Mamdani-backed challengers topple Democrats in New York primaries

Zohran Mamdani-backed candidates won three New York City Democratic House primaries on June 23, knocking off two incumbents and giving the party’s left flank a fresh argument that its energy, not its caution, is the path forward. Brad Lander defeated Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th Congressional District, Darializa Avila Chevalier beat Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th District, and Claire Valdez won the open 7th District seat.

The results landed squarely in the middle of an argument now dividing Democrats over Israel, immigration, affordability and the reach of democratic socialist politics in New York and beyond. Mamdani framed the victories as evidence that the party should elect “better Democrats” and put working people at the center of its politics, while the New Democrat Coalition is pressing the opposite case, that Democrats need a message built around pocketbook concerns and swing voters.

Avila Chevalier, 32, is a community organizer and Democratic Socialists of America member who worked at a public defender’s office before taking on Espaillat. She campaigned on working-class concerns and attacked Espaillat’s positions on Israel and immigration, saying he had not been aggressive enough on issues affecting lower-income residents. NBC also reported that criticism of her campaign centered on past social media posts.

Lander, the former New York City comptroller, ran on immigration and opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel as he took down Goldman, who had the backing of Gov. Kathy Hochul and other establishment Democrats. The race underscored how support for Israel, once a less contested line inside the party, has become a live fault line in primaries from Lower Manhattan to Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

The third Mamdani-backed winner, Valdez, captured the Democratic nomination in the 7th District, where Rep. Nydia Velázquez is not seeking reelection. Micah Lasher also won the 12th District race to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, adding another progressive-leaning result to a night that exposed the depth of the split inside the party’s New York delegation.

Brad Schneider, the Illinois Democrat who chairs the New Democrat Coalition, has been among the voices arguing that Democrats need to sharpen their message rather than lean harder into the left’s language. The coalition says it is the largest Democratic caucus in the House, with 115 members, and defines its agenda around economic growth and opportunity, healthy and safe communities, and national security and defense. Schneider has previously said the group wants to be “the center of how we move the party forward,” while also arguing Democrats should focus on cost of living, safety and national security.

That divide is now sharpened by the New York results. Mamdani and his allies are betting that anti-establishment, pro-working-class politics can expand the party’s appeal. Schneider and the New Democrats are betting that Democrats will win more often by moderating the message and meeting voters where they are on wages, prices and public safety.