Mamdani’s big bet pays off in New York: 5 takeaways from Tuesday’s primary elections

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New York City Zohran Mamdani’s (D) gamble in a series of House primary contests on Tuesday paid off, with all three of his picks clinching wins.

Democratic socialist candidates Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier, backed by Mamdani, cruised to victory, with Avila Chevalier notably ousting Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.). Former mayoral candidate Brad Lander, a progressive with Mamdani’s endorsement, also handily defeated Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.).

These three races put him at odds with key allies in New York and Washington, and the candidates’ sweep marks a major win for the 34-year-old mayor in the first significant test of his political influence.

Over in South Carolina, President Trump got to claim success after hedging his bets in the Republican runoff for governor. He issued a last-minute dual endorsement in the race after his first-choice candidate — Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette — lost steam following the initial primary earlier this month.

Maryland and Utah also hosted key primary contests Tuesday that will shape Capitol Hill this November.

Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s primary elections:

Mamdani’s grip holds strong in New York

Less than a year after Mamdani’s historic win in the Big Apple, Tuesday night’s election showcased his political power as his House picks swept their primaries.

Mamdani’s endorsements put him at odds with sitting Democratic congressmen, key Democratic leaders and some of his fellow progressives in the Empire State — putting a spotlight on divides among democratic socialists and the left wing of the party.

For example, the mayor and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) supported dueling candidates in the 10th congressional district, with Mamdani backing Lander and the governor endorsing Goldman. House Democratic leadership, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) also supported the incumbent.

Over in the 13th Congressional District, Mamdani backed Avila Chevalier over Espaillat, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair who gave Mamdani a significant endorsement in the 2025 mayoral race following his Democratic primary win.

Mamdani also endorsed Valdez in the 7th Congressional District primary to replace outgoing Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D), who had endorsed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso as her successor.

Tuesday’s primary results proved a boon for Mamdani, who even cut a basketball-themed ad with his three progressive picks that ran during the New York Knicks revelry earlier this month.

In the deep blue New York districts, Mamdani’s primary winners are set to glide to victory in this fall’s general election, installing three of the mayor’s allies on Capitol Hill.

But the wins raise new questions about the impacts of his choice to stand off against establishment figures like Hochul and Jeffries — and how his team of congressional hopefuls will navigate Capitol Hill.

Trump successfully hedges his bet in South Carolina

The president successfully hedged his bet in the South Carolina Republican runoff for governor after state Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) easily trounced Evette (R) Tuesday.

In late May, Trump endorsed Evette in the crowded June 9 GOP primary that also included GOP Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, among others.  While Evette placed first in the initial primary for governor, Mace and Norman quickly coalesced behind Wilson — snubbing the president and his preferred pick.

But the GOP primary runoff took an unexpected turn when the president last week decided to also back Wilson, writing on his Truth Social “I can’t hurt one of them by only Endorsing the other, so therefore, I am going to Endorse, for Governor of South Carolina, both Pam Evette and Alan Wilson!”

Although Trump technically scored a win Tuesday with Wilson’s victory, the last-minute move was a clear attempt to preserve his primary track record after it took a hit earlier this month.

Most of Trump’s picks in primary races so far have won their contests, but the president’s gubernatorial candidates in Iowa and Georgia — Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, respectively — lost their primaries.

Pro-AI industry groups notch win in New York

Pro-artificial intelligence (AI) industry groups had reason to celebrate in New York City after New York State Assemblymember Alex Bores (D), who made a name for himself helping pass AI safety regulation, lost the Democratic primary for retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler’s (D-N.Y.) seat in Manhattan.

The crowded Democratic primary for Nadler’s New York’s 12th Congressional District included Bores; New York State Assemblymember Micah Lasher; a former Nadler aide who had the congressman’s endorsement; Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy; and vocal Trump critic George Conway, among others.

The contest drew attention over its high-profile candidates, but also because the race turned into a proxy war between pro-AI industry groups and AI safety groups.

Groups like pro-AI group Leading the Future — backed by Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI president and founder Greg Brockman, among others — spent about $8 million against Bores. Multiple groups pushing for stricter AI regulations, meanwhile, spent even more heavily, with one organization spending more than $15 million to support the New York lawmaker.

Bores’s loss will likely embolden the pro-AI industry, which has scored some wins and losses  with their primary picks this cycle. It supported former Rep. Melissa Bean (Ill.) in her successful Democratic primary bid and Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) in his Kentucky Senate primary run, though their preferred candidate, former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D), lost in the Democratic contests for Illinois’ 2nd Congressional District.

Incumbents take a hit in New York

As Mamdani’s progressive picks prevailed in their House primaries, a pair of high-profile Democratic incumbents took a hit in New York.

Lander’s win ends the House tenure for Goldman, an attorney who served as the lead counsel in Trump’s first impeachment trial and unseated Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) in 2022 after redistricting in the Empire State. He went on to easily win the primary for his second term by roughly 40 points but was trailing Lander by roughly 30 points in Tuesday’s race, according to Decision Desk HQ’s tallies.

Espaillat’s hopes for a sixth term in the House were also dashed by Avila Chevalier, ousting the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair and the first member of Congress to have previously been an undocumented immigrant.

The incumbents’ losses represent a changing of the guard in New York politics, alongside the retirements of longtime lawmakers Velazquez, who was the first elected Puerto Rican woman in the House, and Nadler, who is retiring after more than three decades in the chamber.

It’s a sign of appetite for democratic socialist and progressive candidates among voters, and another signal that they may be looking for generational change as Democrats grapple with the party’s broader vision.

Meanwhile, another unique test of incumbent strength was too close to call on Tuesday night in Maryland, where former Rep. David Trone (D) launched a comeback bid against incumbent Rep. April McClain Delaney (D) in the 6th Congressional District.

Trone left his seat for an unsuccessful Senate bid in 2024 and was friendly with McClain Delaney  as she succeeded him in the House, but the 2026 race has devolved into a tough and expensive primary battle for a seat that’s considered safe for Democrats this fall.

As of 11 p.m. EDT, McClain Delaney was leading Trone by roughly six points, with 70 percent of the vote reported.

Trump picks up win in ugly New York House primary

Trump’s pick in New York also prevailed in the Republican primary to replace Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.). Tuesday.

Republican Anthony Constantino, the CEO of the Sticker Mule factory, defeated New York Assemblymember Robert Smullen (R), who had rallied establishment support and notched an endorsement from the state Republican Party.

It was a bitter primary fight as Smullen accused Constantino of not being qualified for Congress and ripped his past enrollment in the Democratic Party, while Constantino threatened to sue his rival and called him an “evil person.”

In the solidly red district, Constantino is on track to easily win Stefanik’s seat this fall, succeeding one of the president’s staunchest House allies.

The sitting lawmaker is vacating the 21st Congressional District after a political whirlwind: Trump tapped Stefanik as his United Nations ambassador for his second term — but weeks later, the White House withdrew her nod as Republicans argued the conference needed her House vote to advance the president’s key legislative priorities.

Stefanik then launched a run for New York governor last fall, challenging Hochul, but suspended her bid and announced her retirement from the lower chamber just a month later.

Constantino’s win is another win for Trump’s nearly blemish-free primary scorecard, underscoring his grip on the party more than halfway through the midterm cycle.

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Adriano Espaillat

Burt Jones

Daniel Goldman

George Conway

Hakeem Jeffries

Jerry Nadler

John F. Kennedy

Katherine Clark

Kathy Hochul

Nancy Mace

Nydia Velazquez

Pamela Evette

Ralph Norman

Randy Feenstra

Zohran Mamdani

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