Tuesday night was a very good night to be a leftist in New York City. It was even a better night to be Zohran Mamdani

Two prominent House Democrats lost their primaries to insurgent rivals while a third left-wing candidate defeated the Brooklyn Borough chief. All together, the results demonstrated the fragility of an Establishment imprimatur, the power of the New York Mayor’s blessing, and the ascendancy of socialism.

As the Democratic Party continues its aimless roam in the political wilderness after President Donald Trump’s return last year, Tuesday’s results in New York provide evidence that the left-leaning progressive wing of the party is gaining clout, at least on the East Coast. 

The night provided a clean sweep for Mamdani’s brand of Democrats. At the same time, it provided fresh fodder for critics—especially Republicans—who argue the democratic socialist is hijacking the party. “America the Beautiful will NEVER be a Communist Country!!! President DJT,” Trump posted on social media. 

In another, he blasted the slate as they won: “Many Communists running in badly failing Blue States. The votes seem to have them doing quite well against each other. The bad news is that history has conclusively shown that the downtrodden States that they will soon be running will ONLY GET WORSE. MAGA!”

And midmorning Wednesday, he was still banging this gem. “Mayor Mamdani pulled through 3 solid Communists, and has received loud and universal applause from the Fake News Media,” Trump posted.

To be clear, there is a difference between democratic socialists and communists. That distinction does not matter to Trump or other Republicans, who gleefully pointed to the results as evidence that the Democrats are out of touch with true Americans. Don’t be surprised if both “socialist” and “communist” feature prominently in attack ads this fall against Democrats who are as moderate as they come. 

The chief spokesman for House Republicans’ campaign arm said as much: “It was the night the Democrat establishment officially surrendered to Zohran Mamdani and the socialist wing of their party. Every House Democrat, in safe and competitive districts alike, will now answer to the radicals calling the shots.”

But the primary results in New York City—as well as Washington, D.C.—reflect an ideological shift among the nation’s chief liberal party that, since the 2024 presidential campaign, has struggled with defining itself. Despite its lack of grounding, Democrats are still notching electoral wins, even if the durability of those gains are still uncertain.

Each of the three New York races had their specific flare. Activist Darializa Avila Chevalier bested incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Former New York City comptroller Brad Lander similarly won his primary against Rep. Dan Goldman, the lead lawyer in the first impeachment of Trump and heir to the Levi’s denim fortune. And state Assembly member Claire Valdez won the nomination to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez over Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, a longtime progressive stalwart who was the Establishment favorite.

The candidates’ stances on Israel were an issue in the races. Mamdani had initially pledged his support to Espaillat but flipped to support Chevalier, a far-left activist with an incendiary digital footprint and a history of anti-Israel comments. Goldman, in his second term, drew fire for his support of Israel and the primary illustrated Democrats’ divisions over the Israel-Gaza war. Lander, meanwhile, has accused Israel of genocide. And Valdez, a relative newcomer to elected office, emerged over Reynoso despite him having Velázquez’s backing.

All three Democratic nominees hail from deep-blue strongholds, meaning they are very likely to coast to election come November. Still, they could become a headache for party leaders as the base continues to work through what it means to be a Democrat these days. 

To Democrats in Washington, Mamdani’s impact is a mix of impressive and concerning. The nation’s largest city elected an avowed democratic socialist as its mayor. Yet most Americans still hold a more favorable view of capitalism than socialism. In 2021, 60% of Americans held a favorable view of capitalism but today that number stands at 54%, according to Gallup polling. Socialism, meanwhile, has a 57% negative standing. 

But among Democrats, there is an even more noticeable shift. In 2010, 50% of Democrats held a positive view of socialism. These days, that number stands at 66%, fueled mainly by voters who trend younger.
Republicans have long tried to paint the entire opposition party as socialists. The GOP is likely to lean harder into that strategy ahead of the elections this fall, as Mamdani’s hat trick in New York feeds into that narrative.