New York primaries test Mamdani’s influence in key House races

Zohran Mamdani’s first six months as New York City mayor were under a sharper spotlight than the city’s House primaries Tuesday, where three of his endorsed Democrats were trying to turn his movement-style politics into real ballot-box leverage. The contests made New York the marquee battleground of a broader June 23 election day that also included primaries in Maryland and Utah and runoff elections in South Carolina.

New York’s races were being watched as the first major measure of how far Mamdani’s influence reaches beyond City Hall. He backed three Democratic congressional candidates in the city, including two challengers to incumbent House Democrats and another candidate taking on the anointed successor to a retiring congresswoman. That put his political brand on trial in districts that could help shape the fight for control of the House in November.

The state’s congressional map offered several pressure points, with NBC News flagging Districts 7, 10, 12, 17 and 21 as races to watch. One of the most closely followed primaries centered on the artificial intelligence industry, where Assemblyman Alex Bores, a pro-regulation Democrat, faced opposition backed by a group funded by OpenAI investors. The clash underscored how outside money and competing industry factions are trying to shape the next Congress as much as party leaders are.

The New York races also carried a broader message for Democrats heading into the midterms. Candidates aligned with Mamdani were effectively betting that his visibility and activist energy can help lift local campaigns, while others in the field signaled that they were not eager to be defined by his politics. The result was a live test of whether endorsement power in a deeply local race can become a model for national Democratic organizing.

Outside New York, the day’s contests showed how endorsements and establishment backing were also being tested elsewhere. In South Carolina, voters were deciding runoff races after no candidate cleared a majority in the June 9 primaries, including the Republican gubernatorial runoff and the GOP attorney general runoff. Donald Trump endorsed both runoff candidates after earlier losses by two of his preferred gubernatorial picks.

Maryland’s key races included House Districts 5 and 6, with Democrats sorting through a crowded field for the open 5th District seat being vacated by Steny Hoyer, while Gov. Wes Moore was on the ballot for re-election. In Utah, primaries unfolded in newly redrawn congressional districts after court-ordered redistricting, including a newly competitive 1st District, and mailed ballots had to be received by election offices before polls closed.