Mamdani-Backed Candidates Sweep Democratic Primaries in New York City
JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg failed to advance in the election to replace Jerry Nadler in Manhattan district.
The growing influence of New York’s democratic socialist mayor, Brad Lander, was evident on Tuesday as three congressional candidates he endorsed won closely watched Democratic primaries.
Brad Lander, the former City comptroller who ran for mayor last year before endorsing progressive candidate Shahana Hanif Mamdani, won his race comfortably, defeating Democratic representative Dan Goldman.
Claire Valdez, a state lawmaker and former union organizer, defeated Antonio Reynoso in New York’s 7th district, which includes parts of Brooklyn and Queens and is currently held by retiring 17-term Democrat Nydia Velázquez. Reynoso had been endorsed by Velázquez and Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader who has sought to counter the party’s left wing.
In a surprising upset, public defense investigator Robert Lee defeated five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat in the state’s 13th congressional district.
Mamdani had entered the primaries earlier this year, investing his political capital to support three leftwing allies—a strategic gamble testing his popularity and influence. With his slate of candidates all but assured to be elected to Congress in November, Mamdani has left a significant mark on the state’s congressional delegation and expanded his progressive movement.
Jack Schlossberg’s Defeat Highlights Limits of Political Legacy
Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, failed in his bid for the Manhattan district seat on Tuesday night, demonstrating the limits of the influence held by the US’s most renowned political family.
In a nationally watched contest, Schlossberg, 33, had hoped to leverage his large social media following and charismatic campaigning but fell short in a crowded Democratic field aiming to succeed long-serving representative Jerry Nadler in one of the country’s most reliably Democratic districts. Micah Lasher, a longtime New York politician and former city council member, won the primary in New York’s 12th district and is the strong favorite to win the safely Democratic seat in the November midterm election.
Long Island and Other Key Races
On Long Island, Democratic freshmen representatives Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen easily fended off primary challenges as they prepare to defend their swing-district seats in November.
Cait Conley, a former White House counter-terrorism official and army combat veteran, won a competitive Democratic primary to challenge Republican representative Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th district. This district is one of just three across the US in 2024 that voted for Kamala Harris for president but elected a Republican member of Congress.
Republican Primaries Show Trump’s Influence
Elsewhere, further evidence emerged of Donald Trump’s stronghold on the Republican party, as Anthony Constantino won the Republican primary in upstate New York’s 21st congressional district. Constantino, endorsed by the president, faced Robert Smullen, a state assemblyman backed by local party officials.
Constantino is favored to win the November election in a heavily Republican seat vacated by MAGA enthusiast Elise Stefanik. Stefanik, who was nominated by the president for UN ambassador before withdrawing, also ran for New York governor last year.
Other Notable Primary Results
Adrian Boafo won a crowded primary race to succeed Steny Hoyer, the longest-serving House Democrat and longtime leadership member retiring at the end of his 23rd term. Boafo, a state delegate, defeated former US Capitol police officer Harry Dunn, who defended the building on January 6, and businesswoman Quincy Bareebe.
Republican Representative Burgess Owens opted not to seek re-election after the newly created map reshuffled the state’s all-GOP delegation. Trump endorsed incumbents running in the three Republican-strong districts, while former congressman Brad McAdams won the primary to compete in a newly drawn Democratic-friendly district in Salt Lake City.
In South Carolina, state attorney general Alan Wilson won the runoff for the Republican nomination for governor. Trump initially endorsed lieutenant governor Pamela Evette in the race but at the last minute endorsed both candidates, stating
“voters can’t go wrong.”
In Virginia’s first congressional district, a three-star Navy rear-admiral fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year defeated US Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford in the runoff for the Democratic nomination.
