Mamdani slate – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s slate of fiery progressives swept establishment-backed Democrats in the state’s congressional primaries Tuesday, defeating U.S. Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Dan Goldman and handing the mayor three likely new allies in Congre
On election night, the argument wasn’t happening inside a debate hall—it was on street corners under streetlights and on the backs of trucks rolling through neighborhoods.
In Harlem. around an hour before polls closed Tuesday. Darializa Avila Chevalier. 32. positioned herself as an outsider in her Democratic primary against U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, 71. She stood with controversial streamer Hasan Piker while voters made their final choices. a scene that contrasted sharply with the incumbent’s longtime grip on a district covering parts of upper Manhattan and the Bronx.
Across town, the results sent a different kind of signal: Zohran Mamdani’s slate of progressives didn’t just win—it ousted two sitting members of Congress in a resounding show of force for the democratic socialist mayor of America’s largest city, as he fights to reshape the Democratic Party.
Espaillat, who leads the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, lost to Mamdani’s most polarizing pick. Avila Chevalier’s candidacy carried baggage from her past. including a history of inflammatory and profane social media posts when she was in her 20s. and an earlier disparaging remark about former Vice President Kamala Harris. Espaillat’s allies pointed to those posts as disqualifying, though Avila Chevalier had apologized for the remark.
In East Harlem. 47-year-old voter Sara Hyler said she flip-flopped between Avila Chevalier and Espaillat before eventually voting for Avila Chevalier. Her breaking point. she said. came after learning about heavy support for the incumbent from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. known as AIPAC.
“It was the breaking point. my last straw. ” Hyler said. describing the lobbying group’s donations as something she couldn’t ignore. She said electing progressive Democrats who weren’t beholden to AIPAC—and what she called the Israeli government—mattered to her decision. “As much as I support Israel, I don’t think we should be paying for them,” she said.
The broader sweep
The same night that voters in Harlem were weighing the candidates’ images and influence, Mamdani’s slate also knocked out another incumbent: U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, a two-term member, was defeated by Mamdani-backed former city Comptroller Brad Lander.
For Lander. the campaign’s dividing line was starkly drawn around Israel’s war in Gaza. especially in how directly candidates described what was happening. Lander assailed Goldman for not being tough enough on Israel over its military action against Palestinians. Goldman. who has consistently criticized Israel’s government and condemned settler violence. has stopped short of describing the conflict as a genocide—while Lander has used that label.
Mamdani’s three congressional challengers ran on a shared agenda that tightened the contrast with establishment Democrats in Washington. In celebration remarks Tuesday, Lander vowed to abolish the federal bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He described Israel’s war in Gaza as “genocide. ” and he referred to “Trump’s fascism.” He was also singled out for opposition to Trump’s immigration crackdown and said earlier this month he had been acquitted on charges tied to a protest inside a building housing an immigration court.
All three of Mamdani’s candidates promised to “abolish ICE,” condemned the “genocide” in Israel, and vowed to “tax the rich” if elected.
While the wins will likely give Mamdani three new allies in Congress. the campaign’s intent reached beyond New York’s congressional map. It’s also meant as a direct challenge to the party establishment. including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. who campaigned aggressively against Mamdani’s candidates and lost.
On Capitol Hill, Jeffries downplayed what the outcome would mean. “We have agreed to strongly disagree,” Jeffries said of Mamdani on Capitol Hill. “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.”.
Voters in the middle of it
For some voters, the question was not just Gaza or immigration. It was whether the mayor had the right to decide who should win.
Yvette Sanchez. a 30-year-old preschool teacher who voted for Espaillat. said she was put off by Mamdani’s attempt to unseat the incumbent in her district and stifle Nydia Velazquez’s preferred successor. She pointed to the role established candidates play in communities supported by Black and Latino voters.
“Do you just think you can insert anyone you want or do you actually want to listen to us?” Sanchez said. She said she supported Mamdani last year.
Mamdani’s slate didn’t only attack incumbents; it also moved to reshape the succession in Velazquez’s district, covering parts of Brooklyn and Queens. Democratic socialist state Assembly Member Claire Valdez defeated the handpicked successor of retiring U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez.
Mamdani had backed Valdez over Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the race to replace Velazquez, though Reynoso won Velazquez’s endorsement and still failed to earn the mayor’s backing.
A campaign that refuses to stay in one lane
Taken together, the results underscored how much of Mamdani’s push for the Democratic Party’s left flank has been grounded in sharper language and a willingness to go after the establishment head-on.
In his celebration speech Tuesday, Lander framed the stakes as more than party labels. “It’s not just a question of electing more Democrats. It’s a question of electing better Democrats,” he said. “When I look at these candidacies. I see in them a willingness to also put working people back at the heart of our politics.”.
Even amid establishment worry that such moves could alienate swing voters in midterm elections across the country this fall. the Democratic primaries in New York became a referendum—one voted on in real time by people like Hyler. who said AIPAC funding broke her patience. and by others like Sanchez. who said she didn’t want outsiders deciding who represents her.
In the margins, the political map shifted again
The night’s drama wasn’t limited to Mamdani’s challengers. Democrat Jack Schlossberg, the 33-year-old grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, failed in his bid to compete in a crowded field for a seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler. Mamdani made no endorsement in that hotly contested race.
Elsewhere in New York. establishment Democrats celebrated the victory of state Assembly member Micah Lasher. a longtime government hand backed by Democratic leaders. Lasher prevailed in a field that also included anti-Trump activist George Conway and assembly member Alex Bores. whose proposals to regulate artificial intelligence triggered tech industry blowback.
Upstate, a Trump-aligned newcomer won the GOP primary
Far from Mamdani’s insurgent progressives, northern New York also produced a Republican primary victory shaped by a different kind of outsider energy.
In the GOP race for a seat soon to be vacated by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, Anthony Constantino—head of the custom sticker company Sticker Mule—won the nomination for New York’s 21st Congressional District. Constantino defeated New York state Assembly Member Robert Smullen.
Constantino had no previous political experience. He showcased enthusiasm for President Trump by putting a massive “Vote For Trump” sign atop one of his company buildings. He released a hip-hop album titled “Thank You President Trump. ” commissioned a statue of Trump and gave it to the president in Florida. Trump has endorsed Constantino.
Smullen, backed by local Republicans, argued that Constantino’s antics—including regular bashing of the state GOP—made him unfit to serve in the House.
The results across parties left New York’s political future looking sharply redrawn—not just by who won, but by the themes voters carried into the voting booth on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Zohran Mamdani New York City mayor Democratic primaries congressional primaries Adriano Espaillat Dan Goldman Brad Lander Darializa Avila Chevalier Claire Valdez AIPAC Gaza ICE Hakeem Jeffries Jack Schlossberg Jerry Nadler Micah Lasher Anthony Constantino Elise Stefanik Robert Smullen