Mamdani-backed Democratic Socialists sweep NYC congressional primaries

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani cemented his status as a political kingpin after all three Democratic Socialist candidates he supported won the primaries.

There were major upsets in New York City on Tuesday night as Mamdani-backed candidates Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated incumbent Reps. Dan Goldman (DY) and Adriano Espaillat (DY), respectively.

And in the open 7th Congressional District, Democratic Socialist Claire Valdez won, even though outgoing incumbent Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., endorsed another candidate.

The victory of Mamdani-backed candidates sparked questions about where the Democratic Party is heading and whether the influence of the traditional party structure is waning.

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Rep. Mike Lawler, R-Y., claimed that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DY) made a deal with Zohran Mamdani to ensure that New York City Council member Chi Ossé would not challenge him, claiming that Jeffries feared he would lose if Ossé entered the race.

“Tonight’S. The results in New York City prove one thing, @RepJeffries make a deal with @ZohranKMamdani To save himself and throw everyone under the bus,” Lawler wrote to X, claiming Ossé would prioritize Jeffries.

“The Democratic party has officially become the party of Zohran, AOC, and Bernie,” Lawler continued.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has endorsed State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez in the Democratic primary for New York’s 7th Congressional District. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images ; Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Bad Hombre, a conservative social media account on

“If you’re John Fetterman, switching to the GOP has never been better,” Bad Hombre wrote. If you’re Chuck Schumer, you’re drafting your retirement speech and learning how to grill a burger. AOC is running for the Senate seat.

Jeremy Carl, a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, argued that the results reflected broader ideological and demographic shifts in New York City, warning that the city was becoming a “post-American city” and predicting similar shifts across the country.

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“The radicalism of soon-to-be members of Congress will be a headache for Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives and a gift to the Republican Party,” Carl wrote.

“The future of the Democratic party is radical and post-American (sic) oriented. All of these candidates are in the media capital of the world, so they will attract a lot of attention,” Carl continued. “This is not going to be good for Democrats in 2026 and 2028.”

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks in support of Brad Lander, the Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 10th Congressional District, in Carroll Park in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn on June 14, 2026. (Shuran Huang/via Getty Images for the Washington Post)

Jason Rantz said Mamdani’s win on Tuesday could work in favor of Republicans who are trying to portray Democratic Socialists as the new direction of the Democratic Party.

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“It’s clear that Republicans are going to benefit from this, and it’s going to hurt Democrats across the country,” Rantz told CNN. “You can win in New York, you can win in Seattle, you can win in Portland, Los Angeles. But that’s where you win.

Rantz continued: “And if we can identify Democrats who are trying to escape this label of being socialist, of being open borders, of being pro-crime or anti-Israel, if that’s the goal of the Democratic Party to escape that. Yeah, you’re not going to be able to do that anymore.” Rantz continued.