NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 At least one embattled incumbent, U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, was defeated by an ally of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday, dealing the democratic socialist leader of America\u2019s largest city a significant victory in his bid to reshape the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
Goldman<\/a>, a two-term incumbent, was beaten by the Mamdani-backed former city Comptroller Brad Lander. Another Mamdani ally, democratic socialist state Assembly Member Claire Valdez, defeated the handpicked successor of retiring U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, likely giving the New York mayor at least two new allies in Congress. <\/p>\n Mamdani and a slate of three congressional candidates were fighting to push the Democratic Party further left on key issues, Israel\u2019s war in Gaza chief among them, even as establishment Democrats in Washington worried that their policies could alienate swing voters in midterm elections across the country this fall.<\/p>\n Another Democratic incumbent, U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, was facing a spirited challenge by another Mamdani pick, Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who once helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just a question of electing more Democrats. It\u2019s a question of electing better Democrats,<\/a> \u201d Mamdani said Tuesday. \u201cWhen I look at these candidacies, I see in them a willingness to also put working people back at the heart of our politics.\u201d<\/p>\n In Washington, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries downplayed the influence of the Mamdani-backed candidates should they prevail Tuesday, which would make them the overwhelming favorites to win congressional seats in November given New York City\u2019s strong Democratic makeup. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have agreed to strongly disagree,\u201d Jeffries said of Mamdani on Capitol Hill. \u201cThere are 215 members of the House Democratic caucus. A handful of primaries that go in one direction or the other, in a given state or two, aren\u2019t going to reshape who we are as House Democrats.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Democrat Jack Schlossberg,<\/a> the 33-year-old grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, is hoping to write his own chapter in Camelot lore as he competes in a crowded field for a seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler. Mamdani has made no endorsement in that race.<\/p>\n The Kennedy scion is running in one of the country\u2019s wealthiest congressional districts \u2014 covering much of the center of Manhattan \u2014 but faces questions about his lack of work experience against more seasoned opponents. <\/p>\n The field includes state Assembly members Micah Lasher, a longtime government hand backed by Democratic leaders, and Alex Bores<\/a>, whose proposals to regulate artificial intelligence have triggered tech industry blowback<\/a>. Also running is George Conway, who helped start the anti-Trump group, The Lincoln Project, and has centered his candidacy on impeaching the president.<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s insurgents<\/p>\n Mamdani, whose first six months in office have drawn praise from establishment Democrats and even President Donald Trump, has made a big push to promote three congressional candidates who challenged Democrats supported by the party\u2019s leadership. <\/p>\n Two of Mamdani\u2019s congressional slate identify as democratic socialists, while Lander has often aligned himself with the movement. All three have repeatedly promised to \u201cabolish ICE,\u201d condemned the \u201cgenocide\u201d in Israel and vowed to \u201ctax the rich\u201d if elected.<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s most polarizing pick was Avila Chevalier, 32, in her race against Espaillat, 71, who was the first Dominican American elected to Congress and represents a district in upper Manhattan and the Bronx. <\/p>\n Avila Chevalier has not held political office and casts herself as an outsider. Around an hour before polls closed, she was standing on a street corner in Harlem with controversial streamer Hasan Piker, chatting with voters in a final Election Day push.<\/p>\n On the next corner, a small truck displayed an ad attacking Avila Chevalier, highlighting a disparaging remark she made on social media about former Vice President Kamala Harris. Avila Chevalier had previously apologized for the post.<\/p>\n Espaillat\u2019s allies have called Avila Chevalier unfit for office, pointing out a history of inflammatory and profane social media posts when she was in her 20s.<\/p>\n In East Harlem, 47-year-old voter Sara Hyler said she flip-flopped several times between Avila Chevalier and Espaillat in the lead up to Election Day, but eventually cast her ballot for Avila Chevalier after learning about AIPAC\u2019s heavy support for the incumbent.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the breaking point, my last straw,\u201d she said of AIPAC\u2019s donations to Espaillat.<\/p>\n Hyler said it was important to elect a new crop of progressive democrats who aren\u2019t beholden to AIPAC and the Israeli government. \u201cAs much as I support Israel, I don\u2019t think we should be paying for them,\u201d Hyler said.<\/p>\n Lander, a fixture of the city\u2019s progressive Democrats, got the mayor\u2019s endorsement in a race against Goldman, a progressive former federal prosecutor who served as lead counsel for Trump\u2019s first impeachment.<\/p>\n