New York’s primaries on Tuesday will test just how influential Mayor Zohran Mamdani is with voters six months into his tenure and offer a preview of the ideological battles to come as Democrats look ahead to the 2028 presidential primary.

Primaries to Watch

Mamdani endorsed former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander against 10th District Rep. Dan Goldman. He also backed Darializa Avila Chevalier, an educator and pro-life advocate for minors’ rights, against Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th District.

In the 7th District, where 17-term Rep. Nydia Velázquez is retiring, Mamdani is supporting Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, who is taking on Velázquez’s preferred replacement, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso.

These contests are part of a broader ideological battle being waged within the party — and in recent weeks, Mamdani’s side has had the national momentum.

National Implications

A year after Mamdani and fellow democratic socialist Katie Wilson in Seattle won mayors’ races, at least two more of the United States’ biggest cities could elect democratic socialists.

Earlier this month, city councilwoman Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary to become the next mayor of Washington, DC, all but assuring she will win in November in the overwhelmingly blue city.

Primary voters in Los Angeles also chose a democratic socialist city councilwoman, Nithya Raman, to take on incumbent Mayor Karen Bass this fall.

Both Valdez and Avila Chevalier, like Mamdani, are democratic socialists. The mayor’s decision to back Avila Chevalier against Espaillat, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, has particularly rankled Latino leaders in New York City as well as Jewish leaders who have noted Avila Chevalier’s attendance at a widely condemned pro-Palestinian rally the day after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.