New York Midterms: Progressive Candidates Test Momentum

Zohran Mamdani’s progressive movement faces a practical test in the 2026 midterm elections. While the mayor’s base rallied at events like the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, the three congressional candidates he endorsed must now translate campaign slogans into policy within the federal government.

The primary elections in June served as the decisive contests. Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, and Darializa Avila Chevalier all defeated their Democratic challengers to become the party’s nominees. Their districts are heavily Democratic, making victory in Tuesday’s general election highly likely. The general election has become the confirmation of a mandate already secured in the primaries.

Lander, the former New York City comptroller, unseated incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman in a race defined by the Israel-Palestine conflict. Lander has described the war in Gaza as genocide and the occupation as apartheid, while also identifying as a Zionist. Two weeks before the election, Israeli forces detained Lander in the West Bank during a volunteer olive harvest. Israeli authorities subsequently revoked his travel documents for a planned return visit. Lander stated that his detention is secondary to the "ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank, which I just saw with my own eyes."

Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated longtime Congressman Adriano Espaillat. Her platform, titled "Babies Not Bombs," proposes redirecting military spending, including aid to Israel, toward domestic priorities like childcare and healthcare. Avila Chevalier told Al Jazeera that budgets are "moral documents" and that resources should support community dignity rather than war or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Claire Valdez, a New York State Assembly member and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, won the seat previously held by retiring Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. Valdez arrived in progressive politics through the labor movement. She supports the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and national rent control. Valdez said that advancing a vision for public programs and entitlements will be a top priority, noting that these programs have been under attack by the right.

Strategists suggest the new members must focus on immediate, tangible wins to build credibility. Nomiki Konst, a progressive political strategist, advised the candidates to find common ground on issues all Democrats agree on. For Lander, this includes banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks to restore public trust. He also seeks to restore government insurance subsidies that expired at the end of 2025.

The path forward mirrors the trajectory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who entered Congress in 2018. In 2025, Ocasio-Cortez worked with a Republican to cap credit card interest rates, demonstrating that bipartisan compromise is possible. The three new candidates must now determine which priorities to pursue first as the balance of congressional power shifts.

Avila Chevalier faces scrutiny over her call for the resignation of New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch following an ICE shooting. Mamdani appointed Tisch on the recommendation of Governor Kathy Hochul. Avila Chevalier said she plans to start by finding areas of agreement, citing healthcare transformation and data center moratoriums as bipartisan issues.