Brooklyn Council Member Alexa Avil\u00e9s.<\/a><\/p>\nBut she said Valdez\u2019s win over Reynoso and Avila Chevalier\u2019s upset over Espaillat were harder to separate from Mamdani\u2019s backing.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI think in the other two races, like Claire Valdez is an assemblywoman, but Antonio Reynoso, being the Brooklyn borough president, and a pretty well-known and popular politician, and with the support of Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez, I would have thought that that would be super competitive,\u201d Groarke said. \u201cAnd obviously in the 13th, Mamdani support for her had a lot to do with her victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mamdani says election results show New Yorkers \u2018hungry\u2019 for change<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, standing at a Bronx child care event, Mamdani said the results showed voters were \u201chungry for a new kind of politics\u201d centered on working people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are hungry for a politics that understands working people should be at the heart of it,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cAnd they\u2019re hungry for a politics that looks at the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world and understands that it\u2019s unacceptable that one in four are living in poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked whether the victories represented a personal win or a broader realignment of the Democratic Party, Mamdani repeatedly returned to affordability, citing rent, groceries and utility bills as the issues that drove voters to his preferred candidates.<\/p>\n
He also said the three congressional winners, along with state legislative candidates he backed, would bring \u201ca singular focus on the fight of the working person.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Gustavo Gordillo, co-chair of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, said the results proved Mamdani\u2019s mayoral victory was \u201cnot just a fluke.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw lasting support from working-class New Yorkers for a democratic socialist agenda and vision for the economy,\u201d Gordillo said. \u201cWe cannot be written off as a fringe movement anymore. I think we\u2019re being recognized correctly by the whole political class as power players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gordillo said Mamdani \u201cwent all in\u201d for the candidates he endorsed, using his platform to elevate Valdez and Avila Chevalier in particular. He said DSA\u2019s electoral project is now focused on building a deeper bench of democratic socialist officials as future elections roll around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not only focused on electing one seat or occupying one position,\u201d Gordillo said. \u201cWe need to build a bench of democratic socialists.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Gordillo said the wins were already translating into new interest in the organization. He estimated that hundreds of people had signed up since election night, including roughly 200 in New York and about 1,000 nationwide by Wednesday afternoon, though he said he did not have final numbers in front of him when speaking to amNewYork.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/DSC_5755.jpg\" "\\"\u2018King")
Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a Bronx child care announcement Wednesday, one day after his endorsed congressional candidates swept three Democratic primaries. Mamdani said the results reflected voters\u2019 desire for politics centered on working people and affordability.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell<\/p>\n
The sweep could also increase pressure on Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers next year, especially around taxes and affordability programs. Gordillo said DSA-backed lawmakers will push harder in Albany to tax millionaires and wealthy corporations to fund programs such as universal child care.<\/p>\n
The group\u2019s winning slate included Valdez and Avila Chevalier in Congress; State Senate challenger Aber Kawas; Assembly challengers Christian Celeste Tate, David Orkin, Diana Moreno, Eon Huntley, Illapa Sairitupac and Samantha Kattan; and incumbent state lawmakers Jabari Brisport and Phara Souffrant Forrest. The group\u2019s only loss was Conrad Blackburn\u2019s challenge to Assembly Member Jordan Wright in Harlem.<\/p>\n
Groarke said the growing number of democratic socialist and progressive lawmakers will likely \u201cpull the conversation a little bit to the left,\u201d including in budget debates.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cProgressives are always told there\u2019s not enough support for their ideas,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s like, well, we\u2019re seeing more support.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Has the DSA taken over NYC\u2019s Democratic party?<\/p>\n
But J.C. Polanco, an assistant professor of business and economics at the University of Mount Saint Vincent and a former Republican who now identifies as an independent, offered a much darker assessment of what the results mean for more moderate Democrats.<\/p>\n
\u201cMamdani is now the official king of New York,\u201d Polanco said. \u201cHe\u2019s in charge of the New York City Democratic Party.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Polanco said the key to DSA\u2019s success is not only Mamdani\u2019s popularity, but the group\u2019s ability to organize in low-turnout primaries. He argued that DSA has effectively replaced the role once played by county organizations by giving candidates what he described as a \u201ccampaign in a box\u201d \u2014 volunteers, canvassers, attorneys, donations and campaign infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re better organizers, they\u2019re better campaigners, they have cutting-edge media-savvy technology going for them,\u201d Polanco said. \u201cAnd they\u2019ve taken over the New York City Democratic Party today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Polanco also argued that the results should renew calls for open primaries in New York, where independent voters cannot participate in Democratic primaries even though those contests often determine the winner in November in heavily Democratic districts.<\/p>\n
The turnout picture was already a point of debate before Tuesday. Participation was far below last year\u2019s mayoral primary, when Mamdani\u2019s campaign helped drive a surge of new and younger voters. But several analysts cautioned against comparing this year\u2019s congressional and state legislative primaries directly to a mayoral contest.<\/p>\n
By 6 p.m. Tuesday, the city\u2019s Board of Elections had reported 420,527 voter check-ins in the 2026 primaries, including 172,743 voters who participated during the nine-day early voting period. More than 1 million votes were cast in the 2025 mayoral primary.<\/p>\n
Gordillo said early narratives about turnout falling off were overblown, arguing that 2025 was a historic outlier and that DSA-backed candidates still helped motivate voters this year, particularly those under 50.<\/p>\n
The results also revived debate over the composition of the city\u2019s left-wing coalition. Some critics have argued that democratic socialist candidates rely heavily on younger, college-educated and higher-income voters, and have struggled to build the same level of support among Black and Latino working-class voters.<\/p>\n
Groarke said that critique is often overstated, particularly in Avila Chevalier\u2019s district, which is majority Latino and heavily Black.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea that they\u2019re appealing to only young white voters is just not mathematically possible,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n
Gordillo also pushed back on the criticism, saying most DSA elected officials in New York City are Latino and nearly all are leaders of color. He said the organization\u2019s Bronx and Upper Manhattan branch has grown significantly since Mamdani\u2019s mayoral campaign and said new membership has increasingly reflected the city\u2019s diversity.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-02-26-at-3.56.37-PM.jpg\" "\\"\u2018King")
U.S. President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speak to members of the media as they meet in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 21, 2025. REUTERS\/Jonathan Ernst<\/p>\n
Still, the victories are already being nationalized.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump weighed in Wednesday, calling Mamdani\u2019s three endorsed winners \u201csolid communists\u201d and accusing the media of giving Mamdani more attention than Trump\u2019s own endorsed candidates.<\/p>\n
At his Wednesday press conference, Mamdani was asked whether his goal was to make America a socialist country. He did not directly embrace the label in response.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal is to make America a place that every American can afford,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
Mamdani was also pressed on whether the DSA-aligned wins could become a liability for Democrats in the midterms, as Republicans seek to portray the party as too far left. The mayor dismissed that concern, saying Republicans made similar attacks after he won the Democratic nomination for mayor last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is shining through for New Yorkers and for Americans is a focus on the working person,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
Polanco said Republicans would be foolish not to use the victories as a national attack line in competitive districts. He said the rhetoric of DSA-aligned candidates on issues such as Israel, policing and private property could become campaign material for Republicans trying to hold swing seats, including districts in the New York media market.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I were advising Republicans, I would tell the world as to who is now the mainstream of the Democratic Party,\u201d Polanco said.\n<\/p>\n
Groarke was less convinced that the \u201ccommunist\u201d attacks would add much new weight, saying Republicans already use that language against Democrats. She said Democratic leaders should instead think more seriously about how to make different parts of the party feel included, especially around shared issues such as affordability.<\/p>\n
That question now falls in part to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who was already the subject of speculation earlier this year about a possible DSA-backed primary challenge. Mamdani had discouraged that effort, but Tuesday\u2019s results could increase pressure on Jeffries and other Democratic leaders to respond to the party\u2019s left flank.<\/p>\n
Asked about Mamdani\u2019s role in discouraging a possible DSA-backed challenge to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries by Brooklyn Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9<\/a>, Gordillo said NYC-DSA has a \u201crobust internal democratic system\u201d for endorsements, but acknowledged that the mayor has weighed in during the group\u2019s endorsement process.<\/p>\n\u201cHe understands the power of our organization, and our losses will be read as his losses, and our victories will be read as strengthening both of us together,\u201d Gordillo said.\n<\/p>\n
Mamdani said Wednesday he planned to speak with Jeffries later in the day and looked forward to working with him to deliver for New Yorkers.\n<\/p>\n
Polanco said Jeffries is in a difficult position because he must try to win competitive districts nationally while also guarding against a possible challenge from the left at home. Groarke said Democratic leaders should look for areas of agreement with DSA-aligned members rather than dismissing them outright.<\/p>\n
The next test may come in Albany during next year\u2019s budget process, where Mamdani and DSA-aligned lawmakers are expected to push for more aggressive affordability measures.\n<\/p>\n
It could also come in future congressional or state legislative races, where Democratic incumbents may now have to weigh whether crossing Mamdani or the organized left could invite a primary challenge.<\/p>\n
Gordillo said DSA\u2019s energy after Tuesday\u2019s wins is \u201csky high\u201d and suggested the organization is already thinking beyond district-level contests.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cA lesson that we\u2019ve taken from the past few years is that it\u2019s very important for us to put our politics forward and our agenda forward at the highest levels that we can,\u201d he said, adding that top-of-the-ballot races would be a question for the group heading into 2028.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s endorsed candidates won all three of their congressional primaries Tuesday, expanding the influence of New…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":890357,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,6626,10460,360321,355252,361002,40896,361003,361004,405,403,51001,5226,5225,5228,5227,13145,6637,361005,361006,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,9897,5301],"class_list":["post-890356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-america","tag-brad-lander","tag-claire-valdez","tag-congressional-primaries","tag-darializa-avila-chevalier","tag-democratic-party-shift","tag-democratic-socialists-of-america","tag-dsa-victories","tag-left-wing-politics","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-elections","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkcity","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-mayor","tag-nyc-politics","tag-primary-elections-2026","tag-progressive-movement","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa","tag-voter-turnout","tag-zohran-mamdani"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=890356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/890356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/890357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=890356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=890356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=890356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Brad](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782338658_288_2026-06-24T031323Z_1866733253_RC210MAGDZ4S_RTRMADP_3_USA-ELECTION-NEW-YORK.jpg\" "\\"\u2018King")
Brad Lander, candidate for New York\u2019s 10th Congressional District, speaks to the media while standing next to Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a watch party after winning the primary elections in Brooklyn, June 23, 2026.REUTERS\/Eduardo Munoz\n<\/p>\n