Topline
Three candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their congressional primaries in New York—ousting two incumbent lawmakers—in a major boost to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander arrives with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for an election night watch party Tuesday.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Key Facts
The results are a clean sweep for Mamdani, who had endorsed three progressive candidates in key congressional primaries.
Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander—who also got an endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.—defeated Rep. Dan Goldman in the primary for New York’s 10th District.
In the earliest of the three races called by the Associated Press, Lander secured 65.8% of the vote compared to Goldman’s 34%, with 90% of the ballots counted.
Another Mamdani-endorsed candidate, State Assemblywoman and Democratic Socialist, Claire Valdez, won the party’s primary for the seat held by retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez.
With 92% of the ballots tallied, Valdez had received 56.1% of the vote, putting her more than 20 points ahead of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who had been endorsed by Velázquez.
In one of the big upsets of the evening, Democratic Socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the leader of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, by a 3.5 point margin in the primary for New York’s 13th district.
Crucial Quote
In a post on X, Sanders congratulated the two candidates he endorsed, saying: “Congratulations to Brad Lander and Claire Valdez on their landslide victories in New York congressional primaries. Together, we are creating a grassroots progressive movement that will defeat the Oligarchs.”
Tangent
Speaking to reporters at the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon, before the polls closed, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., downplayed the impact of the races involving the candidates backed by Mamdani. “There are 215 members of the House Democratic caucus. A handful of primaries that go in one direction or the other, in a given state or two, aren’t going to reshape who we are as House Democrats,” he said. Jeffries also won his primary on Tuesday night after running unopposed.
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