Zohran Mamdani’s Endorsed Candidates Sweep New York Congressional Primaries, Ousting Incumbents

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s endorsed slate swept Democratic congressional primaries Tuesday, with Brad Lander defeating Rep. Dan Goldman in New York’s 10th district and Claire Valdez beating Antonio Reynoso in the open 7th district.

“NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani flexed his political muscle Tuesday, getting a clean sweep as his three endorsed congressional candidates advanced to November's general election, ousting two incumbent Democratic congressmen”

ABC7 New York

In the 13th district, Mamdani-backed Darializa Avila Chevalier won her primary against Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a result NBC News said came as the races became defined by debates over Israel policy.

ABC7 New York

The BBC described the night as a “clean sweep” for candidates backed by Mamdani, with Goldman losing in a contest that “laid bare the party's divisions over the Israel-Gaza war.”

ABC7 New York reported that Mamdani flexed his political muscle Tuesday with a “clean sweep” as his three endorsed congressional candidates advanced to November’s general election, ousting two incumbent Democratic congressmen.

The Guardian said the polls closed at 9pm in New York on Tuesday and that it took less than five minutes for Lander to be announced the winner in the Democratic primary in the 12th district, reinforcing Mamdani’s power and the durability of the progressive movement.

Mamdani framed the victories as a shift toward “better Democrats,” telling supporters it was “a question of electing better Democrats” who would “put working people back at the heart of politics,” according to ABC7 New York.

At Lander’s victory party in Brooklyn, The Guardian quoted Lander saying, “What a glorious time to be a New Yorker,” and added that the win “belongs to those streets as well, to the people who organize there.”

Akhbar Al-Khaleej

The BBC reported that Lander accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, while Goldman was backed by pro-Israel groups, and it said Mamdani celebrated Chevalier as “of clarity, of conscience and of conviction.”

NBC News said the challengers called Israel’s conduct “genocide” and made it central, while opponents pointed to other progressive victories they said they helped achieve.

In a separate account, the New York Post tied Mamdani’s influence to Aber Kawas’s Democratic nomination for a Queens state Senate seat, noting she was endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and had criticized federal holidays and remarks on the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

With the primaries concluded, ABC7 New York said all three Mamdani-backed victors were expected to win their blue districts in November, placing three Mamdani allies in Congress come January.

“Clean sweep for Mamdani-backed candidates in New York's Democratic primary US congressman Dan Goldman has been defeated in a New York primary election, capping a clean sweep for candidates backed by New York's democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani”

BBC

The Guardian said Lander and his two fellow victors would be expected to win election to Congress in November, forming a “fresh wave of progressive Democrats in Washington.”

NPR described the sweep as the first major test for Mamdani’s political movement, saying the endorsed candidates’ victories marked “a massive win for the left and a major blow for establishment Democrats.”

NBC News said the results were aimed at expanding the power and presence of the democratic socialist movement in Washington, building on Mamdani’s 2025 victory.

The Hill reported that the sweep put Mamdani at odds with key allies in New York and Washington, and it said the candidates’ sweep marks a major win for the “34-year-old mayor” in the first significant test of his political influence.