Zohran Mamdani’s political reach was on full display in New York City as three House candidates he backed won closely watched Democratic primaries. The result gave the democratic socialist mayor a clear victory night and a stronger grip on the state’s left flank.
Brad Lander, the former New York City comptroller who had also run for mayor before endorsing Mamdani, defeated Democratic Representative Dan Goldman comfortably. Claire Valdez, a state lawmaker and former union organizer, beat Antonio Reynoso in New York’s 7th District, while Darializa Avila Chevalier pulled off a major upset against Representative Adriano Espaillat in the 13th District.
Mamdani’s influence takes shape
At his election night party in Brooklyn, Lander told supporters, “What a glorious time to be a New Yorker,” as Mamdani stood with him. Later, at Valdez’s watch party, Mamdani told the crowd, “The old politics that got us into this crisis is not the politics that’s going to get us out of this crisis.”
The three wins amounted to a clean sweep for Mamdani, who invested political capital earlier this year to boost the slate. With the candidates now all but certain to reach Congress in November, his allies have left a visible mark on New York’s congressional delegation.
Other races showed a different mood
Not every contest leaned left. In New York’s 12th District, Micah Lasher won the Democratic primary after a crowded race that also included Jack Schlossberg, George Conway and state assembly member Alex Bores.
Lasher, a longtime New York politician, is now the heavy favorite in a deep-blue district whose voters tend to identify as liberal rather than left-wing. Donald Trump later celebrated the defeats of Goldman and Conway in social media posts, mocking both men after the results were clear.
Competitive seats and wider primary action
Moderate Democrats also held their ground in districts that will matter in November. On Long Island, Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen easily fended off primary challengers as they prepare to defend swing seats.
In the Hudson Valley, Cait Conley, a former White House counter-terrorism official and army combat veteran, won a competitive primary to face Republican Representative Mike Lawler. Conley said, “No one is coming to save us. We are the cavalry.”
Republicans also saw familiar dynamics in their own primaries. Anthony Constantino, endorsed by Trump, won the GOP primary in the 21st District and is favored in a heavily Republican seat vacated by Elise Stefanik.
Results beyond New York
In Maryland, Adrian Boafo won the crowded Democratic primary to succeed Steny Hoyer, defeating former US Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and businesswoman Quincy Bareebe. In one of the most expensive House primary races in US history, April McClain Delaney held off former congressman David Trone in Maryland’s 6th District.
In Utah, former congressman Brad McAdams won the Democratic primary in a newly drawn district in Salt Lake City. In South Carolina, state attorney general Alan Wilson won the Republican runoff for governor, while Nancy Lacore defeated Mac Deford for the Democratic nomination in the state’s 1st Congressional District.
The night underscored how local primaries can still reshape national politics, from New York’s progressive surge to key battlegrounds where both parties are still sorting out their candidates for November.