Progressives Topple Two Incumbents in New York’s Primary Elections

A lot has changed in the intervening eight years, which is why it was not nearly as surprising when two of her fellow progressives toppled a pair of Democratic incumbents on Tuesday night, or that another Democratic Socialist won the race to replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY).

After all, that left-wing trio had the backing of popular Mayor Zohran Mamdani, also a Democratic Socialist, who took a bit of a risk in endorsing this trio of insurgent candidates looking to take on the party establishment.

But it is a gamble that paid off for the young mayor, and the outcome will reverberate beyond the Empire State.

What the primary results have shown is that Democratic voters have an appetite for fresh faces representing a new type of left-wing populism.

And it’s not as though the incumbents they defeated were random back benchers.

One of them, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, is the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. He lost to community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, who earned Mamdani’s endorsement with her uncompromising leftist platform.

The other is Rep. Dan Goldman, who was the lead counsel in Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial. However, his moderate policies made him a fairly easy target for former New York City comptroller and Mamdani ally Brad Lander.

“Tonight, you sent a resounding message: That you want leadership ready to fight, not fold, against authoritarianism,” Lander said in a message to his supporters after a relatively easy primary victory. “That you’re ready to join together with neighbors to build a city that is truly affordable and welcoming for all. And that it’s finally time for a politics of solidarity that doesn’t compromise on anyone’s humanity or dignity.”

Lander added that he received that message.

It remains to be seen whether two fellow New Yorkers did as well. Those would be Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Both of them are hoping that a resounding victory in the midterms will sweep them into power in their respective chambers in November. However, even if they do, they will have to contend with an increasingly outspoken and rebellious left wing that will not accept politics as usual.

And, if they don’t, they could find themselves in the same position as Espaillat and Goldman in two years, which is when Schumer is up for reelection.

Elsewhere in New York, Assemblymember Micah Lasher prevailed in an extremely costly contest to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D). He came out ahead of fellow Assemblymember Alex Bores, the author of a state law reining in the artificial intelligence industry. The race also featured a grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, as well as George Conway, a former Republican and prominent antagonist of Donald Trump.

In total, tech industry moguls spent nearly $30 million boosting and opposing Bores.

Trump celebrated the losses of Conway and Goldman in social media posts.

For his part, the president didn’t have a great night.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, his preferred candidate for South Carolina governor, lost a runoff against state Attorney General Alan Wilson. In order not to tarnish his near-perfect record of endorsing heavily favored Republicans, Trump had announced last week that, instead of only backing Evette, he would support both candidates equally.