Socialists Win Big in N.Y.C. What It Means for Black Political Power.

The dramatic, if not highly anticipated, New York primary elections have finally concluded and resulted in an insurgency of progressive challengers turning the tables on established politicians.

A new slate of elected officials swept in at the congressional and state levels in contested races in the June 23 primary. The biggest upset of the night was challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier ousting five-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District.

At the close of the polls, Espaillat, 71, and Avila Chevalier, 32, were neck and neck as results poured in. They were nearly tied at roughly 47% of the vote each, separated by only a fraction of a percentage point. However, over the next few hours, Avila Chevalier inched ahead with 49% of the vote to Espaillat’s 45%, according to the city’s Board of Elections (BOE) unofficial election night numbers. The final blow to Espaillat’s campaign was seemingly the last round of candidate debates and racist remarks from his senior adviser attempting to use ‘Haitian’ as a slur against Avila Chevalier, which many sharply condemned.

By the end of the night, Espaillat conceded, signaling a new wave of young democratic socialists in Manhattan and the Bronx. As many as 15 candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) claimed victory Tuesday night.

“I am so thrilled to have the support of my community, and I am so proud that they have put their trust in me to send me to Congress on their behalf,” said Avila Chevalier in a statement. “For too long, uptown and the Bronx have been overlooked, let down, and neglected. That ends today. We deserve leadership in Washington that will fight tooth and nail for every single one of us, and I can’t wait to get to work with our community to deliver on that promise.”

Remarkably, Avila Chevalier wasn’t alone in her win as other progressives won their respective races in federal and state elections. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who himself surprised Democrats when he won his mayoral primary in 2025 as a young Muslim socialist with very vocal opinions about his support for Palestine, very strategically endorsed select socialist candidates in congressional races.

He also backed Queens State Assemblymember Claire Valdez over Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the 7th Congressional District, and former City Comptroller Brad Lander over Dan Goldman in the 10th Congressional District. Both swept their opponents. Valdez scored 56.06% of the votes and Lander came in with 65.81% of the votes, said the BOE.

Mamdani promptly joined Lander’s watch party at the close of the polls, along with Lander’s long-time friend Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, to celebrate. “Brad brings a kindness to this work. He brings a sincerity to this work. He brings a vision of politics that is more than what we’ve seen for so long. And when we think about what our country needs,” said Mamdani at the party on June 23. “We need a good neighbor.”

The mayor is being overwhelmingly credited with helping them win. While campaigning with his fellow socialists in the last week, Mamdani said that it was time to bring back central notions of democracy for working people and have partners that can help fulfill the affordability agenda. Though his endorsements certainly did catapult their candidacies into the spotlight, Mamdani is simply the face of a much larger and fervent political machine working to change the nation’s framework.

Black and Brown state legislative races

Less mentioned is the fact that Mamdani largely stayed out of state races, especially in historically Black districts where the DSA were running their own candidates of color.

In Harlem’s Assembly District 70 race, incumbent State Assemblymember Jordan J.G. Wright, who is a native son of Harlem and a Democrat, beat out his DSA-backed challenger Conrad Blackburn. Wright was even endorsed by Espaillat, a known political rival to his father, Manhattan Democratic boss Keith Wright, in an attempt to fend off the DSA from controlling the seat.

“We did it. Thank you Harlem. It is the honor of my life to serve you. Thank you for having me another term. We are going to keep shooting and putting points on the board. Harlem bred, community led,” posted Wright from his watch party at The Row in Harlem on Election Night.

On the other hand, DSA candidates did sweep in Brooklyn’s Senate District 25 and Assembly District 56 races. Incumbent Senator Jabari Brisport beat out challenger Marlon Rice with 78.25% of the votes. While progressive Eon Huntley ousted incumbent Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman with 58.29% of the votes. This had been their second matchup since 2024’s June primary, where Huntley narrowly lost.

“Tonight, I see a movement that can overcome billionaire money, transcend the lines they try to draw between us, deliver childcare for all and build a truly affordable future,” said Huntley in a statement. “We’ve been told socialists don’t represent the Black community, that socialism couldn’t win here, and what we’ve proven instead is that the Black socialists are the future. Democratic socialism is about the Good Life for all, and that is what has won tonight, and that is what is going to win in November, in 2028 and on.”

Zinerman’s concession speech touched on the notion that young socialists uprooting established Democrats inevitably disrupts long held Black and Latino power structures and plans in government. She encouraged her former constituents to advocate for themselves because she isn’t convinced the DSA agenda and ideology centers Black politics. 

“I feel the same way about the erasures that are happening across the country. I don’t think that what they [socialists] are doing is any different than what Trump is doing. He’s very emphatic that we don’t matter, and they’re very emphatic about the same thing,” said Zinerman.

As many progressives partied on Election Day, they also marked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as their next target, fervently booing and screaming, ‘you’re next,’ whenever he appeared on TV news to comment on the elections.

Additionally, in East Harlem’s District 68, incumbent Eddie Gibbs lost to former City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala; in Queens’s District 32, candidate Latoya LeGrand lost to Nathaniel Hezekiah III; and in Brooklyn’s District 59, young activist Jibreel Jalloh lost to incumbent Assemblymember Jaime Williams, who is a conservative-leaning Democrat.

DSA vs. Democrat

Nationally, Democrats are hoping to at least shift the balance of power away from a Republican-controlled Senate and House with the primary elections, particularly because of the right-wing effort to redistrict Black and Brown communities hindering their voting strength. But in New York, this year’s elections boiled down to ideological clashes between establishment Democrats and socialist-backed challengers across the board rather than between the traditional blue and red. The DSA initially rose to power in New York City right after upending several key races in 2021, but the party’s wunderkind at the moment is Mamdani as proof of concept that a socialist candidate can prevail in the city. 

Even the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is far less resistant to Lander and Valdez’s wins, despite their socialist backing, than they were to Mamdani’s initially. DNC Chair Ken Martin praised Valdez as a “devoted” union organizer and assemblymember, and hailed Lander as “tireless champion for working people throughout New York City.” 

Another lynchpin in the wheel of success for the DSA, is weeding out American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) backed candidates and AIPAC-aligned networks.

“A monumental shift on Palestinian rights is underway – and it is transforming Democratic Party politics,” said the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) Policy Project in a statement. “Democratic voters have made clear that they will show up to replace their representatives who are bankrolled by AIPAC and support funding Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. Like Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory a year ago, tonight will send earthquakes across the Democratic establishment. It is time for party leadership to wake up and listen to their voters.”

Despite the DSA successes, it is important to note that the attack on an entrenched incumbent with AIPAC funding didn’t necessarily work in New York’s 15th Congressional District race. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat and staunch supporter of Israel, won against challenger and former Assemblymember Michael Blake with 71.95% of the votes.

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