Mamdani’s Anti-Israel Slate Sweeps New York Primaries, Expanding His Power Toward Congress

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani scored a major political victory Tuesday night as three candidates he backed won Democratic congressional primaries across New York City.

Brad Lander defeated Rep. Dan Goldman in New York’s 10th Congressional District, Claire Valdez won the open race in New York’s 7th District, and Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th District.

Mamdani was not on the ballot, but his movement was. The results showed that the anti-Israel, anti-AIPAC wing of New York Democratic politics is no longer only a protest movement, but is now winning congressional primaries in deep-blue districts.

The clearest Israel-focused race was in NY-10, where Lander, a former New York City comptroller and Mamdani ally, defeated Goldman, a Jewish pro-Israel Democrat. Goldman had accepted AIPAC’s endorsement and defended his support for Israel as part of his progressive record.

Lander ran to Goldman’s left on Israel. He has called Israel’s conduct in Gaza genocide and said he would oppose additional U.S. military aid to Israel while the war continues. Lander is Jewish, describes himself as a liberal Zionist and says he supports Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state. But politically, he ran with the anti-AIPAC and pro-Palestinian wing that has become central to Mamdani’s coalition.

In NY-7, Valdez, a state Assembly member, former union organizer and democratic socialist, defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the race to replace longtime Rep. Nydia Velázquez. Valdez’s platform calls for ending U.S. weapons sales and military aid to Israel, supporting Palestinian freedom and accusing Israel of apartheid, occupation and genocide.

AIPAC was not the clearest issue in NY-7, but Valdez’s win added another victory for Mamdani’s anti-Israel slate. Her campaign fit the same broader left-wing message: economic populism at home and sharp opposition to traditional U.S. support for Israel abroad.

The biggest upset came in NY-13, where Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist political newcomer, defeated Espaillat, a five-term congressman and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Avila Chevalier is a working-class Afro-Latina community organizer from Upper Manhattan and had never held elected office.

The race became another fight between the Democratic mainstreams and Mamdani’s left-wing movement. AIPAC’s United Democracy Project helped fund the pro-Espaillat side, which spent millions backing him. Avila Chevalier attacked Espaillat over support from wealthy donors, including AIPAC-linked money, and also called Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide.

The three races were not only about Israel. The candidates also promised a left-wing agenda for daily life in New York: stronger tenant protections, more affordable housing, Medicare for All, abolishing ICE and broader protections for immigrants. Their message was that landlords, corporations and wealthy donors had too much power, and that Democrats needed to fight them more directly on behalf of working-class voters.

But the Israel issue was not separate from that message. In these races, opposition to AIPAC, anger over Gaza and calls to cut off aid to Israel were part of the left-wing identity that helped define the candidates.

For New York, the sweep means Mamdani now has more than a personal brand, but a political machine. His endorsements helped turn his mayoral coalition into a congressional primary force capable of shaping who New York Democrats send to Washington.

For American Jews and pro-Israel Democrats, the warning is clear. These results do not prove that Israel alone decided the primaries. But they show that anti-Israel politics did not stop the candidates from winning, and in some races, it helped shape their appeal.

For Israel, the sweep is another sign that traditional bipartisan support in Washington is weakening inside the Democratic Party’s younger, urban and progressive wing. Candidates who call Israel’s war in Gaza genocide and oppose U.S. military aid are no longer fringe voices in New York politics. They are winning nominations for Congress.

Nationally, the results create a problem for Democrats. Mamdani’s allies won in deep-blue New York, where Democratic primary voters are far to the left of many swing-state voters. Republicans can now point to candidates who support abolishing ICE, cutting off Israel and accusing Israel of genocide as proof that Democrats are being pulled left.

The question after Tuesday night is whether New York is showing the Democratic Party’s future, or a deep-blue exception that will sharpen the party’s national divide.