Democratic socialists took the polls by storm on Primary Day June 23, with a slate of insurgents earning nods in some competitive, high-stakes races.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among them was state Assemblymember Claire Valdez (D-Sunnyside), who pulled out a victory in the crowded Democratic contest for New York\u2019s Seventh Congressional District. She defeated three fellow competitors, most notably Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who was backed by the Working Families Party, the Queens Democrats and incumbent U.S. Rep. Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens) herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we fight, we win,\u201d Valdez said in a social media post Tuesday night, sharing a video of herself alongside incumbent Assemblymember Diana Moreno (D-Astoria), Aber Kawas, David Orkin and Samantha Kattan, all fellow democratic socialists who won their respective primaries. \u201cLove you all. Solidarity forever.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those five candidates were all backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, and all but Orkin were formally backed by Mayor Mamdani. Mamdani won his own 11-candidate primary decisively last June, and later took the mayoralty with 50.4 percent of the vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The rapid rise of Mamdani, a former Astoria assemblyman who polled at just 1 percent last February, set off a wave of momentum that DSA hopefuls are still riding. Kawas defeated a sitting Assembly member in the primary for an open state Senate seat, and Orkin bested an incumbent in the lower chamber.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a good night for democratic socialists in and beyond Queens. Several of the borough\u2019s incumbents also emerged victorious.<\/p>\n
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State comptroller<\/p>\n
Incumbent state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli defeated Democrats Drew Warshaw and Raj Goyle, with about 59 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n
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Queens civil court county judge<\/p>\n
Attorneys Edmond Wong and Julie Milner led the Democratic race for the bench, coming in ahead of John Ciafone and Edward Irizarry at 31 and 27 percent, respectively.<\/p>\n
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Third Congressional District<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Nassau, Queens) defeated Danielle Welch with a whopping 75 percent of the vote to win the Democratic nod. Winning the Republican nomination with a landslide 81 percent was Mike LiPetri, who defeated Greg Hach.<\/p>\n
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Sixth Congressional District<\/p>\n
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) won her party\u2019s nod over Chuck Park, with about 57 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n
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Seventh Congressional District<\/p>\n
Valdez earned the Democratic nomination to replace Vel\u00e1zquez in Congress, beating out Reynoso, public defender Vichal Kumar and City Councilmember Julie Won (D-Long Island City) with 56 percent.<\/p>\n
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14th Congressional District<\/p>\n
Incumbent Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bronx, Queens) won the Democratic nod over Felipe Garcia and Marty Dolan with a landslide 87 percent.<\/p>\n
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State Senate District 12<\/p>\n
Kawas, an organizer, defeated Assemblymember Steven Raga (D-Woodside) for the Democratic nod to replace state Sen. Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria) with about 60 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n
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State Senate District 13<\/p>\n
With 48 percent of the vote, Assemblymember Jessica Gonz\u00e1lez-Rojas (D-East Elmhurst) led the Democratic primary contest to replace incumbent state Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Jackson Heights), which also included Hiram Monserrate [see separate story on this race and the next two in some editions or at qchron.com<\/a>].<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n State Senate District 15<\/p>\n State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) defeated Democratic District Leader Albert Baldeo, coming in at 74 percent.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly District 23<\/p>\n Democrat Pesach Osina bested Mike Scala for the nod to replace Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach), with about 61 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly District 26<\/p>\n Robert Speranza defeated Philip Grillo with about 61.5 percent of the vote, winning the Republican nod to face Assemblymember Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) in November.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly District 28<\/p>\n Incumbent Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) won the Democratic nod for his seat with 88 percent of the vote, besting Jonathan Rinaldi.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly District 30\u00a0<\/p>\n The Democratic contest between Patrick Martinez, Somnath Ghimire and Shamsul Haque for Raga\u2019s seat was too close to call by press time Wednesday. But Martinez had the narrowest of leads, with 44 percent and just 13 more votes than Haque.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly District 32<\/p>\n Nathaniel Hezekiah III, deputy chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica), won the crowded Democratic primary race to replace Assemblymember Vivian Cook (D-Jamaica) with 52 percent of the vote. He defeated Mohammed Molla, Latoya LeGrand, Tunisia Morrison and Queen Johnson.\u00a0<\/p>\n A South Jamaica native, Hezekiah worked with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1056 before becoming Meeks\u2019 aide. His platform emphasized affordability, a path to homeownership, utility rate freezes and more.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly District 33<\/p>\n Incumbent Assemblymember Clyde Vanel (D-Queens Village) won the Democratic nod to keep his seat, with 71 percent of the vote over Oster Bryan, president of the St. Albans Civic Improvement Association.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly District 34<\/p>\n Gonz\u00e1lez-Rojas\u2019 former chief of staff, Brian Romero, won the Democratic nod for her seat with 67 percent, defeating Rosa Sanchez.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly District 36<\/p>\n The incumbent Moreno defeated Democrats Mary Jobaida and Kevin Coenen with 78 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly District 37<\/p>\n Kattan won the Democratic nod to replace Valdez with 67 percent of the vote over Community Board 2 member Pia Rahman and former Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce President Melissa Orlando.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Assembly District 38\u00a0<\/p>\n