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DSA vs Progressives
Democratic socialist candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept key New York House primaries Tuesday, including Claire Valdez running against Antonio Reynoso in New York’s 7th Congressional District and Darializa Avila Chevalier challenging Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th Congressional District.
The Hill reported that the contests pitted liberals against leftists as “a pair of democratic socialists battle against progressive candidates Tuesday,” with DSA co-chair Grauce Mausser saying, “There are not a lot of people who are committed not only to organizing their colleagues in Congress.”
In the same New York primaries, The Jerusalem Post framed the results as a coming-out for the party’s leftmost flank, noting that Mamdani-backed candidates notched victories “over two pro-Israel incumbents.”
NPR described the night as Mamdani’s “political gamble” paying off, with all three of his endorsed candidates for Congress “victorious,” including a narrow win in the 13th district for Darializa Avila Chevalier over Adriano Espaillat.
NPR also said Mamdani backed Claire Valdez in the open 7th district race instead of Antonio Reynoso, and that the districts “heavily favor Democrats,” making Valdez, Lander, and Avila Chevalier expected to win general election matchups in the fall.
Israel as a fault line
The Hill said the primaries’ divides focused “less on major policy differences and more on the influence of outside spending and candidates’ positions on Israel and the war in Gaza,” with Valdez making Reynoso’s delay in calling the humanitarian situation in Gaza a “genocide” a point of contention.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, told JTA that “DSA, Mamdani-backed candidates can win in different areas of New York City,” while adding, “But I don’t think that those same candidates could win anywhere else.”
NPR described the biggest upset as Mamdani-backed Darializa Avila Chevalier narrowly defeating five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat in the 13th district, with Espaillat having endorsements from powerful elected Democrats including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The Jerusalem Post quoted Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center, warning, “We reject the false choice between Jewish safety and Palestinian dignity.”
NPR also said Mamdani broke with Democratic leaders by throwing support behind leftist candidates “who were unafraid to criticize Israel and push for ambitious economic policies.”
What happens next
With Tuesday’s outcomes, NPR said the three Mamdani-endorsed congressional nominees—Darializa Avila Chevalier, Brad Lander, and Claire Valdez—were expected to win their general election matchups in the fall because the districts “heavily favor Democrats.”
“Tuesday’s primary elections were seen as key inflection points for the direction of the Democratic Party, with New York City as a major battleground between established Democrats and the party’s more progressive wing”
The Hill described the races as showcasing fault lines between the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the left wing of the Democratic Party, placing Mamdani “on the opposite side of some of his fellow progressives in Albany and on Capitol Hill.”
The Jerusalem Post added that the results raised questions about the party’s relationship with Israel, saying “the future for the party’s relationship with Israel has never seemed more in question.”
NPR also said the primaries were “a major blow for establishment Democrats,” and that Mamdani’s endorsed slate marked “the first major test for Mayor Zohran Mamdani's political movement.”
Together, the sources portray a next phase in which Mamdani’s left flank gains momentum inside the Democratic Party while Jewish leaders and elected officials debate how the party’s Israel politics will align going forward.
