NEW YORK (AP) — Democratic incumbents are fighting off energetic primary challenges Tuesday in at least two of New York’s congressional races, marking the latest battleground between the progressive left and the party’s establishment wing.
U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman and U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat are both working to hold onto their seats against candidates endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the young democratic socialist who hopes the momentum from his election last year will help him transform the city’s congressional delegation.
Goldman is being challenged by former city Comptroller Brad Lander, while Espaillat is facing another Mamdani-backed contender — Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who previously helped organize pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University.
In a separate race drawing considerable attention, Democrat Jack Schlossberg — the 33-year-old grandson of former President John F. Kennedy — is hoping to add his own page to the family’s storied political legacy. He’s running in a crowded contest for the seat being left open by retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler. Mamdani has not weighed in on that particular race.
Schlossberg is competing in one of the nation’s most affluent congressional districts, which covers a large portion of central Manhattan. However, he has faced scrutiny over his limited professional background compared to more experienced rivals.
Others in that field include state Assembly members Micah Lasher, a veteran government figure with backing from Democratic party leaders, and Alex Bores, whose push to regulate artificial intelligence has drawn pushback from the tech sector. Also running is George Conway, a former attorney who co-founded the anti-Trump organization The Lincoln Project and has built his campaign around the goal of impeaching the president.
Only a few months into leading the city, Mamdani drew some surprise by actively endorsing candidates who are going up against Democrats favored by the party’s leadership.
Should his endorsed candidates win, Mamdani — who is a registered Democrat — could establish himself as a democratic socialist power broker with new allies in Congress. However, the strategy also carries the risk of deepening divisions within the Democratic Party and damaging his ties to party leadership.
Last month, the mayor threw his support behind Avila Chevalier, 32, in her contest against Espaillat, 71, who made history as the first Dominican American elected to Congress and currently represents a district spanning upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Espaillat had supported former Gov. Andrew Cuomo during last year’s mayoral race but later backed Mamdani after Mamdani secured the Democratic primary.
Avila Chevalier has no prior political office experience and presents herself as a political outsider free from corporate and real estate influence.
She has also attacked the incumbent over his past support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Espaillat’s allies have pushed back, pointing to a record of inflammatory and profane social media posts Avila Chevalier made when she was in her 20s as evidence she is not qualified for the position.
Lander, a well-known figure among the city’s progressive Democrats, secured the mayor’s endorsement in his race against Goldman, a progressive former federal prosecutor who served as lead counsel during Trump’s first impeachment proceedings.
The ongoing war in Gaza has emerged as a key dividing line between the two candidates, both of whom are Jewish. Lander has criticized Goldman for not taking a harder stance against Israel’s military campaign against Palestinians. Goldman has regularly condemned Israel’s government and denounced settler violence, but has declined to label the conflict a genocide — a term Lander has used.
Despite his position, Goldman has been pushed to sharpen his criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war in response to Lander’s attacks and evolving voter attitudes, even as he tries to keep his campaign centered on the rising cost of living and opposition to Trump’s agenda.
Mamdani and Lander were rivals during last year’s mayoral primary but later joined forces to block Cuomo’s attempted political comeback. Lander’s endorsement of Mamdani also helped calm some concerns among Jewish voters about Mamdani’s critical stance toward Israel.
Mamdani has additionally endorsed democratic socialist ally and state Assembly Member Claire Valdez over Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the race to fill the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, which covers portions of Brooklyn and Queens. Velazquez has endorsed Reynoso.
In northern New York state, the Republican primary for a seat soon to be vacated by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik features a Trump-endorsed political newcomer going up against a conservative state lawmaker.
Anthony Constantino, who heads the custom sticker company Sticker Mule, has made his enthusiasm for the president abundantly clear — placing a massive “Vote For Trump” sign on one of his company’s buildings, releasing a hip-hop album called “Thank You President Trump,” and commissioning a statue of Trump that he presented to the president in Florida. Trump has given Constantino his endorsement.
Constantino’s opponent, conservative state Assembly Member Robert Smullen, has strong backing from local Republicans. Smullen has argued that Constantino’s behavior — including frequent attacks on the state Republican Party — disqualifies him from serving in the House.
