'Party of Zohran': Mamdani emerges as Democratic kingmaker after socialist allies sweep NYC primaries

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani cemented his status as a political kingmaker after all three Democratic Socialist candidates he backed won their primary races. 

Major upsets unfolded in New York City on Tuesday night as Mamdani-backed candidates Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated incumbent Reps. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., and Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., respectively.

And in the open 7th Congressional District, Democratic Socialist Claire Valdez won in spite of outgoing incumbent Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-N.Y., endorsing another candidate.

The victories for the Mamdani-backed candidates have sparked questions about where the Democratic Party is headed is headed and whether the traditional party establishment’s influence is waning.

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Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., alleged that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., cut a deal with Zohran Mamdani to ensure New York City Council member Chi Ossé did not challenge him, claiming Jeffries feared he would lose if Ossé entered the race.

"Tonight’s results in New York City prove one thing, @RepJeffries cut a deal with @ZohranKMamdani to save himself and threw everyone else under the bus," Lawler wrote on X, alleging that Ossé would have primaried Jeffries.

"The Democrat party has officially become the party of Zohran, AOC, & Bernie," Lawler continued.

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Bad Hombre, a conservative social media account on X, claimed that the Democratic Party now belonged to Mamdani and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., pointing to far-left progressive pickups also in  New Jersey and in Pennsylvania primary races.

"If you’re John Fetterman, switching to the GOP never looked better," Bad Hombre wrote. If you’re Chuck Schumer, you’re drafting your retirement speech and learning how to grill a burger. AOC is coming for that Senate seat.

Jeremy Carl, a senior fellow at Claremont Institute, argued that the outcomes reflected broader ideological and demographic shifts within New York City, warning that the city had become a "post-American city" and predicting similar changes nationwide.

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"The radicalism of these soon-to-be Congressmen is going to be a headache for Democrat leadership in the House and a gift to the GOP," Carl wrote.  

"The future of the Democrat party is radical and post-American in it's (sic) orientation.  Since all of these candidates are in the world's media capital, they are going to get tons of attention," Carl continued. "That isn't going to play well for the Dems in 2026 and 2028."

Jason Rantz said that the wins for Mamdani Tuesday could work in Republicans' favor as they work to paint the Democratic Socialists as the new direction of the Democratic Party.

 "Republicans are very obviously going to take advantage of this, and it's going to hurt the Democrats nationwide," Rantz said on CNN. "You could win in New York, you could win in Seattle, you can win in Portland, in Los Angeles. But that's where you're going to win.

"And if we're able to define the Democrats who have tried to run away from this label of being socialist, being open borders, being, you know, pro-crime or anti-Israel, if that's the goal of the Democratic Party to run from that. Yeah, you're not going to be able to do that anymore," Rantz continued.