Voters in New York Democratic primaries select candidates aligned with district priorities on housing and Gaza

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s endorsed candidates defeated two sitting members of Congress and the handpicked successor to a retiring lawmaker in Tuesday’s Democratic congressional primaries. The victories give the 34-year-old mayor a stronger platform inside the state party and send a direct signal to national Democratic leaders who opposed his slate.

Primary results One Mamdani-backed candidate defeated the leader of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who was seeking a sixth term. Another ousted a two-term incumbent. A third Mamdani ally defeated the candidate chosen by a retiring member of Congress.

The three winners all campaigned on democratic-socialist priorities, including criticism of U.S. policy toward Israel’s war in Gaza and calls for more aggressive economic measures.

Mayor’s political push Mamdani had made the three races a central focus of his first months in office. He appeared at get-out-the-vote events and framed the contests as a test of whether the party would move further left. At one victory celebration, he told supporters that the “old politics” would not solve current problems and that his movement was only beginning.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who had campaigned against the Mamdani slate, said before polls closed that a handful of primary outcomes would not change the direction of the caucus.

Other races In a separate contest for an open seat, state Assembly member Micah Lasher defeated a field that included anti-Trump activist George Conway and another assembly member whose proposals drew opposition from the technology industry. Mamdani did not endorse in that race.