Former city Controller Brad Lander and Assemblymember Claire Valdez cruised to victory over mainstream Democratic opponents in a whopping victory for Mayor Zohran Mamdani in two U.S. House primaries on Tuesday night.
A third bellweather race, between veteran Rep. Adriano Espaillat and DSA-backed Darializa Avila Chevalier in Upper Manhattan and The Bronx, remained too close to call.
Valdez, of Queens, was on track to beat Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso by 20 points for an open seat representing New York’s 7th Congressional District in the so-called “commie corridor” stretching from Downtown Brooklyn to Sunnyside, Queens.
Queens Assemblymember and Congressional candidate Claire Valdez speaks with reporters outside a Sunnyside polling place on Democratic primary day, June 23, 2026. Credit: Alex Krales/The City Reporter
Lander, a Mamdani ally, handily defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman by a two-to-one margin in New York’s 10th district, which spans lower Manhattan and parts of Brownstone Brooklyn.
Avila Chevalier and the victorious Valdez, both Latinas endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America, were up against titans of the city’s Latino power base.
Espaillat and Reynoso, despite their progressive records and support from labor unions and grassroots groups, could not beat back the democratic socialist headwinds that have come to dominate their pockets of the city.
Retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez, who endorsed Reynoso, also loomed large in the 7th District.
Polls showed a tight race between Espaillat and Avila Chevalier in a district spanning Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood and a chunk of the northwest Bronx. The fight was defined from the start by the war in Gaza, immigration, and rising displacement and gentrification. Outside groups spent millions in the race, mostly to boost Espaillat, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Celebration and Hope
At 99 Scott, a club and event space in Bushwick, supporters of Valdez and a number of state senate and assembly candidates started celebrating minutes after the polls closed at 9 p.m.
Early results had their candidates up — and although it wasn’t finished yet, they felt hopeful.
Supporters celebrate in Brooklyn at a primary night watch party for Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, June 23, 2026. Credit: Katie Honan/The City Reporter
Emilia Decaudin, 27, volunteered on multiple campaigns and took her laptop out in the middle of the dance floor to watch the Board of Elections results roll in.
“I think all of us put everything we had on the field. We were running like we were 10 points behind,” she said.
In Washington Heights, Espaillat volunteer Leeana Lucas, 19, held out hope as Avila Chevalier maintained a slight lead with more than 90% of the votes counted.
“We all knew that we gave it our best,” she said.
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