Bill Maher: Democrats could lose midterms because of ‘really crazy’ New York candidates

In The Know Bill Maher: Democrats could lose midterms because of ‘really crazy’ New York candidates Comments: by Judy Kurtz - 06/30/26 1:58 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Judy Kurtz - 06/30/26 1:58 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Bill Maher recently predicted that Democrats “couldn’t help but win” in this year’s midterm elections, but now he says a trio of “really crazy” far-left candidates winning their New York primaries could sink the party’s chances come November.

HBO’s “Real Time” host said just last month that Democrats “cannot help but win” the midterms.

“Even they can’t blow it,” Maher said on his “Club Random” podcast.

But just weeks later, Maher painted a gloomier picture for Democrats in an interview with ITK.

“You see how quickly the news changes in just two months, because that was before the Supreme Court made a ruling on voting rights, before a number of districts have already gerrymandered their voting districts,” Maher said this week while in Washington to accept the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center.

“So that has changed just in the last two months. And then the Democrats just elected three very far-left Democratic Socialists in New York who are crazy,” Maher, 70, said.

“Like outright, really crazy,” he added.

Two Democratic socialist House candidates who were endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) — Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez — won their primary bids last week. Brad Lander, a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America and close ally of Mamdani’s, also won his.

“So how are they going to blow it?” Maher said.

“I don’t know, but they seem to be well on their way.”