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Mamdani slate sweeps
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s endorsed congressional candidates swept Democratic primaries on Tuesday, ousting two incumbent Democratic congressmen and advancing three nominees to November’s general election.
ABC News projected that Mamdani-backed state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez will win in New York’s 7th Congressional District, while ABC News projected that former city comptroller Brad Lander will beat incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th District.
In the 13th District, ABC News projected that community advocate Darializa Avila Chevalier will beat incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, and the BBC described her win as a top upset after she toppled Espaillat, who had held the district for five terms.
The BBC also reported that Lander defeated Goldman by 65.7% to 34.1%, and it said Mamdani celebrated Chevalier’s win by describing her as "of clarity, of conscience and of conviction."
Israel war becomes fault line
The primaries were framed as a test of Mamdani’s influence and a window into Democratic divisions over the Israel-Gaza war, with the BBC saying the contest "laid bare the party's divisions over the Israel-Gaza war."
In the 13th District, Al Jazeera reported that Avila Chevalier, draped in a keffiyeh, won the Democratic nomination after presenting herself as an organiser against “what we all know is a genocide in Palestine,” and it quoted Beth Miller of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action calling Tuesday “a political earthquake in New York City.”
Al Jazeera also said Beth Miller argued that “unapologetic support for Palestinian freedom is not just the moral position, it is the path to victory for progressive candidates,” while the BBC reported that Lander accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.
The BBC further reported that Trump appeared to reference Mamdani’s endorsement successes, saying America would "never be a communist country!"
What happens next
With the Democratic primaries decided, the candidates backed by Mamdani are set for November general elections, and ABC News projected that Mamdani’s three endorsed congressional candidates advanced to November’s general election.
The BBC reported that Hakeem Jeffries downplayed the influence of the Mamdani-backed candidates, saying, "We have agreed to strongly disagree," and it added that Jeffries said there are 215 members of the House Democratic caucus.
In the 10th District, the BBC quoted Brad Lander saying his victory showed that the people of his district “want leadership ready to fight, not fold, against authoritarianism,” while it quoted Goldman responding, "Tonight, the voters of 10th District have spoken."
Beyond New York, ABC News also described other primaries on Tuesday, including a South Carolina Republican gubernatorial runoff in which ABC News projected that Attorney General Alan Wilson will win, and it said Wilson will face state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, who won the Democratic primary.
