Just seven months ago, democratic socialist Zoran Mamdani won a landslide victory in New York’s mayoral race, becoming the city’s first Muslim leader.
Now, a new candidate is testing the Democratic Party’s political direction in America’s most populous city.
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Tuesday’s New York state primary will determine which candidate the party will nominate to run in November’s midterm elections.
The vote will determine which party controls Congress, giving its members the power to support or obstruct U.S. President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda during the final two years of his term.
Most of New York City’s congressional districts are solid left-wing strongholds, and the winners of these races are almost certain to win in November.
But other districts, such as Long Island and the Hudson Valley, are considered toss-ups. The results of these elections are expected to play a major role in determining who wins the majority of the US House of Representatives.
Here’s what you need to know:
What time does voting start and end?
Early voting was held from June 13th to June 21st. Voting on Tuesday begins at 6am (10am GMT) and ends at 9pm (1am GMT on Wednesday).
Lander v. Goldman brings Israel policy to the fore
Brad Lander, a former New York City comptroller and progressive, struck a deal with Mamdani before last year’s New York mayoral primary.
Both candidates endorsed each other and called on voters to place them at the top of the ranked-choice voting system in hopes of gaining an edge over their common opponent, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The gamble paid off, with Mamdani overwhelmingly defeating Cuomo in the primary. He later won the general election.
Mamdani and Lander’s partnership was an alliance between an avowed anti-Zionist and a self-proclaimed “liberal Zionist” respectively. However, both politicians have advocated for Palestinian human rights in the face of Israeli human rights abuses.
Lander is currently challenging incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman to represent New York’s 10th District, which spans lower Manhattan and northern Brooklyn.
But their opposing views on Israel policy are dominating the Democratic primary. Lander condemned Israel’s military actions in Gaza, calling them genocide. He called Israel’s system of control over the occupied Palestinian territories “apartheid.”
Mr. Lander called for a ban on U.S. weapons to Israel to address human rights abuses.
Still, he has argued that Israel has a “right to exist” as a Jewish state and has opposed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. His record as an auditor has also come under scrutiny, with pro-Palestinian advocates criticizing him for investing city pension funds in Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest defense contractor.
Meanwhile, while Mr. Goldman emphasizes his support for Israel, he also strongly criticizes the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He insisted that Israel’s war in Gaza was not genocide and rejected claims that Israel was overseeing an apartheid system.
Mr. Goldman, the heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, has received support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), but has sought to distance himself from the lobbying group by returning direct donations.
He has received encouragement from New York Governor Kathy Hochul and former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Lander, on the other hand, is supported by Mamdani, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressive supporters. Mr. Lander leads Mr. Goldman in the latest polls, but the lead in Tuesday’s Democratic primary is expected to be close.
Democratic socialist supporting Mamdani
The two primaries will test the electoral strength of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the group that leveraged grassroots support to help Mr. Mamdani win last year.
One concerns the race to represent New York’s 13th District, which includes Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. DSA-endorsed candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier is rapidly gaining support there, threatening to upset Adriano Espaira, who has been in office since 2017.
The neighborhood is diverse, with a large Hispanic and Afro-Caribbean population. The district also borders the district currently represented by fellow Democratic Socialist Party member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who upset incumbent Joe Crowley in 2018.
But Espaillat, 71, has pushed back against Avila Chevalier’s rise, calling the 32-year-old community organizer inexperienced and out of step with the Democratic Party.
He also used her past tweets, which included inflammatory remarks criticizing former US President Joe Biden and 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
While Avila Chevalier has apologized several times for her online comments, she has also stepped up her platform to call for reform in police, prisons and federal immigration authorities. She has also been a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights.
Espaillat, the first former undocumented immigrant to be elected to the U.S. Congress, is also a leading critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, but has championed a more gradual approach to reform.
A major flashpoint in the election campaign is the candidates’ stance on Israel. For example, critics have highlighted Avila Chevalier’s participation in pro-Palestinian protests on October 7, 2023, the day after Hamas attacked southern Israel.
But Avila Chevalier said she attended the rally anticipating Israel’s response to Palestinian civilians.
In contrast, Espaillat has received praise from AIPAC. Filings show a super PAC aligned with powerful lobbying groups spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to run against Avila Chevalier.
Leftist battles in Brooklyn and Queens
A DSA challenger also entered the race at Mamdani’s request in New York’s 7th Congressional District, which covers northern Brooklyn and parts of Queens.
Claire Valdez, a 36-year-old state representative, is running against Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso with Mamdani’s support.
But both primary candidates are seen as progressive and boast overlapping policies heading into Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
They share goals such as abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and ending U.S. military aid to Israel, among other things, but supporters argue they offer a different flavor of the left.
Reynoso, 43, has the support of outgoing Rep. Nydia Velasquez, who currently represents the 7th District, as well as the support of several labor unions and the progressive Working Families Party.
To explain his qualifications, Reynoso cited his experience as a lifelong New Yorker who helped build the city’s progressive movement.
Valdez, by contrast, is from Texas. She moved to New York in 2015 to pursue a career in the arts, but says her experiences with inequality there inspired her to enter politics.
To many, she represents the young transplant professionals who make up the majority of the city’s residents.
Kennedy, former Republican and AI reformer
A more centrist Democratic primary is unfolding in New York’s 12th Congressional District. The district is an affluent part of Manhattan that stretches from the Upper West Side to the trendy Flatiron District.
Eight challengers are seeking the Democratic nomination to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, and outside groups are pouring millions of dollars into the race.
Candidates include Jack Schlossberg, 33, grandson of former US President John F. Kennedy. Schlossberg has no experience holding elected office, but he has built a large following online with his unfiltered social media posts.
If elected, Schlossberg will become the seventh member of the Kennedy family to serve in Congress.
Other challengers include Alex Boas, a 35-year-old New York state lawmaker who has made AI regulation a top priority, and Mika Lasher, a 44-year-old fellow lawmaker whose career in politics dates back to her teens.
Also in the race is former Republican George Conway, 62, one of President Trump’s most prominent critics.
Mr. Conway’s commentary was notable given that his wife, Kellyanne Conway, served as a senior adviser to President Trump during the president’s first term. After that, the two separated.
Early polls showed Schlossberg in the lead. But more recent polls suggest Boas and Lasher are the major front-runners.
vulnerable republicans
Democrats aim to pick up at least one Republican-held seat in New York state this November.
They are targeting Republican incumbent Mike Lawler, who represents a Democratic-leaning district in the Hudson Valley just north of New York City.
Despite the demographics of New York’s 17th district, Lawler, 39, handily defeated Democratic incumbent Mondaire Jones in 2024. Five Democrats are currently vying to defeat him in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Two of the challengers, including Kate Conley, a former U.S. Army officer and White House national security adviser, and Beth Davidson, a county council member, are taking a centrist path.
Second, John Capello, a retired U.S. Air Force member, focuses on affordability.
The progressives include Effie Phillips Staley, an activist backed by the Working Families Party, and lawyer and journalist Mike Sachs.
Recent polls have put Mr. Conley in the lead so far.
