Mamdani-backed socialists – New York’s June 23 Democratic primaries delivered a rare jolt to party orthodoxy, with three congressional winners backed by NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and additional Democratic Socialists of America-linked victories. The results have ignited sharp backlash from
For the third time in recent memory, a Democratic primary in New York didn’t just produce a new representative. It delivered a message—fast, public, and difficult to brush off.
On June 23. Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates won multiple races in New York. including three Democratic congressional primaries supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The wins have set off alarm bells inside and outside the party. with critics arguing the Democratic brand is sliding left while Republicans say they’ve been warning about this shift for years.
Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier won in the 7th and 13th Congressional Districts, respectively, for the U.S. House. Aber Kawas won New York State Senate District 12. Brad Lander—described in the coverage as a former DSA member—also won his Democratic primary for the 10th Congressional District. defeating U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman.
The backlash arrived quickly and sharply. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania, posted on X: “Anti-Israel. Anti-America. Anti-Western Civilization. Why am I the only Democrat in the U.S. Senate that refuses to excuse this or defend any of those self-identified communists?”
New York Attorney General Letitia James blamed Mamdani for “blowing up the Democratic Party” with the results. telling CNN: “Some of the candidates that he has supported are individuals who do not understand the politics of New York City. the cultural differences from district to district. who have not been part of the history and the struggle of some of these districts. and are relatively new to the body politic.”.
The figures on the ballot weren’t hidden. Campaign promises and past remarks described by the coverage put these candidates’ priorities on full display. including pledges to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “block billionaires from buying our elections. ” and “stand up to bad landlords and greedy corporations.” In a 2017 statement described in the account. Kawas told a panel that the 9/11 attacks were America’s fault. attributing them to “capitalism and racism and White supremacy … and Islamophobia.”.
Valdez’s record also came under focus. In a May 4 post on X, she said New York police shouldn’t collaborate with ICE, calling it “a rogue federal agency terrorizing our neighborhoods,” and she added, “Abolish ICE.”
Taken together, the election results put the Democratic Party’s internal fault lines in plain view. The sequence here is simple: high-profile primary wins. public policy commitments. and then immediate condemnation from prominent Democrats—followed by a harder question about what happens next when these positions are no longer marginal.
The article’s through-line is that conservatives expected this movement—while Democrats, at least politically, appeared surprised.
Polling referenced in the coverage points to the cultural pull behind the shift. A Gallup poll found that 66% of Democrats view socialism favorably, while only 42% have a favorable view of capitalism. It also places Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. D-New York. within the broader debate over whether socialist ideas have been allowed to occupy leadership roles inside the party even as the United States remains governed by capitalism.
The coverage also ties the present moment to past presidential politics. It says Democrats weren’t alarmed when then-Vice President Kamala Harris ran for president on economic plans that echoed socialist ideas. including up to $25. 000 in down payment assistance for homebuyers and a federal ban on grocery price gouging.
A parallel example presented in the coverage concerns political theater and image politics. It says Graham Platner won the 2026 Democratic Senate nomination in Maine despite a chest tattoo resembling a Nazi insignia. and it frames that episode as a sign that Democratic leadership has struggled to impose clear boundaries.
Where Democrats and Republicans disagree most, however, is on how to interpret the New York outcome: whether it’s a one-city outlier—or a move that could spread.
The coverage argues that this won’t stay contained to New York. suggesting the shift could spread to other blue cities. It also makes a separate claim about political timing: that a decade-long focus by liberals on Donald Trump—described as calling him a fascist. a “dictator in chief. ” or comparing him to Hitler—may have gotten in the way of clarity about socialism’s growth.
The final point comes with urgency. The coverage says the question is no longer whether socialism has a foothold in American politics, because it has—and the real test now is whether Democratic leaders will acknowledge it before the influence extends further beyond New York City.
Nicole Russell, an opinion columnist with USA TODAY, lives in Texas with her four kids and writes the newsletter “The Right Track.”
New York primaries Zohran Mamdani Democratic Socialists of America DSA Claire Valdez Darializa Avila Chevalier Aber Kawas Brad Lander Dan Goldman Letitia James John Fetterman ICE Immigration and Customs Enforcement socialism in America Gallup poll