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Three candidates backed by Mamdani won key congressional primaries, showing that his political influence now extends far beyond his own mayoral victory.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. (File)
Zohran Mamdani was not on the ballot in New York’s Democratic congressional primaries. Yet by the end of the night, the city’s mayor had emerged as their most consequential winner.
All three candidates backed by Mamdani won their races. Brad Lander defeated sitting Congressman Dan Goldman. Claire Valdez beat Brooklyn borough president Antonio Reynoso for an open House seat. Darializa Avila Chevalier pulled off the night’s biggest upset by unseating veteran Congressman Adriano Espaillat.
The three districts strongly favour Democrats, putting the primary winners on course to enter Congress after the November midterms.
The results gave Mamdani a clean sweep and strengthened the argument that his surprise victory over Andrew Cuomo in last year’s Democratic mayoral primary was not an isolated political shock. His campaign organisation, endorsement and ideological appeal now appear capable of helping other candidates win.
“We are showing that last June, a year ago tomorrow, was not an anomaly,” Mamdani said. “It was not the end. It was the beginning.”
What Happened In The Three Races?
The most closely watched contest was in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, where former New York City comptroller Brad Lander challenged Representative Dan Goldman.
Lander ran to Goldman’s left, while Mamdani and his allies attacked the congressman over his support for Israel. Goldman had refused to endorse Mamdani after his mayoral primary victory because of the mayor’s views on Israel, despite Mamdani performing strongly in Goldman’s district.
Mamdani then threw his weight behind Lander. The support was not symbolic. He campaigned aggressively for him and appeared with him soon after voting ended to celebrate what became a decisive victory.
The second race was for the Brooklyn and Queens seat being vacated by Representative Nydia Velázquez.
Mamdani backed Claire Valdez, a first-term state assemblywoman and democratic socialist, against Antonio Reynoso, the Brooklyn borough president.
Reynoso appeared to have several advantages. He had deep roots in the district, a progressive record and support from Velázquez. He had also previously been considered an ally of Mamdani.
Valdez, however, turned the contest into a fight over who represented the next phase of the city’s left-wing politics. Reynoso drew more support from older, long-established residents, while Valdez appealed strongly to newer voters in gentrifying neighbourhoods.
Mamdani’s intervention gave Valdez greater visibility and helped cast the race as a choice between an established progressive and a newer democratic socialist movement.
The third result was the most dramatic.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, an activist, democratic socialist and former Mamdani campaign volunteer, defeated Adriano Espaillat, who had spent two decades trying to reach Congress and another 10 years serving there.
Espaillat was the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, making his defeat particularly significant. The result was arguably New York’s biggest House primary upset since Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez defeated 10-term congressman Joe Crowley in 2018.
Mamdani and his allies had accused Espaillat of being too close to corporate interests and too supportive of Israel.
Why Is Mamdani Being Called A Kingmaker?
Political endorsements are common. What made Mamdani’s endorsements different was the scale of their impact.
He backed three candidates in three congressional contests and all three won. Two unseated sitting members of Congress, while the third defeated a more established rival backed by the retiring incumbent.
The victories showed that Mamdani’s political strength now extends beyond his own campaign. His communications director, Anna Bahr, described the results as a rejection of campaigns dominated by wealthy donors and consultants.
“Mayor Mamdani is modeling a different kind of politics — not billionaire-funded or consultant-driven, but one that champions the needs of working people,” Bahr told CNN. “That is precisely what New Yorkers are asking for, it’s what his endorsed candidates stand for, and it’s why this slate won tonight.”
How Did Israel And Gaza Shape The Results?
The primaries were also a major test of how deeply the war in Gaza and US support for Israel are reshaping Democratic politics in New York.
Mamdani and his candidates linked domestic concerns such as housing and the cost of living with opposition to American military backing for Israel.
While campaigning with Avila Chevalier in Harlem, Mamdani recalled meeting a man who had just bought diapers and said approvingly that “she speaks about babies, not bombs”.
“What could be a better example of what the people of the district want to see versus what the people of the district have been forced to experience, which is tens of billions of dollars being spent at a national level to bomb children overseas while children in our own districts are struggling?” Mamdani said.
That message helped draw a sharp contrast with Goldman and Espaillat.
But it has also deepened Mamdani’s difficulties with sections of New York’s Jewish community. He faced criticism after appearing to describe the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as being among political “monsters” while attacking its campaign spending. Jewish leaders accused him of invoking antisemitic tropes.
Goldman, before the result, accused Mamdani of focusing excessively on the Middle East and creating an “increasingly toxic environment, especially for Jews”.
Why Are Some Of Mamdani’s Former Allies Angry?
Mamdani’s rise has come at a cost.
Velázquez had backed him during his mayoral campaign, but their relationship deteriorated after he endorsed Valdez instead of Reynoso to replace her.
She accused Mamdani of failing to understand the importance of maintaining relationships across city, state and federal government.
“He made a strategic error of judgement not to see what it means to have relationships at the different levels of government,” Velázquez said. “For a city that relies on federal funding and the state, you try to expand your tent, not diminish it because you’re going to need help from everyone.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James, another important supporter during Mamdani’s mayoral run, also criticised some of his choices. She argued that certain candidates lacked a sufficient understanding of the history, cultural differences and racial and class dynamics of the districts they sought to represent.
“All of us are a little frustrated with the Democratic Party. But you don’t blow it up. That’s what MAGA has done,” James said.
For now, the message is clear: Mamdani’s mayoral victory was not a one-off upset but the start of a wider political project. The next test is whether that project can expand without leaving him isolated inside his own party.
About the Author
Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo…Read More
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