New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani demonstrated significant political influence in Democratic U.S. House primaries held Tuesday, backing three progressive candidates who all prevailed over establishment-supported rivals. Mamdani framed his approach as electing “better Democrats” focused on working people, though the strategy generated concern among some Democratic leadership figures.
In the race for retiring U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez’s seat, state Assembly Member Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who had been endorsed by Velázquez herself. In another contest, Democratic U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat lost his reelection bid to Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist making her first run for public office after previous involvement in pro-Palestinian organizing at Columbia University. Former city comptroller Brad Lander won a third Mamdani-backed race against U.S. Representative Dan Goldman, with the campaign partly centered on their differing positions regarding the war in Gaza.
Elsewhere in Democratic primaries, a Manhattan race became a proxy battle between competing artificial intelligence industry factions. New York Assemblyman Alex Bores, a former Palantir employee and advocate for sweeping AI regulation, drew spending from both OpenAI-connected investors opposing him and Anthropic-linked supporters backing him. Assemblymember Micah Lasher ultimately won the Democratic primary for retiring Representative Jerry Nadler’s seat, with Lasher criticizing what he characterized as excessive industry involvement in the race.
On the Republican side, President Donald Trump moved to shore up his endorsement record after backing unsuccessful gubernatorial candidates in earlier primaries. Facing a South Carolina runoff, Trump endorsed both remaining candidates—Lt. Governor Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson—to ensure his endorsement would back the eventual winner. Wilson prevailed in the runoff.
In Maryland, Democratic Governor Wes Moore won his party’s primary for a second term and is widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. Republican primary voters selected Dan Cox, described as the furthest-right candidate among nine options, who emphasized tax cuts and housing affordability programs on his campaign platform.
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