New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani demonstrated considerable political influence in Democratic U.S. House primaries held Tuesday, backing three progressive candidates who all won their races. The mayor framed his endorsements as supporting “better Democrats” focused on “working people,” though some Democratic leadership expressed concern about his involvement. Two of the successful candidates describe themselves as democratic socialists and are expected to win their heavily Democratic districts in the general election.
In a race for retiring U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s seat, state Assembly Member Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who had been endorsed by Velázquez herself. Democratic U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat lost his reelection bid to Darializa Avila Chevalier, a first-time candidate with no prior public office experience who had organized pro-Palestinian protests. Brad Lander, a former city comptroller, defeated U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman in a contest that centered partly on positions regarding the war in Gaza.
Elsewhere, a Manhattan Democratic primary became a proxy battle between competing factions of the artificial intelligence industry. Assemblyman Alex Bores, a former Palantir employee who championed sweeping state-level AI regulation, attracted major spending from both sides. An OpenAI-connected group spent over $7 million attacking Bores, while an Anthropic-affiliated group countered with more than $10 million in support. Bores finished second to Assemblymember Micah Lasher, a longtime government official backed by Democratic leadership.
On the Republican side, President Trump moved to secure endorsement wins after two of his preferred gubernatorial candidates lost primaries earlier in the month. Trump endorsed both candidates in a South Carolina runoff and saw Alan Wilson prevail, with Wilson attributing the victory partly to Trump’s support.
In Maryland, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore won his party’s primary in his reelection bid after taking office in 2023, with observers noting his potential as a presidential candidate. Republicans selected Dan Cox, who positioned himself furthest to the right among nine candidates and had emphasized tax cuts and housing affordability programs.
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