Candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani secured victories across three competitive Democratic primaries for Congress on June 23 2026 dealing a setback to establishment figures in the party. Brad Lander ousted Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th District with roughly two-thirds of the vote while Claire Valdez prevailed in the 7th District and Darializa Avila Chevalier pulled off an upset against Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th according to projections from CNN NPR and The New York Times. The results highlight Mamdani’s rising clout less than a year into his term as the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor.
NPR reported that all three Mamdani-backed candidates including two who challenged Democratic incumbents won their primaries in heavily Democratic seats that virtually guarantee election in November. Lander a former city comptroller who received additional backing from Sen. Bernie Sanders defeated Goldman by a margin of about 66 percent to 34 percent in the 10th District which covers parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan. The contest exposed deep divisions over the Israel-Gaza war with Lander accusing Israel of genocide a charge Goldman opposed while receiving support from pro-Israel groups.
The Guardian detailed how Claire Valdez a state assemblywoman and former union organizer defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the 7th District race for an open seat following the retirement of longtime Rep. Nydia Velázquez. Ballotpedia figures show Valdez captured 56 percent of the vote to Reynoso’s 36 percent with the remaining share going to other candidates in the multi-way contest. The victory came after Mamdani who won the New York City mayoral election in November 2025 with 50.78 percent according to official results threw his support behind the democratic socialist slate at a weekend rally.
AP News stated that Darializa Avila Chevalier a 32-year-old community organizer and public defense investigator notched the night’s biggest upset by defeating five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th District covering Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx. Chevalier who has participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University aligned with Mamdani on pledges to abolish ICE tax the rich and criticize Israeli policy in Gaza which it denies constitutes genocide. The Washington Post noted the wins represent a clean sweep for the democratic socialist movement and a test of Mamdani’s influence six months after he succeeded Eric Adams as mayor.
Mamdani addressed the outcomes directly saying “It’s not just a question of electing more Democrats. It’s a question of electing better Democrats” while emphasizing a focus on working people. He made no endorsement in the separate 12th District primary where Jack Schlossberg the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy lost to assemblymember Micah Lasher and George Conway secured only about 6 percent. The mayor’s approach has drawn concern from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries who told reporters “We have agreed to strongly disagree” and added that “a handful of primaries that go in one direction or the other in a given state or two aren’t going to reshape who we are as House Democrats.”
CNN projections confirmed the three victories for the Mamdani slate as part of a broader set of New York primaries that also included races in Maryland Utah and a South Carolina gubernatorial runoff. The districts involved rank among the safest for Democrats in the country meaning the nominees now advance as strong favorites for the November 2026 midterms. NBC News added that the results arrived amid ongoing debates over the Democratic Party’s direction following Mamdani’s 2025 mayoral campaign that emphasized rent freezes public housing expansion and progressive taxation.
