The DSA Wins in New York

It seems that opinion writers this morning are all talking about the election results in last night's New York primaries. Therefore, I guess that I will also write about the outcome. For those who have not paid attention, the big news was an avalanche of victories by candidates supported by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. This included wins in three Congressional primaries, two of which defeated incumbent Democrats. One of the big questions being asked this morning is what, if anything, is the larger meaning of this outcome.

To recap, in the Democratic primary for U.S. House District 7, Claire Valdez defeated Antonio Reynoso. This was not a close contest. Valdez received 56% of the vote compared to Reynoso's 36%. Valdez had campaigned with Senator Bernie Sanders, Mamdani, and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker. Reynoso is currently Brooklyn's Borough President and a former member of the New York City Council. He is an experienced politician with solid progressive credentials. He was endorsed by the Working Families Party, which often sides with the DSA. Reynoso was also supported by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Nevertheless, Reynoso could not stop the DSA train with Mamdani driving the locomotive. Valdez is a first-term state assemblywoman and has been an union organizer. One humorous occurrence during the campaign happened courtesy of the New York Times, which ran a profile of Valdez in which it quoted her as saying that she had moved to New York to pursue a life as a "queer in the arts." The Times soon had to run a correction saying that Valdez had actually said that she was pursuing a "career in the arts." The Christopher Street Project PAC, a pro-Valdez group, went on to run an ad on Grindr highlighting the misquote. Now Valdez is likely to have a career as a Member of Congress.

In the 13th Congressional District, Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated incumbent Representative Adriano Espaillat. This was the closest of the three DSA victories, with Chevalier receiving 49% of the vote compared to Espaillat's 46%. Chevalier is likely to be the most controversial of last night's winners. Her background is as a political organizer, and while a student at Columbia University, she organized protests as part of the school's Students for Justice in Palestine group. One of her fellow activists was Mahmoud Khalil, who was subsequently arrested by the administration of cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump. Khalil, who the Trump administration has been trying to deport, appeared in a commercial supporting Chevalier. Espaillat was originally expected to coast to victory. He has represented the district since 2017 and chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. During the campaign, some Espaillat supporters engaged in racist attacks on Chevalier. Espaillat was the first Dominican American elected to Congress. Both of Chevalier's parents are immigrants from the Dominican Republic. However, some Espaillat supporters falsely claimed that Chevalier is of Haitian descent. While Haiti and the Dominican Republic are both located on the island of Hispaniola, the two countries have a difficult history with one another.

The most high-profile race of the night resulted in a victory by former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander over incumbent Representative Dan Goldman in the 10th Congressional District. This was another blowout with Lander taking 66% to Goldman's 34%. Before being elected to Congress, Goldman was well-known for leading the first impeachment of Trump by the House of Representatives. Part of Goldman's pitch to voters was that he had defeated Trump. However, with Trump sitting in the White House, he is not looking very defeated. Lander, on the other hand, gained publicity for a confrontation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in which he defended immigrants that ICE was attempting to arrest. Lander himself was arrested. However, he was subsequently acquitted of the charges. Previously, Lander ran in the same New York City mayoral election that Mamdani won. Lander and Mamdani cross-endorsed each other, and Lander was expected to be appointed to a position in the Mamdani administration. Instead, Mamdani recommended that Lander run for Congress, and it is now likely that Lander will be serving in the House of Representatives.

The DSA's victories were not limited to federal races either. In primaries for the state legislature, eight out of nine candidates that the organization endorsed advanced to the general election. Moreover, as a resident of the District of Columbia, I would be remiss not to mention that last week, DSA candidate Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic Primary for Mayor of the District of Columbia. Lewis George received more votes than any candidate for mayor since the start of home rule in DC.

It is no surprise that the socialist victories were met by Republicans with considerable consternation, mixed with a little glee. The consternation was demonstrated by those such as all-around crazy person Laura Loomer who wrote, among other things that:

If you’re a Jew in NYC, now is your time to move. After tonight’s election in New York, nobody who is Jewish is safe.

I’d love to see the Trump administration address this Islamic takeover of America and the exploding Jew hatred.

We need leadership on this issue. It’s dangerous.

The glee was in the fact that Republicans would now tie DSA candidates — who Republicans obviously view as extreme — to mainstream Democratic candidates. The idea is that Democrats nationwide will be asked to apologize for past tweets by Chevalier or the others.

The glee might not be misplaced. During Mamdani's campaign for mayor, several top Democrats, including Senator Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, refused to endorse him. Mamdani has now become one of the most popular politicians in the United States and, as last night's results show, has the potential to sway elections. Democrats should be embracing him, but sadly, the Democratic establishment has an incurable need to shoot itself in the foot. Before the evening was even over, former Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison tweeted:

I say this with no ill will or animosity: if you hate the Democratic Party, then please don’t run for our nomination.

Don’t use our resources. Don’t rely on our volunteers. Don’t use our infrastructure. Don’t ask Democrats to invest their time, money, and energy in your campaign.

Focus on building the party you actually support.

Political parties aren’t perfect, but they’re built by millions of people who knock doors, make calls, organize meetings, and fight for the values they believe in. If you don’t believe in the party, then don’t ask its members to carry you across the finish line.

The fact that the DNC was once led by someone with this level of political acumen explains how we have gotten into our current situation in which Republicans control the House, Senate, Presidency, and Supreme Court. What does this idiot think would happen if the most popular candidates last night ran as third-party candidates? Does he think that Goldman or Espaillat, who couldn't win their primaries, could win general elections with candidates who are more popular than them taking most of their votes? There are far too many establishment Democrats who, like Harrison, would rather see the party commit suicide than welcome progressive candidates to the fold.

The other big loser last night was the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Through aligned political action committees, this organization had poured millions into efforts to defeat the DSA candidates. The DSA victors all have been critical of Israel's war in Gaza and other policies. Because many in the political and media establishments confuse criticism of Israel as hated for Jews, the DSA wins were seen, as Loomer portrayed the election above, as bad for Jews. This demonstrates a huge disconnect between establishment opinion and the political reality.

In the 10th Congressional District, the campaign was between two Jews: Goldman, who was strongly backed by AIPAC, and Lander, who is a critic of Israel's policies. This district has been described as the most Jewish congressional district in the country. As noted above, Lander won in a landslide. If criticism of Israel is the equivalent of hating Jews, how is this result explained? What the establishment ignores is that the Jewish community itself largely agrees with Lander that Israel's policies, including more wars in the Middle East, should be opposed. This was addressed extremely well by journalist Marisa Kabas on BlueSky:

yesterday, jonathan greenblatt of the ADL claimed 85% of jews support israel. it was a claim that was so obviously bogus on its face, but then completely blown out of the water when the most jewish district in the country picked a progressive jew over a pro-israel one. don’t tell us what we believe.

we are not “self-hating jews”; we are not antisemites; we are proud jews who also believe in the human rights of palestinians. we have proved those things can and do very much coexist, something that seemed impossible not long ago. we are a constituency and we have a voice.

and i’ll add that supporting american candidates who don’t support the netanyahu government is actually an extreme show of love for our community. israel’s actions *are* being conflated with all jews, and we held firm that you do not have to condone genocide to be a good jew. very much the opposite.

Another common reaction to last night's results was that the DSA victories indicated the emergence of a Democratic "Tea Party." To the extent that the election shows that Democratic voters are fed up with an establishment that does not represent the interests of the average voter, that is true. However, that's where the comparison ends. The Tea Party was motivated by a desire to destroy and seek revenge. Racism, especially aimed at a Black president, was woven into its fabric. The DSA candidates are planning to improve people's lives. They want universal healthcare, no more unnecessary wars, affordable housing, and an end to the war on our immigrant neighbors. They are not shy about how they will pay for it. They will tax the rich. Economic inequity may be, at its root, the greatest danger to our country. The DSA candidates will attack that directly.

When Mamdani won the mayoral election, many observers predicted that an Armageddon would strike New York City. Instead, the city is seeing one of its greatest periods. Mamdani's goal was to show that government could work for the average person, that government could make people's lives better, and that government could be a force for good. By all accounts, Mamdani is not only doing this, but doing it wildly successfully. Last night's victories by Mamdani-endorsed candidates were literally votes of approval for what he has been doing. Both Republicans and the Democratic establishment are right to be concerned.