Progressive Candidates Win Three Democratic Primaries in New York City

Progressive candidates secured three significant victories in Democratic congressional primaries in New York City on June 24, defeating establishment-backed opponents. Former city comptroller Brad Lander defeated Representative Dan Goldman in the 10th District, first-time candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier upset Representative Adriano Espaillat in the West Harlem-Bronx district, and state legislator Claire Valdez won an open-seat race in a Brooklyn-Queens district. These candidates, supported by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Senator Bernie Sanders, have advocated for the abolition of prisons and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The results marked a defeat for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which spent millions supporting Goldman and Espaillat. In another New York primary, former Biden administration official and Army veteran Cait Conley won her primary. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez voiced support for Conley, though Conley has not responded to the endorsement or to the socialist candidates backed by Mayor Mamdani.

Republican incumbent Representative Mike Lawler and his campaign manager, Ciro Riccardi, criticized Conley's lack of response as damning silence, demanding she either reject or embrace the far-left candidates. The general election race between Lawler and Conley is currently rated as a toss-up. Separately, former Representative Ben McAdams won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. House seat in Salt Lake City, Utah.