The three candidates that the mayor of New York (United States), Zohran Mamdani, had supported, won last night in a state Democratic primary in which the voters opted for the most progressive wing to wrest the United States House of Representatives from those of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, in the November elections.
New York voters went to the polls this Tuesday in elections that had become a test of Mamdani’s power within the Democratic Party.
Ávila Chevalier leaves Espaillat without re-election
The most notable victory was that of activist Darializa Ávila Chevalier, who defeated congressman Adriano Espaillat and thwarted his re-election after five terms in the House of Representatives.
Her candidacy had gone unnoticed until the New York mayor endorsed her despite the fact that, according to The New York Timeshad committed himself to Espaillat, who supported him in his race for the city council.
Daughter of Dominican immigrants, Ávila Chevalier is known for having been one of the organizers of the student protests at Columbia University against Israel’s war in Gaza.
She was the candidate of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) – the formation of which the mayor is a part -, as was Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, who beat Brooklyn District President Antonio Reynoso in the race in New York’s seventh congressional district, which covers parts of Brooklyn and Queens.
The fight in this constituency was also part of the fight between the mayor and the Democratic establishment, since the replacement of Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez was being sought after more than 30 years in the House of Representatives. The outgoing legislator had supported Reynoso.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, Democratic congressional candidate for New York’s 13th Congressional District, speaks to a voter in Morningside Heights on June 14, 2026.
The stance on Israel is once again crucial
The third candidate for whom Mamdani had campaigned, former New York Comptroller Brad Lander, also won and left out Congressman Dan Goldman, who was seeking a third re-election, in a race marked by the Democrats’ position on Israel.
His ties to the most influential pro-Israel lobby in the country (AIPAC) ended up frustrating his return to Washington.
However, Lander did not fully convince the most progressive wing of the party either, after he left the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) because he did not agree with its position regarding the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023. In fact, Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, asked for the vote for Ávila Chevalier and Valdez, but not for him.
During the campaign, Lander has distanced himself from his opponent and has charged against “the Israeli genocide.” “Our party must recognize that Joe Biden’s strategy of embracing Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) was a catastrophic failure. I consider that it made us accomplices to a genocide,” he declared in his first speech after winning.
In another race, Assemblyman Micah Lasher emerged victorious in New York’s 12th District against several high-profile candidates, including AI regulation-focused Assemblyman Alex Bores, who were seeking to succeed Congressman Jerry Nadler.
The most progressive wing gains weight
In addition to the candidates promoted by Mamdani, other more left-wing candidates established themselves as the Democratic option for the next elections.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, very close to progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, will once again seek re-election after winning the primaries, as will Josh Riley, congressman for the 19th district, and Christopher Gallant, Paul Tronko, Aaron Gies, Alissa Ellman and Joseph Morelle. All of them were candidates from the Working Families Party, a progressive party that promotes leftist candidates within the Democrats.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, wears an NBA Knicks jacket at the US Capitol on June 11, 2026.
In the mayoral elections, Mamdani was their candidate, as was the Democratic Party’s candidate, thanks to electoral fusion, which allows the same candidate to appear on several lines of the ballot and add the votes of all of them.
Although most of the seats in New York have historically gone to the Democrats, the party seeks to take over those in the hands of the Republicans to take control of the lower house and complicate the end of Trump’s term.
To do so, this Tuesday they chose Army veteran Cait Conley as their candidate in the 17th district to challenge Republican Congressman Mike Lawler for what has been described as the most vulnerable seat in the House of Representatives.
