USA22 June, 20263 min read
Zohran Mamdani’s Endorsements Shape New York Primaries, Including Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat Races
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Mamdani endorses progressive candidates in key NY House primaries, including Goldman and Espaillat races. Less than six months after taking office, Mamdani aims to reshape New York's congressional delegation.
Mamdani’s endorsements test primaries
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is using a slate of endorsements to shape Tuesday’s state primary, with the Democratic nomination contests for New York’s seats in the closely divided U.S. House taking center stage as voters head to the polls on June 23.
In the 10th Congressional District, two-term Rep. Dan Goldman faces a challenge from former City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has endorsements from Mamdani and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, while a Reuters team at the scene counted at least 28 bodies laid out in a nearby schoolyard.
In the 13th Congressional District, five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat faces primary challengers including Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Democratic Socialist and public defense investigator backed by Mamdani, and the Hill’s Jared Gans reported that Mamdani’s support for Avila Chevalier “took many political observers by surprise.”
In Manhattan’s 12th Congressional District, eight Democrats run to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, with state Assemblymen Alex Bores and Micah Lasher and Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg among the top contenders, and ABC7 New York said the primary will determine which challengers the party nominates to run in the midterm elections in November.
The stakes are framed as a test of Mamdani’s influence after his historic rise to become mayor, with The Hill quoting strategist Trip Yang saying, “He’s taking risks intentionally.”
Leftward shift and Gaza
Al Jazeera described the Democratic primaries as a referendum on the party’s direction after Mamdani’s “swept to victory” mayoral win, saying the Tuesday vote “will, in turn, decide which party controls Congress.”
In the 10th District, Al Jazeera said progressive Brad Lander decried Israeli military action in Gaza as “a genocide” and called Israel’s control of occupied Palestinian territory “apartheid,” while it said Goldman has emphasized his support for Israel and rejected claims of apartheid.
At a rally headlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, Mamdani attacked the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, describing it as “monsters,” and Al Jazeera reported that he accused AIPAC of spending “millions of dollars of tainted money.”
The same Al Jazeera report said reactions to Mamdani’s remarks were divided, with Jewish community activist Moshe Spirin arguing the statements targeted Jews by labeling them monsters, while lawyer and community activist Kai Steinsapir warned that using such descriptors could negatively affect the security of the Jewish community in the United States.
Al Jazeera also tied the primaries to foreign policy and youth mobilization, saying the outcome will determine which challengers the party nominates for the midterms and that most New York City districts are “solidly left-wing bastions.”
Who wins reshapes Congress
News12 said Mamdani’s endorsements are aimed at propelling progressive candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America into seats in Washington, as New Yorkers “will head to the polls on Tuesday for the state primary.”
In the 7th Congressional District, ABC7 New York reported that retiring 17-term Rep. Nydia Velázquez has endorsed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, but she faces a competitive primary against state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, who has endorsements from Mamdani and Sanders.
In the 12th District, EL PAÍS said the contest is effectively a final election because “there is little doubt that whoever wins here will be elected to the House of Representatives in the midterm elections on November 3,” while it described the district as one of the wealthiest in the country and overwhelmingly Democratic.
EL PAÍS also framed the political test as whether Mamdani’s surprising victory last year was “an isolated event or a sign of something deeper,” and it quoted Lincoln Mitchell saying, “He’s a terrible candidate,” about Jack Schlossberg in the 12th district race.
With polls closing at 9 p.m. ET and the Associated Press expected to provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries, ABC7 New York’s overview emphasized that New York is expected to play a key role in deciding control of the chamber in November.