Mamdani-Backed Progressives Score Three Wins in New York Primary Elections

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani scored a major political victory Tuesday night, as three candidates he backed prevailed in Democratic congressional primaries, underscoring the growing strength of the city’s progressive left. The wins included the defeat of two sitting Democrats and the capture of an open seat, all in districts considered safely Democratic. That makes Mamdani’s preferred candidates heavy favorites heading into the November general election. The first result came in New York’s 10th Congressional District, covering Lower Manhattan and parts of western Brooklyn, where former city comptroller Brad Lander defeated Democratic Representative Dan Goldman. NBC News called the race for Lander less than 10 minutes after polls closed, and CNN followed moments later while Lander was being interviewed on air. Later in the evening, Claire Valdez won the contest to succeed retiring Representative Nydia Velázquez, and before 10 p.m. ET, Representative Adriano Espaillat had lost to democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier.

Goldman, a former federal prosecutor and heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, was first elected to Congress in 2022. He rose to national prominence as lead counsel during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, which centered on Trump’s 2019 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his request for investigations involving Hunter Biden and future President Joe Biden. Lander and Mamdani had previously competed against each other in last year’s mayoral race, but the two progressives cross-endorsed in an effort to block former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s attempted political comeback. Mamdani’s support for Lander’s congressional bid was widely seen as a return of that alliance. Goldman, who is Jewish, did not endorse Mamdani in the mayoral race, pointing to concerns about rising antisemitism.

The contest between Goldman and Lander also highlighted sharp divisions over Israel and the war in Gaza. Lander, who is also Jewish, made Goldman’s support for Israel a central point of contrast. The two candidates differed over whether Israel’s actions in Gaza amounted to “genocide,” with Goldman saying he had seen no evidence to support that claim. Mamdani’s influence was also felt in New York’s 13th Congressional District, which includes parts of Manhattan and the Bronx. There, he backed Avila Chevalier against Espaillat, 71, who has represented the district for nearly a decade and is the first Dominican American to serve in Congress. Espaillat currently chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Avila Chevalier, 32, is the daughter of Dominican immigrants, works as an investigator in the public defender’s office and is pursuing a doctorate.

That race was especially contentious, with disputes over past social media posts and campaign rhetoric dominating the final stretch. According to a CNN report, Avila Chevalier had previously expressed support for abolishing the police, prisons and the border. She also wrote “[expletive] Kamala Harris” after the then-vice president said in 2021 that Guatemalan migrants should not come to the United States. CNN also reported that Avila Chevalier had questioned Israel’s right to exist. She later apologized for the posts, but Espaillat argued they raised serious concerns about her judgment. “This is not just some common statement that was made when you were a young person, a teenager, an adolescent.

This was just a couple of years ago,” Espaillat told CNN. “And I think it’s irresponsible for someone that has a chronically irresponsible social media to go to Congress.” He added, “Words really matter.” The campaign faced another controversy on Monday when City & State reported that one of Espaillat’s advisers had made racist remarks about Avila Chevalier, alleging that the Muslim democratic socialist was working with Mamdani to replace Dominicans in Washington Heights with Haitians and Muslims. In the open race for New York’s 7th Congressional District, which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens, Mamdani threw his support behind Valdez, a state Assembly member seeking the seat being vacated by Velázquez.

The heavily left-leaning 7th District has earned the nickname the “Commie Corridor,” and Velázquez had endorsed a different contender, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Valdez, 36, is of Mexican and Native American heritage and has served in the New York State Assembly since 2025. Before entering elected office, she worked as a union organizer and held low-wage jobs after moving to New York City in 2015 with hopes of becoming an artist. She was also an early supporter of Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. The Associated Press called the race for Valdez at 9:23 p.m. ET, completing a sweep for Mamdani’s slate and marking a significant night for the city’s progressive movement.