Mamdani slate sweeps Democratic primaries in New York, ousts 2 incumbents from Congress

By — Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press Anthony Izaguirre, Associated Press By — Steve Peoples, Associated Press Steve Peoples, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/mamdani-slate-sweeps-democratic-primaries-in-new-york-ousts-2-incumbents-from-congress Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Mamdani slate sweeps Democratic primaries in New York, ousts 2 incumbents from Congress Politics Jun 23, 2026 11:50 PM EDT NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's slate of fiery progressives swept establishment-backed Democrats in the state's congressional primaries on Tuesday, ousting two sitting congressmen in a resounding show of force for the democratic socialist leader of America's largest city, who is fighting to reshape the Democratic Party. U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who leads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was defeated by Mamdani's most polarizing pick, Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who once helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, a two-term incumbent, was beaten by the Mamdani-backed former city Comptroller Brad Lander, who has often aligned himself with the democratic socialist movement. And another Mamdani ally, democratic socialist state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, defeated the handpicked successor of retiring U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez. The victories will likely give the New York mayor three new allies in Congress and send a pointed message to establishment figures in Washington, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who campaigned aggressively against Mamdani's candidates and lost. Ultimately, Mamdani and his slate of three congressional candidates were fighting to push the Democratic Party further left on key issues , Israel's war in Gaza chief among them, even as establishment Democrats in Washington worried that their policies could alienate swing voters in midterm elections across the country this fall. "It's not just a question of electing more Democrats. It's a question of electing better Democrats," Mamdani said Tuesday. "When I look at these candidacies, I see in them a willingness to also put working people back at the heart of our politics." In Washington, Jeffries downplayed the influence of the Mamdani-backed candidates before polls closed on Tuesday. "We have agreed to strongly disagree," Jeffries said of Mamdani on Capitol Hill. "There are 215 members of the House Democratic caucus. A handful of primaries that go in one direction or the other, in a given state or two, aren't going to reshape who we are as House Democrats." Meanwhile, Democrat Jack Schlossberg, the 33-year-old grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, failed in his bid to write his own chapter in Camelot lore as he competed in a crowded field for a sea