In the New York Democratic primaries for a seat in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections scheduled for November, three left-wing candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani defeated better-known moderate candidates who were supported by the party establishment.
Brad Lander won in the 10th district, Claire Valdez in the 7th, and Darializa Avila Chevalier in the 13th. All ran campaigns very similar to the one that led to Mamdani’s victory in November—door-to-door canvassing, dynamic, modern, and irreverent use of social media, small donations, and concrete, bold proposals addressing the city’s cost of living—while also incorporating broader, more radical issues such as dismantling ICE and criticizing the Israeli government.
Lander and Valdez spoke openly of genocide and apartheid in reference to the massacre of civilians in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank. “Tonight’s victory belongs to all of you,” Lander told his supporters during the victory party, after being introduced on stage by Mamdani.
“It’s time for the Democratic Party to distance itself from dark money, crypto-funded PACs, Wall Street, artificial intelligence, and AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the all-powerful pro-Israel lobby. Ed.). People understand this.”
At the victory party in the 13th District, Mamdani expressed his appreciation for Darializa Avila Chevalier’s campaign,
“which called for a foreign policy that invests in children, not bombs. We are witnessing the decline of Israeli influence in politics, on the streets, and at the polls,” he added.
“When we fight, we win,” summarized Claire Valdez.
These victories reveal the growing influence of the wing of the Democratic Party that defines itself as democratic socialist and looks to Senator Bernie Sanders as a role model, and they demonstrate that those who are not afraid to speak plainly on “hot-button” issues such as immigration and Israel are ultimately rewarded by voters. This is a lesson that left-wing politicians around the world should keep in mind.
