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A pair of Democratic House primaries in New York City are pitting liberals against leftists as a pair of democratic socialists battle against progressive candidates Tuesday.
Democratic socialist candidates Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who are both endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, are running against liberal candidates Antonio Reynoso and Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) in contests roiled by special interest money and divides over Israel.
The races have showcased fault lines between the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the left wing of the Democratic Party, placing Mamdani on the opposite side of some of his fellow progressives in Albany and on Capitol Hill.
“What we are trying to drive home is that we don’t need more people with just good ideas in office,” Grauce Mausser, NYC-DSA co-chair, told The Hill.
“There are a lot of people in Congress who have good ideas. There are a lot of people who identify as progressive,” she said. “There are not a lot of people who are committed not only to organizing their colleagues in Congress, but to building up a movement outside of Congress in order to truly shift and change political conditions.”
The fight over the direction of the party’s left flank has taken center stage in New York this election cycle with democratic socialists looking to capitalize on a slew of recent electoral victories in the Big Apple in addition to cities like Seattle and Washington, D.C.
The winners of Tuesday’s primary contests are expected to easily win their general elections in November, given the city’s reliably blue leanings.
In New York’s 7th Congressional District — held by retiring progressive Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D) — Valdez, a New York State Assemblymember and democratic socialist, is running against Reynoso, the progressive Brooklyn Borough President. New York City Council Member Julie Won and public defender Vichal Kumar are also vying for the seat representing parts of Brooklyn and Queens.
Valdez and Reynoso have secured endorsements from Democrats and organizations that in most other circumstances would unite behind the same candidate. Valdez has support from the NYC-DSA, Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), while Reynoso is supported by Velázquez and the New York Working Families Party.
A similar dynamic is playing out in the 13th Congressional District held by Espaillat, who’s fending off democratic socialist challenger Avila Chevalier, a PhD student and investigator at a Harlem public defender’s office. Espaillat caucuses with the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
In the Democratic primary for a seat that covers parts of the Bronx and Manhattan, Espaillat has the backing of a mix of both progressives and centrists, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), New York Attorney General Letitia James, Velázquez and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, according to Politico. Avila Chevalier, meanwhile, is backed by Mamdani and the NYC-DSA.
The NYC-DSA has not endorsed former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a progressive, in the Democratic primary against Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), who caucuses with Congressional progressives, in the 10th Congressional District. Mausser, however, said many DSA members are supportive of Lander, who became a key ally of Mamdani after his own unsuccessful mayoral run last year.
The New York Working Families Party is supporting both Reynoso and Lander, who do not identify as democratic socialists. Co-Director Jasmine Gripper pointed out that their organization doesn’t always align with the DSA and the two groups have different missions.
“The political project of the Working Families Party is not simply socialist, it’s electing Working Families champions,” Gripper said.
Beyond the partisan labels, the rifts between the races districts have focused less on major policy differences and more on the influence of outside spending and candidates’ positions on Israel and the war in Gaza.
Valdez has made Reynoso’s delay in calling the humanitarian situation in Gaza a “genocide” a point of contention, while also attacking him for taking contributions from the real estate sector. Both Reynoso and Won have criticized Valdez for shifting her position on super PAC contributions too.
The battle between Lander and Goldman has largely focused on Israel as well, with the former criticizing the incumbent’s stance on the war in Gaza. Goldman has support from establishment Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Hochul.
Avila Chevalier and Espaillat, meanwhile, have ripped each other over outside spending pouring into the race. Espaillat has come under fire over reports that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has sought to support Espaillat in the race.
Yet, Adin Lenchner, a New York City-based Democratic strategist, suggested that the primary focus in these races is “more around the authenticity of the candidates themselves, how they are talking about the issues and the kinds of campaigns that they’re building.”
“To see so many different compelling versions of a progressive future playing out, giving voters real opportunity and choices about the kind of politics they want to build, is an amazing one,” he said.
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Adriano Espaillat Bernie Sanders Daniel Goldman Hakeem Jeffries Kathy Hochul Letitia James Nydia Velazquez Zohran MamdaniCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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