Mamdani Endorsed Candidates Achieve Landmark Victories in New York Democratic Primaries

Two candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani scored major victories Tuesday in Democratic primaries, with two of his endorsed candidates ousting incumbent U.S. House members.

A third candidate backed by the mayor won the primary for a seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez.

In what analysts described as one of the biggest upsets of the night, Darializa Chevalier defeated incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District. Espaillat serves as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; he is also considered close to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Early counts showed Chevalier had 49.5% of the vote compared to Espaillat’s 46.2%, with approximately 92% of ballots counted at the time polls closed.

Chevalier, like Mamdani, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and benefited from the mayor’s appearances at campaign rallies in the district, which includes parts of Harlem, Washington Heights, and the Bronx.

In New York’s 10th Congressional District, former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman, who was lead majority counsel in the first impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump before entering Congress.

Early results indicated Lander had secured 66.5% of the vote to Goldman’s 33.5%, with about 88% of ballots counted when the race was called.

Goldman, a second-term incumbent who won the 2024 Democratic primary by nearly 43 percentage points, was backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and House leadership.

State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, won the primary for New York’s 7th Congressional District, where Rep. Velazquez is retiring.

Early counts showed Valdez leading with approximately 58.3% of the vote to Antonio Reynoso’s 33.1%, and two other candidates.

The 7th District, which covers parts of Brooklyn and Queens, has been dubbed the “Commie Corridor” due to the Democratic Socialists of America’s strong electoral presence in the area. The group’s influence was evident during last year’s June mayoral primary, when Mamdani achieved some of his strongest results in that district.