New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is putting his political influence to the test Tuesday, as he throws his support behind a group of democratic socialist candidates challenging longtime Democratic incumbents in New York’s primary elections. While the outcomes could shift the internal balance of the Democratic Party, analysts say the results are unlikely to serve as a winning model for Democrats hoping to reclaim Congress in November or the White House in 2028.
Mamdani, whose 2025 election victory stunned the political establishment, is championing a slate of candidates aligned with his democratic socialist vision. Among the most closely watched races is a challenge against a senior Latino member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The push comes on the heels of democratic socialist candidates winning primary contests in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles mayor races, and follows a democratic socialist victory in Seattle’s mayor’s race last year.
The movement has roots stretching back roughly a decade, gaining significant momentum from Senator Bernie Sanders’ unexpectedly strong 2016 presidential campaign and his continued efforts to cultivate a new wave of democratic socialist leaders.
The surge is also being driven by frustration among progressive Democratic voters — anger at President Donald Trump’s agenda and governing approach, as well as dissatisfaction with the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas attack. That conflict has resulted in more than 73,000 Palestinian deaths.
“Energy on the far right ignites energy on the far left. Politics is reactive,” said Steve Israel, a former U.S. House member from New York who spent part of his congressional career working to elect more Democrats.
Tensions Within the Democratic Party
For months following Mamdani’s 2025 primary win, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries faced repeated questions from reporters about whether he would endorse his fellow New Yorker. Jeffries ultimately did offer his endorsement — but waited until just 11 days before the general election to do so. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, meanwhile, stayed silent on Mamdani throughout the entire campaign.
The stakes are high for Jeffries, who is positioned to become U.S. House Speaker — and second in line for the presidency — if Democrats win control of the House in November’s midterm elections.
Winning that majority, however, depends not on solidly Democratic “blue” districts, but on flipping competitive “purple” swing districts currently held by Republicans.
One of the most consequential races Tuesday involves democratic socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier, who is backed by Mamdani and is running against five-term Democratic Representative Adriano Espaillat in New York City’s 13th congressional district, which covers northern Manhattan and the Bronx.
“If a DSA member could knock off the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, that could matter,” said Matt Bennett, co-founder of Third Way, a centrist Democratic consultancy.
Bennett also pointed to controversial statements Avila Chevalier made in past social media posts — including calls to abolish police and border controls, and questions about Israel’s right to exist — as potential ammunition for Republicans. “This is precisely the kind of person that they love to use to weaponize against other Democrats” running in competitive races, he said.
Steve Israel echoed that concern: “I do worry that the strength of democratic socialists in places like New York and California will be misread as the center of gravity for Democrats across the country” heading into November or the 2028 presidential race.
Avila Chevalier has since removed those social media posts and apologized for some of her language. However, in a June 17 interview with a group of editors, she stated: “I think that we just should not have a system that allows deportation to happen at all,” describing such a system as “rooted in deeply racist ideology.”
Espaillat fired back in a June 16 post on X: “We can’t just sweep things under the rug. Darializa has taken very extreme positions as reflected in her comments on social media not too long ago.” He added, “She is unfit for office and voters are smart enough to see that.”
More Socialist Challenges Across New York
Elsewhere in New York City, a democratic socialist is also challenging incumbent Democratic Representative Dan Goldman in the 10th congressional district, while another is competing for the 7th district seat being vacated by retiring Democratic Representative Nydia Velazquez.
Alex Jacquez, a progressive strategist and former senior adviser to Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, said focus groups and polling show Democratic voters are deeply dissatisfied with their party’s leadership. “That is really where you are seeing the fault lines. Are you willing to take on the wealthy and take on corporations and take on the status quo to deliver results. Or are you not,” he said, describing the core populist message democratic socialists are running on.
Outside of heavily Democratic districts in New York, California, and similar strongholds, the party is pursuing a different strategy — recruiting women with strong military backgrounds to run in states like Florida and Colorado.
“Most of the competitive districts for Democrats are red and pink districts that you can only win as a Democrat in … where more moderate stances resonate in races against incumbent Republicans,” Israel said. He noted that presidential victories aren’t decided in reliably blue states. “It’s won in seven moderate battleground states.”
