Four NYC Democratic congressional primary races remain up for grabs in the final days before election day on Tuesday as Mayor Mamdani seeks to further stamp his mark on the city’s fractious political landscape.
The charismatic mayor has endorsed progressive allies in three deep-blue districts, while a fourth is shaping up as a crosstown Manhattan battle for one of the highest-profile districts in the nation.
One of the three candidates running with Mamdani’s backing, ex-comptroller Brad Lander, is widely favored to unseat Rep. Dan Goldman in the NY-10 district spanning lower Manhattan and a chunk of Brooklyn.
In an even more progressive slice of Brooklyn and western Queens, Mamdani pick Assemblywoman Claire Valdez is leading in some polls of an unpredictable open NY-07 race against Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, a fellow progressive.
And in upper Manhattan’s NY-13, challenger Darializa Avila Chevalier has mounted an unexpectedly strong challenge to longtime incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat after receiving a last minute mayoral endorsement.
Mamdani sought to boost his allies by cutting a Knicks-themed ad with the trio. And progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders joined all of them for a raucous get out the vote rally hours after the NBA champions’ ebullient ticker-tape parade Thursday.
In all three races, Mamdani is taking a political gamble by snubbing powerful establishment Democratic figures and flexing his own electoral muscle. The results on Tuesday night will determine whether it was a winning bet.
Lasher and Bores neck and neck in crosstown Manhattan fight
In perhaps the closest-watched race of all, assembly members Micah Lasher and Alex Bores are viewed as frontrunners in the battle to replace Rep. Jerry Nadler, who is retiring after more than three decades in office.
The NY-12 race also includes wildcards Jack Schlossberg, a youthful social media influencer whose grandfather was President John F. Kennedy, and George Conway, a conservative lawyer and strident TV critic of President Trump.
Mamdani has stayed out, perhaps because he holds far less sway with voters in the wealthy district covering the Upper West Side and Upper East Side of Manhattan.
The candidates in the crowded field have traded barbs about Bores’ supposed ties to Big Tech and outside groups have poured millions into the race both supporting and opposing his proposals to regulate artificial intelligence.
But some analysts predict a far more prosaic factor may turn out to be key: the West Side has more electoral power than the Upper East Side. That would be a big edge for Lasher, whose stronghold is west of Central Park, while Bores is from the other side of town.
Lander leads brownstone Brooklyn
Lander is the most unusual of congressional primary challengers: he’s far more well-known than the incumbent.
An affable fixture in his Park Slope neighborhood, Lander has won elections for city council and comptroller. He famously turned his loss to Mamdani in the mayoral race into a political bromance that set the stage for his congressional run.
Polls show Lander with a big lead over Goldman, especially in the Brooklyn portion of the district where up to 60% of the votes are expected to be cast.
Adding to Goldman’s woes, a big issue in the race has been Israel policy. He’s a strong supporter of the Jewish state, putting him on the wrong side of more left-leaning Democratic primary voters who want a tougher line on Israel especially after the wars in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon.
Espaillat faces uptown fight of his life
Espaillat has won reelection five times with barely a whimper of opposition in the district stretching from Harlem to Inwood and a slice of the Bronx.
So some insiders have been taken aback by Chevalier’s powerful challenge, with polls suggesting a very close race.
The young activist has relentlessly pounded Espaillat as a moderate on Israel and an uninspiring fixture of the Democratic establishment. After a slow start, Espaillat hit back hard with attacks on Chevalier’s extensive social media footprint, including profanity-laced tweets aimed at Democratic stalwarts like Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.
Under the hood, Espaillat is counting on his network of Dominican-American political allies, while Chevalier hopes Mamdani’s nod, along with her army of young volunteers, can tip the balance.
Progressive civil war between Valdez and Reynoso roils NY-07
Stretching from Williamsburg to Bushwick, Ridgewood and beyond, NY-07 is perhaps one of the most progressive districts in the nation.
So it’s no surprise that the fight between Valdez and Reynoso has focused on which one would be more of a thorn in the side of Trump, Israel and big landlords.
Valdez was the first elected official to back Mamdani’s mayoral campaign and he returned the favor by supporting the fellow Democratic Socialists of America activist even as retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez sided with Reynoso to succeed her.
Polls show a close race, but analysts warn against underestimating Mamdani’s sway in a district where he is viewed favorably by about 80% of voters. He may have read the same surveys.
