Incumbents Toppled — Hard Left Surges

New York’s Democratic primaries just handed socialist-backed candidates a stunning sweep — and it’s a warning sign for anyone who thought the radical left was losing steam.

Story Highlights

Three candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won primary races, knocking out two sitting Democratic congressmen.
Brad Lander, endorsed by socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, crushed incumbent Dan Goldman with 65.7% of the vote.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) won key races even as Super PACs spent $9.6 million to stop them — nearly five times more than in 2024.
The wins signal a growing push to pull the Democratic Party far to the left, with candidates calling to abolish ICE and prioritize far-left policy goals.

Socialists Knock Out Incumbents in New York

On June 24, 2026, New York’s Democratic primaries delivered a shock to the political establishment. Three candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani won their races. Brad Lander defeated incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman with 65.7% of the vote. Claire Valdez beat Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso by 20 points. Darializa Avila Chevalier unseated incumbent Congressman Adriano Espaillat. All three winners have ties to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).^[2]

Lander’s win drew extra attention because Goldman was the lead prosecutor in President Trump’s first impeachment trial — a high-profile establishment figure. Lander also picked up the endorsement of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, the country’s most well-known democratic socialist. Lander promised to be one of the most vocal Jewish members of Congress in support of Palestinian causes, saying he would “stand up loud for Palestinian human rights, freedom and dignity.”^[2]

DSA Wins Big Despite Massive Spending Against Them

The DSA’s success did not come cheap for its opponents. Super PACs poured $9.6 million into state legislative races trying to stop DSA candidates — nearly five times what was spent in 2024.^[5] Despite that financial firepower, the socialist-backed slate still dominated. Mayor Mamdani called the results a “clear mandate” and vowed to “abolish ICE and stand up to the billionaire class.” That kind of language should alarm every American who values border security and free markets.

Valdez won her congressional district by 20 points over the establishment-backed Reynoso.^[1] She supports a state takeover of utilities and declared that “free Palestine was on the ballot.” Chevalier ran on economic support for working-class voters, with supporters chanting anti-Espaillat slogans on election night. These are not moderate Democrats. These are candidates pushing an agenda far outside the American mainstream.

What This Means for the Rest of the Country

The DSA’s wins fit a larger pattern. Democratic socialist candidates have also made recent gains in mayoral primaries in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., where DSA member Janeese Lewis George defeated a moderate incumbent and is now poised to lead the nation’s capital.^[4] The movement is growing, and it is not staying inside New York City’s borders.

Three Democratic Socialists won primaries in New York. The next morning Republicans were saying the country is being overtaken by communists. 😆

— Cutiepie (@aprrey66) June 25, 2026

Not everyone in the Democratic Party is cheering. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries made clear he would not endorse candidates running against sitting incumbents. A former Democratic National Committee chair pushed back hard, saying, “If you hate the Democratic Party, then please don’t run for our nomination.” Pro-Israel Democrat Ritchie Torres won his race in a landslide, showing the socialist wave has real limits outside of heavily left-leaning districts. Still, the direction of travel inside the Democratic Party is unmistakable. While Republicans focus on rebuilding America’s economy and securing the border, the left is doubling down on the same failed ideas — government control, open borders, and anti-American symbolism — that voters across the country have repeatedly rejected.