In New York, Mamdani endorsements yield congressional primary wins

MANHATTAN (CN) — The results of Tuesday's congressional primary elections in New York made one thing clear: The endorsement of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani packs a punch.

In the night's biggest upset, incumbent U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat lost the 13th Congressional District Democratic primary race to first-time candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America whose far-left views and scandalous tweets might have made her an easy target for establishment Democrats to cast aside. But Chevalier had something Espaillat didn't: Mamdani's support.

"The one that stunned me more than anything was the 13th District," said Shawn Donahue, clinical assistant professor of political science at the University at Buffalo. "Until Mamdani endorsed Chevalier … this race was not on my radar at all, as far as somewhere where an incumbent was in trouble."

Chevalier beat Espaillat, who's represented upper Manhattan and the Bronx since 2017, with 49% of the vote compared to the incumbent's 46%.

She addressed her long-shot candidacy in her victory speech Tuesday.

"I know that it has not been easy, and I know that it won't be easy. Trump is in office and the odds, as always, are stacked against us. But we are used to that," Chevalier said. "Well over a year ago, the odds were stacked against another young Muslim socialist, when he was still polling at 1%, to become mayor of New York City. So I will tell you honestly, I am not concerned. In fact, I don't give a damn. I relish the challenge because I have faith."

It wasn't the only district where Mamdani's endorsement gave a candidate the boost they needed to pull out a win. In the 7th District — a segment of the so-called "Commie Corridor" where Mamdani got more than two-thirds of the vote — his pick New York Assemblymember Claire Valdez beat Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso even despite Reynoso's endorsement from the incumbent: U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez, whose retirement after 33 years in the House opened up the seat.

"Tonight, we haven't just won an election. We have declared that this movement is durable," Valdez said in her victory speech. "It will not stop until working people are no longer asked to just build the table, no longer offered a seat at the table — but will run the table."

Valdez took home 56% of the vote while Reynoso won 35%.

"This was also Mamdani's best district in the city," Donahue said. "It just seems like wherever he decided to put his thumb on the scale, it worked."

So too was the case in District 10, where former New York City comptroller Brad Lander trounced incumbent U.S. Representative Dan Goldman, getting 66% of the vote compared to Goldman's 34%.

Mamdani joined Lander, in addition to Valdez, on his victory speech tour Tuesday evening. He praised the kindness and sincerity of his previous competitor in the mayoral race. "We need a good neighbor," Mamdani said.

Lander kept the positive vibes high: "What a glorious time to be a New Yorker," he told the crowd in a nod to the positivity spilling over into the streets earlier this month as the New York Knicks captured their first NBA championship in 53 years.

The districts where Mamdani-backed, DSA-aligned candidates ousted party establishment candidates signify momentum behind a movement seeking to reshape the Democratic Party, and set up a dynamic challenge heading into November.

In one of the tightest congressional primary races in a city where the Democratic winner is all but guaranteed a win in November, Mamdani declined to pick a side. That was the 12th Congressional District in mid-Manhattan, where the candidate chosen by retiring U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler — who's leaving his seat after more than 30 years in Congress — took the win. New York Assemblymember Micah Lasher, who was also backed by Governor Kathy Hochul, beat fellow Assemblymember Alex Bores, 39% to 35%. In third place with 11% of the vote was social media commentator Jack Kennedy Schlossberg.

North of the city in the Hudson Valley, Democrats are hoping to win back the seat currently held by Republican U.S. Representative Mike Lawler, and Tuesday night determined Cait Conley will be his challenger in the 17th District. The former U.S. Army special operations officer won the swing district with 50% of the vote, beating runner-up Beth Davidson, a Rockland County legislator, who took 32%.

Donahue predicts this will be the most expensive race in the country in the general election.

"It's going to be right up there," Donahue said. "With it being completely in the New York City metro market, or metro area — seems like it's going to be a very expensive race."

Looking ahead at November, Conley told supporters Tuesday night that the country is at a crossroads about values that define us.

"This has never been a fight about right and left," she said. "It's always been about right and wrong."