New York primaries test Mayor Mamdani's socialist push and AI industry's political muscle
Tuesday's primaries in New York pit Mayor Zohran Mamdani's socialist-backed challengers against Democratic incumbents while millions in AI industry cash target a candidate in Manhattan's NY-12 seat.
New York City is the epicentre of Tuesday's primary elections, where the Democratic Party's leftward shift, the influence of AI industry money, and Donald Trump's sway in his home state all face significant tests. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who won a surprise victory in 2025, is backing three far-left candidates in a bid to reshape the state's congressional delegation, while a crowded race for a safe-blue Manhattan seat draws over $8 million in outside spending targeting an AI regulation advocate.
Mamdani's socialist push faces its first electoral hurdle
Mamdani, a registered Democrat, has endorsed Darializa Avila Chevalier, a pro-Palestinian activist, against five-term Representative Adriano Espaillat in a district covering upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Former comptroller Brad Lander is running against Dan Goldman, the lead impeachment counsel during Trump's first term, in a Lower Manhattan seat. Assemblymember Claire Valdez, another Mamdani pick, competes for the seat of retiring Representative Nydia Velazquez in parts of Brooklyn and Queens. The endorsements put Mamdani at odds with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is tasked with protecting incumbents, and with Governor Kathy Hochul, who is campaigning for Espaillat. A win for any of the challengers would boost the democratic socialist movement that has also notched victories in mayoral races in Seattle, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
People often ask me what I think of the state of the Democratic party. This slate here today is our answer. The Democratic party must change.
AI industry's $8 million blitz in NY-12
In the race to replace retiring Representative Jerry Nadler, state Assemblymember Alex Bores has become a national test of whether big tech can unseat a candidate advocating strict AI regulation. Think Big, a group affiliated with Leading the Future and backed by OpenAI and Andreessen Horowitz, has spent roughly $8 million attacking Bores, who wants to nationalise New York's RAISE Act. Bores is in a tight contest with Micah Lasher, a Nadler protege and former government hand, while Jack Schlossberg, the 33-year-old grandson of John F. Kennedy, and anti-Trump lawyer George Conway also vie for the seat. Critics say the spending aims to intimidate lawmakers from pursuing AI guardrails, but analysts question whether the money will succeed.
This project of trying to destroy a candidate like Alex, I think, will probably die in New York 12.
Trump's endorsement tested upstate
In a Republican primary to succeed Elise Stefanik, Trump has endorsed Anthony Constantino over state Assemblymember Robert Smullen. Constantino, a sticker-company CEO, has run a MAGA-styled campaign with flamboyant rhetoric, while Smullen has attacked his opponent's character and past lyrics. The outcome will gauge Trump's grip on the state's GOP, even as Democrats hope to flip vulnerable House seats in the Hudson Valley.
Energy on the far right ignites energy on the far left. Politics is reactive.
Broader stakes for control of the House
The New York primaries unfold alongside votes in Maryland, Utah and South Carolina runoffs, but the Empire State is central to Democrats' hopes of flipping the House in November. With Republicans holding a narrow majority, the results will shape the slate facing voters in swing districts. While Mamdani's candidates run in safe-blue seats, the ideological fight could ripple into purple suburbs, testing whether the party's leftward momentum energises or repels moderate voters.
