NY’s Hakeem Jeffries welcomes anti-Israel primary winners who declined to endorse him

House minority leader, who is generally supportive of Israel, congratulates far-left election victors as tensions boil between party’s moderates and insurgent anti-Zionist flank

By Luke Tress

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Today, 4:07 am

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Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.

NEW YORK — US Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House minority leader, on Saturday congratulated recent winners of New York Democratic Party primaries, despite two of the candidates declining to support him as a potential House speaker.

Jeffries’ statement congratulated Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, Brad Lander and Micah Lasher, who all won Democratic party primaries in New York City this week.

All are expected to win seats in Congress in the general election in their Democratic-majority districts.

“From public servants to union organizers to community activists, the path is different but the work is the same,” Jeffries said in a statement. “We must decisively address the affordability crisis and crush far-right extremism.”

In each election, Israel was a central issue. Chevalier and Valdez are aligned with anti-Zionist ideology, while Lander is Jewish and defines himself as a “liberal Zionist” but is also harshly critical of Israel.

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Jeffries is generally supportive of Israel, a major wedge issue between Democratic Party moderates and its insurgent far-left flank.

Jeffries, as House minority leader, regularly welcomes new party members to the House, but the congratulatory statement was complicated by political circumstances surrounding the primary campaigns.

Chevalier defeated incumbent US Rep. Adriano Espaillat and Lander beat incumbent US Rep. Dan Goldman. Jeffries had endorsed Espaillat and Goldman.

Congratulations to our newest members of the NYC congressional delegation.

From public servants to union organizers to community activists, the path is different but the work is the same.

We must decisively address the affordability crisis and crush far-right extremism! pic.twitter.com/f4XC6dpX7q

— Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries) June 27, 2026

Chevalier and Valdez, both members of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America, have declined to endorse Jeffries as majority leader if Democrats take back the House.

Their refusal to endorse Jeffries highlights the tense relationship between the DSA and more moderate Democrats.

At an election night party for Valdez, attendees chanted, “You’re next,” at Jeffries when he appeared on a screen at the event.

Chevalier, in particular, has voiced many extremist views targeting Israel, Democratic party leaders, the US, and domestic issues, such as calls to abolish prisons, borders and the police.

Mainstream Jewish leaders have lined up behind Jeffries amid threats against his leadership from the DSA.

Jeffries has supported Israel’s existence as a Jewish and Democratic state and backed US security assistance to Israel.

He has also been harshly critical of the war in Gaza, saying last year that “the starvation and death of Palestinian children and civilians in an ongoing war zone is unacceptable.”

Those positions put him in line with Democratic Party moderates, while the insurgent DSA is more in line with far-left anti-Zionism.

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