New York Democrats went to the polls Tuesday and delivered a resounding verdict: the progressive wing of the party is ascendant in the state, much to the chagrin of the establishment.
The wins were concentrated in what has come to be known as the “Commie Corridor”—a stretch of left-leaning neighborhoods running from western Queens through northwest Brooklyn that has been the organizational heartland of New York City’s democratic socialist movement—and Tuesday night, that movement made clear it is no longer content to stay there.
The night’s two biggest stories came from the heart of the city’s democratic socialist movement. In upper Manhattan and the Bronx, community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat in what may be the biggest upset of the cycle. Espaillat, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, had held the seat since 2017. And in lower Manhattan and northwest Brooklyn, former NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, backed by Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), routed incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman by more than 31 percentage points in New York’s 10th Congressional District—a margin that far exceeded even the most optimistic projections from his campaign. Lander had made opposition to U.S. weapons transfers to Israel a centerpiece of his campaign, putting him in direct conflict with Goldman, who was endorsed by AIPAC and backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The night also delivered a third major congressional victory for the NYC Democratic Socialists of America Slate (DSA). In New York’s 7th Congressional District, state Assemblywoman Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who was endorsed by outgoing Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez as her preferred successor, by more than 20 percentage points with 94% of the vote counted.
The socialist wave extended to the state legislature as well. DSA incumbent state Sen. Jabari Brisport held his Brooklyn seat in SD-25, fending off a challenge from a more mainstream Democrat. Aber Kawas, a Palestinian community organizer, won the open SD-12 seat in Queens. In the state Assembly, Diana Moreno won AD-36 in Queens, the seat formerly held by Mayor Mamdani himself; Samantha Kattan won the open AD-37 seat in Queens; workers’ rights attorney David Orkin defeated incumbent Jenifer Rajkumar in AD-38; Christian Tate defeated incumbent Erik Dilan in AD-54 in Brooklyn; Eon Huntley defeated incumbent Stefani Zinerman in AD-56 in Brooklyn; and tenant organizer Illapa Sairitupac won the open AD-65 seat on the Lower East Side and Chinatown, a district the DSA has long coveted.
In Buffalo, Adam Bojak appeared headed to victory in AD-149, which would make him the DSA’s first legislator from Western New York, according to New York Focus—though the race had not been officially called as of press time.
Tuesday’s results are part of a broader national wave. In Pennsylvania, democratic socialist Chris Rabb defeated Philadelphia’s Democratic machine by 15 points to win a congressional seat. In New Jersey, labor organizer Analilia Mejia won a special House election in April after upsetting the Democratic establishment. And in Washington D.C., democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary for mayor with more than 52% of the vote, all but guaranteeing she will become the capital’s next mayor. Progressive and democratic socialist candidates have been winning primaries up and down the ballot all cycle, powered by voters who are done waiting for a Democratic Party that they say has stood by while ICE raids tear apart communities, American bombs fall on Gaza, and billionaires consolidate power with the blessing of both parties.
Not every race Tuesday followed the progressive script. In Manhattan’s open 12th Congressional District, which became a proxy war over the future of artificial intelligence regulation, state Assemblyman Micah Lasher, endorsed by retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler and Gov. Kathy Hochul, held off a challenge from Assemblyman Alex Bores, the race’s most outspoken AI critic, leading by 4.2 percentage points with 87% of the vote counted. Kennedy family scion Jack Schlossberg, who had led early polls, finished a distant third.
In New York’s 17th Congressional District, the most competitive general election seat in the state, former Biden administration cybersecurity official Cait Conley won the Democratic primary, defeating Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson and three other candidates in a five-way race. Conley, an Army veteran who served six overseas deployments, will face Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in November in a race that both Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rate a Toss-Up.
On Long Island, Rep. Tom Suozzi won his Democratic primary in the 3rd Congressional District by nearly 60 points, setting up a rematch against Republican Michael LiPetri Jr., who has President Trump’s endorsement, in one of the most competitive House races in the state. In the neighboring 1st Congressional District, Chris Gallant won the Democratic primary by more than 26 points and will face Republican incumbent Rep. Nick LaLota in November.
The only major incumbent to survive a progressive challenge Tuesday was state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, who defeated challengers Drew Warshaw and Raj Goyle with 63% of the vote, per The New York Times. DiNapoli, New York’s longest-serving statewide elected official, secured the Democratic nomination for a fourth full term.
New York’s general election is Nov. 3, 2026.
UPDATE Wed., Jun. 24, 2026: This story has been updated to reflect additional results that came in after initial publication, including DSA legislative victories in Buffalo and Brooklyn.
