning primary elections this season, with de Blasio repeatedly asking the Fox News host to let him finish speaking during a heated on-air exchange.
During the interview on “Hannity,” Hannity brought up New York Assemblymember Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who defeated 5-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat in last week’s primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District. Hannity listed her policy positions—including the abolition of police and prisons—and asked de Blasio directly: “Is that your party? Is that who you are? Would you vote for her?”
De Blasio said yes, and as Hannity attempted to interrupt, de Blasio responded: “Let me finish! Let me finish!” The exchange escalated when Hannity asked de Blasio if he would “vote for this lunatic,” to which de Blasio replied that he would and that Avila Chevalier was not a lunatic.
De Blasio defended the candidates, saying, “A lot of people who vote Democrat are saying, ‘We want to see Democrats take on Trump, not cower before him.'” He argued that voters backing progressive candidates are responding to concerns about immigration enforcement, foreign policy, and the cost of living. “They think ICE is totally broken. I believe in secure borders. I don’t believe in ICE,” de Blasio said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Broader Wave of Democratic Socialist Primary Victories
Avila Chevalier’s victory is part of a wider pattern of democratic socialist candidates winning primaries across the country in 2026. In Colorado, 29-year-old Melat Kiros, a democratic socialist, defeated 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the state’s 1st Congressional District primary on June 30. Kiros is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and has vowed to abolish ICE.
Democratic socialists have scored victories in deep-blue districts in New York, Colorado, Pennsylvania, California, and Washington, D.C., according to reporting from The Guardian and other outlets. The Guardian reported that DSA-backed candidates have been riding “a wave of momentum in primaries from New York to Colorado.”
The response from mainstream Democrats has been mixed. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) last week accused these candidates of being a “pro-Hamas wing,” while comedian Bill Maher predicted Democrats could lose the fall midterms because of “three very far-left democratic socialists in New York who are crazy. Like outright, really crazy.”
Sources
- The Hill — De Blasio’s defense of democratic socialist candidates and the July 2, 2026 exchange with Hannity on Fox News
- New York Post — Details of the heated exchange, Avila Chevalier’s primary victory over Espaillat, and de Blasio’s responses to Hannity’s questions
- The Guardian — Overview of democratic socialist primary victories across multiple states in 2026
- WVTF — Information on Melat Kiros’s victory over Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District
