Mamdani-Backed Candidates Win Three New York House Seats

The wins give new force to the term “Mamdani-stan,” used to describe the expanding reach of the democratic socialist politics that helped propel Mamdani to the mayoralty of the nation’s largest city. Each candidate had first come through a primary that challenged an established politician or a favored successor.

Lander, a former New York City comptroller, won the 10th Congressional District after defeating two-term incumbent Daniel Goldman in June. Their primary contest centered in part on the war in the Middle East: Lander opposed further US military assistance to Israel, while pro-Israel groups including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee supported Goldman.

In the 13th District, Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Adriano Espaillat. She had not previously held public office and, as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. Valdez won the open 7th District seat after first defeating Antonio Reynoso in the contest to replace Nydia Velazquez.

The three victories followed a June primary sweep that established Mamdani as a Democratic power centre in New York. Senator Bernie Sanders called the broader results “some of the greatest progressive victories in modern American history.” In an Instagram post, he wrote that voters in rural and urban areas had said “NO to oligarchy” and “YES to an agenda that fights for the working class,” listing Lander and Valdez among the House winners. He also congratulated Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed, Peggy Flanagan and Troy Jackson, and congressional candidates in several other states.

The article describes the wider midterm outcome as a Democratic victory that gave the party control of both chambers, after at least four Senate seats were flipped, including races in Republican strongholds Texas, Kansas and South Carolina. The new Congress is due to take office in January, controlling the House and Senate during the final two years of US President Donald Trump’s term. Mamdani responded to the wins with a brief post: “It’s morning again in America.”