New York’s Democratic primaries delivered a clean sweep for candidates backed by the city’s democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, with all three of his endorsed picks winning their races on Tuesday in a result that exposed deep divisions within the party over the Israel-Gaza war.
The night’s biggest upset came in New York’s 10th congressional district, where two-term incumbent Dan Goldman lost to progressive challenger Brad Lander. Lander, who has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, won decisively, taking 65.7% of the vote to Goldman’s 34.1%, with most ballots counted.
Goldman had the backing of pro-Israel groups throughout the race. He conceded gracefully, saying he had called Lander to congratulate him.
“Tonight, the voters of 10th District have spoken. While this is not the outcome I worked so hard for, I respect their decision,” Goldman said.
Lander, a former New York City comptroller who also picked up an endorsement from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, framed the win as a mandate for a different kind of politics. In a post on X, he said the result showed that voters across Lower Manhattan and part of Brooklyn “want leadership ready to fight, not fold, against authoritarianism.”
Two More Wins for the Left
Lander wasn’t the only Mamdani-backed candidate to come out on top. Assemblywoman Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the 7th district, while Darializa Avila Chevalier, a doctoral student who has taken part in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, beat five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat in the 13th district.
Espaillat’s loss is notable beyond the district itself. He chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a group focused on advancing legislation and resources for Hispanic Americans. Mamdani praised Chevalier’s win, calling her a candidate “of clarity, of conscience and of conviction.”
All three winners have campaigned on similar platforms, including pledges to abolish ICE and raise taxes on the wealthy, along with shared accusations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, a charge Israel denies.
A Test of Mamdani’s Influence
The sweep is being read as a measure of how much sway Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, now holds within the party.
Mamdani didn’t hold back his enthusiasm for Lander’s win specifically, praising what he called Lander’s “vision of politics that is more than what we’ve seen for so long.” Speaking earlier on Tuesday, the mayor framed the moment in broader terms.
“It’s not just a question of electing more Democrats. It’s a question of electing better Democrats,” Mamdani said. “When I look at these candidacies, I see in them a willingness to also put working people back at the heart of our politics.”
Not everyone in the party is convinced this is the right direction. Establishment Democrats in Washington have cautioned that left-wing candidates could struggle to win over swing voters heading into November’s midterms. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries offered a measured response to Mamdani’s growing influence.
“We have agreed to strongly disagree,” Jeffries said. “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.”
Trump Weighs In
President Trump, who has repeatedly labeled Mamdani a communist (a term Mamdani rejects), reacted to the results in a late-night social media post, declaring that America would “never be a communist country.” He also took aim directly at Goldman, calling him “weak and pathetic” and saying the congressman “just lost, BIG!”
Backlash Over Israel Stance
Goldman, an heir to the Levi Strauss denim fortune who gained national attention for leading the first impeachment inquiry against Trump in 2019, faced backlash in New York over his support for Israel during the campaign. A Brooklyn coffee shop sparked controversy over the weekend after posting on social media that Goldman was not welcome there.
The comments came after Goldman visited Poetica Coffee in Williamsburg with his seven-year-old daughter on Sunday. The shop’s post said it doesn’t “serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers or anyone in between,” before later deleting it. Both Goldman and Lander are Jewish.
Notable Losses Elsewhere
In the 12th district, Jack Schlossberg, the 33-year-old grandson of former President John F Kennedy, lost his bid to succeed retiring congressman Jerry Nadler. He was defeated by assemblymember Micah Lasher, a former Nadler aide, in a crowded field. Schlossberg, the son of Caroline Kennedy, is a Vogue correspondent and Harvard Law School graduate making his first run for office.
Also in that race, George Conway, the conservative lawyer and Trump critic who co-founded the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, managed to capture only about 6% of the vote. Mamdani had not made an endorsement in the 12th district contest.