Progressive Upset Wins
Progressive Candidates Achieve Key Wins in New York Primaries, Challenging Democratic Establishment
New York progressives scored major wins in Tuesday's Democratic primaries, with state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez claiming the open 7th District seat and Brad Lander defeating incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th District. Both candidates ran on the endorsement of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders, dealing a sharp blow to the Democratic establishment WFMZ.
Valdez led with 58% of the vote against Antonio Reynoso, with 69% of ballots counted, according to Times of Israel. Lander's margin over Goldman stood at 28 points late Tuesday night, per CBS News. Because these districts lean overwhelmingly Democratic, both candidates are now heavy favorites in November.
Mamdani's Political Machine Drives the Progressive Sweep
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist elected in 2025, built a coordinated slate backing Valdez, Lander, and a third challenger in the 13th District. He held a joint rally with Sanders in Brooklyn just days before the vote. "It's not just a question of electing more Democrats," Mamdani said. "It's a question of electing better Democrats who put working people back at the heart of our politics," per KSAT.
Mamdani's 2025 mayoral win — where he beat former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a historic upset — reshaped New York City's political map by mobilizing a huge youth vote, with turnout hitting 43.47%, the highest for a city election since 1993, according to City & State NY. Tuesday's results suggest that machine is now running at full power.
Goldman Falls, Establishment Scrambles to Explain the Damage
Dan Goldman, a two-term incumbent who gained national fame as a prosecutor during the Trump impeachments, was projected to lose to Brad Lander by CBS News at 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. Analysts at Cook Political Report noted that Goldman's high national profile could not protect him from a sharp left-turn in the district's voters.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who backed Goldman, tried to limit the fallout. He said the "ideological direction of the party won't rest on a few House seats," according to Axios. But Axios also reported that the Jeffries wing is now worried the progressive platform — which includes abolishing ICE and cutting military aid to Israel — could hurt Democrats with swing voters in November.
Israel-Gaza Rift and a Socialist Challenger in the 13th District
In the 13th District, Darializa Avila Chevalier challenged incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Avila Chevalier is a democratic socialist who once helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University Rutland Herald. She and other progressive candidates used the words "genocide" and "apartheid" to describe Israel's actions in Gaza — a sharp contrast to incumbents like Goldman, who held traditional pro-Israel positions, per The Forward.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent upwards of $38 million nationally this cycle to protect pro-Israel incumbents, according to The Forward. The spending shows how central the Gaza conflict has become as a fault line splitting the Democratic Party in 2026.
A Kennedy Scion and a $40 Million AI Battle in NY-12
The 12th District race drew outsized national attention for two reasons. First, Jack Schlossberg — grandson of President John F. Kennedy — ran as a candidate with a heavy social media presence. He pushed back on doubters: "Supporters don't just like me because I'm a Kennedy... they trust me because they see what's going on with their very own eyes," he told Associated Press. Early returns showed him trailing candidate Micah Lasher, per Washington Post.
Second, the race became a proxy war over AI regulation. Candidate Alex Bores sponsored the RAISE Act, a state law requiring AI developers to publish safety plans. AI-focused Super PACs poured $27 million into the race against him, pushing total spending past $40 million — making it the second most expensive House primary in U.S. history, according to The Guardian.
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