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Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander arrives with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for an election night watch party Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York.<\/p>\n
Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<\/p>\n
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, celebrates with Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier during an election night watch party Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in New York.<\/p>\n
Seth Wenig\/AP Photo\/Seth Wenig<\/p>\n
Democratic congressional candidate Claire Valdez speaks during a Get Out The Vote rally ahead of New York’s primary election, Thursday, June 18, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York.<\/p>\n
Ryan Murphy\/AP Photo\/Ryan Murphy<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 When Varun Venkatesh cast his ballot in New York\u2019s primary this week, he thought about \u201ca good litmus test for me as a voter.\u201d He wanted to know what the candidates are doing for the Palestinian cause.<\/p>\n
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The 27-year-old Brooklyn resident decided to support Claire Valdez, who was backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, over Antonio Reynoso, another progressive who was the choice of the Democratic establishment, because she had \u201ca clear and more consistent stance.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Valdez triumphed in her congressional primary, as did two other insurgent candidates endorsed by Mamdani, and Israel was a key issue in each of the races. Now the question for Democrats is how many more voters like Venkatesh are out there as the party charts its path toward the November midterms and the next presidential election.<\/p>\n
The war in Gaza began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which responded with a yearslong counterattack that left more than 73,000 dead. About 1,000 have died since a ceasefire was reached in October, according to the Hamas-run health ministry that does not differentiate between civilian and combatant casualties.<\/p>\n
Human rights groups and a United Nations commission have described Israel’s actions as a genocide, a charge that’s been rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.<\/p>\n
Democrats on the left \u2014 and even some conservatives \u2014 have ratcheted up pressure to suspend U.S. aid to Israel, a shift that’s been shadowed by a rise in antisemitism across the political spectrum.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe Israel question has become defining,\u201d said Matt Bennett, who leads the centrist Democratic group Third Way and frequently criticizes progressives as jeopardizing outreach to independent voters. He argued that some in Mamdani\u2019s camp have embraced \u201ca new level of extremism,\u201d warning that \u201cRepublicans are very good at weaponizing crazy ideas on the fringe against mainstream candidates.\u201d<\/p>\n
The schism over Israel, which widened during Joe Biden’s presidency and undermined Kamala Harris’ bid to replace him, remains an open wound. How Democrats attempt to stitch it closed will help define their future. A step in any direction risks alienating pieces of the party’s unwieldy coalition when it’s trying to unify around the mission of retaking control of Congress and set the stage for winning the White House again.<\/p>\n
Mamdani is unapologetic in his effort to reshape the Democratic Party from the mayor\u2019s office of the country\u2019s largest city. He sharply criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee for defending what he calls \u201ca status quo of immorality\u201d in Gaza, and voters who celebrated his slate’s victories on Tuesday night chanted \u201cFree Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mayor, meanwhile, argues that New York should shape Democrats\u2019 search for their national identity in the coming years.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhen does the race for 2028 begin?\u201d Mamdani asked last week on a stage with his slate of candidates. \u201cIt starts now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel-Palestinian conflict animates Democrats’ left flank<\/p>\n
Even for a party accustomed to conflicts between progressives and moderates, the divide over Israel has been especially intense. Although the U.S. alliance with Israel once had bipartisan support, the ascendancy of Israel’s right wing, led by Netanyahu, strained those ties over the years. Then the war in Gaza shredded them.<\/p>\n
Biden was denounced as \u201cGenocide Joe\u201d by pro-Palestinian supporters, who shifted their attention to Harris once she replaced him as the Democratic nominee for president two years ago.<\/p>\n
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\u201cShe was trying to do the right thing,” said Jamie Harrison, who led the Democratic National Committee at the time. “It was a hard and awkward place to be in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrison said the war in Gaza helped cost Harris the state of Michigan, which has a sizable Arab American population. However, he doubts that it was a defining national issue then or now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one thing to be in New York. But I can tell you that most places, including where I am in South Carolina, it\u2019s not what people are talking about,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are concerned about affording gas and groceries and housing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrison expects Democrats to look for middle ground in the future, which includes \u201cstill supporting Israel\u2019s sovereignty\u201d while calling for \u201creducing U.S. aid to Israel and changing the nature of the relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The issue puts a notable spotlight on Jewish Democrats who could become presidential contenders at the same time Mamdani wields his influence as the most prominent elected Muslim in U.S. politics.<\/p>\n
When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro\u2019s name landed on Harris\u2019 list of potential running mates, activists on the left cried foul over his support for Israel \u2014 potentially previewing pressures he would experience in a White House campaign.<\/p>\n
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was once a billionaire donor to AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group, and a national board member. He cut ties with the group after it aligned with Donald Trump, but the governor has continued to face questions about his past support.<\/p>\n
Both Shapiro and Pritzker are seeking reelection this November before deciding on White House bids.<\/p>\n
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One primary victor blasted the \u2018hug Bibi\u2019 strategy<\/p>\n
Finding middle ground has been difficult so far, as demonstrated by the primary in New York’s 10th congressional district.<\/p>\n
Brad Lander, the former city comptroller backed by Mamdani, successfully challenged U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman in the race.<\/p>\n
Both candidates are Jewish, and both have criticized the Israeli government. But Lander says the war in Gaza is a genocide, and Goldman does not.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOur party needs to admit that Joe Biden\u2019s \u2018hug Bibi\u2019 strategy was a catastrophic mistake,” Lander said in his primary victory speech. He added, \u201cWe cannot keep paying for Netanyahu\u2019s wars with our tax dollars. Democratic voters are saying this, loud and clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ari Rassouli, a voter in the district, said the incumbent’s views on Israel were \u201cone of the many reasons that I didn\u2019t like Dan Goldman.\u201d<\/p>\n
Describing the war as a genocide, she said \u201ca candidate that is in support of that has no place in our democracy at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
While talking to reporters on Tuesday, Lander acknowledged that Israel was among the top issues along with affordability and immigration.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI like talking to Jewish voters who feel anxiety about the times we live in and say, \u2018I have these values, I want to treat everyone like they\u2019re equal and with dignity and created in God\u2019s image. How do we navigate the times we\u2019re in?\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added with a smile, \u201cThose are probably the longest conversations at the polls.\u201d ___<\/p>\n
Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
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