The Democratic Socialist mayor expanded his influence over the Democratic Party, winning the Congressional primary 3-3.
New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani says he paid $1,000 for Game 3 tickets
New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani said he paid $1,000 for a ticket to see Game 3 between the Knicks and the Spurs at Madison Square Garden.
- The candidate endorsed by New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani has won three Democratic congressional primaries against mainstream candidates.
- This victory shows the growing influence of the democratic socialist faction within the National Democratic Party.
- In South Carolina, President Trump supported both candidates in the Republican gubernatorial runoff, with Alan Wilson ultimately winning.
New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani expanded his influence on June 23 by overwhelmingly winning all three Democratic primaries for Congress that had favored more mainstream liberal candidates.
The 34-year-old Democratic Socialist’s choice will be pitted against House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also of New York, and is likely to be seen as a hugely successful early test in establishing a new faction within the National Party.
“The old politics that got us into this crisis are not the politics that will get us out of this crisis,” Mamdani said at Valdez’s victory celebration.
Other Democratic primaries to replace longtime incumbents, such as Jerry Nadler in New York and Steny Hoyer in Maryland, drew attention as further evidence of generational change in the party, including the declining importance of the Kennedy family aura.
All of these elections were intra-congressional referendums in liberal districts on how to combat the affordability crisis, billionaire interests and President Donald Trump’s administration.
The president was also a key figure in the South Carolina gubernatorial runoff, saving the favorite from an embarrassing defeat by endorsing his opponent at the last minute.
Mamdani defeats Democratic establishment
Mamdani’s candidates include Brad Lander, Daliaza Avila Chevalier, and Claire Valdez, who all supported abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide.
Lander, a former New York City comptroller who does not identify as a democratic socialist, was the first to win on Tuesday. He defeated Rep. Dan Goldman, a former prosecutor who led one of President Trump’s impeachment trials.
But like many mainstream Democrats, his fortunes have become increasingly tied to his past support for Israel.
Mr. Goldman came under fire for refusing to endorse this race from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which has been a major divisive force in various Democratic primaries this year. Preliminary results show Mr. Lander won by a 2-1 margin in the district, which covers lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.
“It’s time for Democrats to move away from dark money – PACs funded by crypto, Wall Street, AI and AIPAC,” Lander said in his victory speech on Tuesday. “People can see through this. They’ve been able to see through it for a long time.”
Valdez, a first-term councilman, defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the district, which covers trendy, gentrifying areas in northwest Brooklyn and Queens that were once mostly working-class and Latino. The seat is vacated by retired councilwoman Nydia Velasquez, who supported Reynoso, as do many local elected officials.
Although the two candidates agreed on most issues during the primary, Valdez argued that Reynoso had not been outspoken enough during the campaign.
Perhaps the most impressive victory was that Avila Chevalier, a doctoral student and community organizer, defeated Rep. Adriano Espaira (D-N.Y.), the chair of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, by about 4 percentage points in a district that covers northern Manhattan and parts of the Bronx.
Avila Chevalier survived a flood of attacks over past social media posts calling for the abolition of police and prisons. She also called veterans “war criminals” and former President Joe Biden a “rapist,” but apologized during the campaign.
“The same billionaire who attacked Zoran Mamdani is now spending millions of dollars against me,” Avila Chevalier said in an ad responding to the attack. “They know that unlike Adriano Espaillat, I will not be bought and I will not bow to Mr. Trump.”
Mr. Valdez and Mr. Avila Chevalier are both members of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Jeffries: ‘Agrees to strongly disagree’ with Mamdani
When Mamdani won last November’s New York mayoral election, Republicans signaled early on that the growing influence of democratic socialism would become a line of attack for the party in 2026.
Mr. Jeffries supported the incumbent and sought to downplay the proxy war, telling reporters on Capitol Hill that he did not consider himself “on the opposite side” of Mr. Mamdani.
“We have 215 members in the House Democratic Caucus, and just because a handful of primaries go one way in a particular state or two states doesn’t change who we are,” Jeffries said.
But it is clear that some on the left see this as a repudiation of Jeffries and the party leadership. Hasan Piker, a popular left-wing influencer, mocked Jeffries in a profanity-laced video from Valdez’s election night victory party.
Democratic socialism is gaining momentum in Democratic primaries in urban areas across the country. Janice Louise George, a self-described democratic socialist, won the Washington, D.C., mayoral primary in early June.
Pro-Trump candidate defeats pro-Trump candidate in South Carolina
President Donald Trump avoided endorsing the loser in South Carolina’s Republican runoff election by endorsing both candidates.
He initially supported Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, a longtime supporter, but also announced his support for Attorney General Alan Wilson ahead of the June 9 gubernatorial primary.
“They both have had great careers and have been with me from the beginning,” Trump said in a June 19 social media post.
Mr. Wilson, a National Guard veteran and the son of Rep. Joe Wilson, R.S.C., was declared the winner less than an hour after voting closed. He will face Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson in the general election, which is widely expected to be a Republican victory.
But the president’s choice to support both candidates bothered Republican voters.
Opinion polls leading up to the run-off showed Wilson in the lead. The president hedged his bets after his gubernatorial candidates lost in Iowa and Georgia.
Utah likely to send Democrats to Congress
In the midst of national redistricting wars and as President Trump began to take control of Congress, it may have been overlooked that Utah’s court-ordered map created a deep blue seat.
Four Democrats competed for a new, compact district centered around Salt Lake City, but divisions arose between different ideological factions.
In the end, former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams came out on top, defeating state Sen. Nate Bruin, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and former TikTok and meta public policy analyst Liban Mohammed, who was supported by 51% of delegates at the Utah Democratic convention in April.
McAdams was the last Democrat sent to Congress when Utah won by fewer than 700 votes, but his more conservative approach that helped him in 2018 (he once described himself as anti-abortion) has become a lightning rod in this race.
The seat is considered solidly Democratic by forecasters, and McAdams will face Republican Riley Owen, who ran unopposed in November.
Is Camelot nearing its end? JFK’s grandson loses primary election
The race to replace Mr. Nadler, who spearheaded President Trump’s impeachment trial, has featured many interesting figures, but one that has garnered the most attention is Jack Schlossberg, the eccentric grandson of slain former President John F. Kennedy.
That pedigree has drawn attention and been a source of scorn for the 33-year-old first-time candidate, who has created a persona criticized by critics as an at times outlandish social media personality seeking attention.
But that wasn’t enough to propel the Kennedy scion into Congress, as the results showed the Kennedy scion decisively losing to state Rep. Micah Lasher. But after reminding supporters of his grandfather’s most famous speech, Mr. Schlossberg pumped his fist and left the stage.
“We’re all asking not what the country can do, but what we can do to help the city,” he said.
Contributor: Terry Collins
