Mamdani's Democrats: New York City's primary results bode ill for US-Israel relations - editorial

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Candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani secured multiple victories in New York’s Democratic primaries, according to reporting in the Jerusalem Post. Three congressional contenders endorsed by the mayor—Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier—prevailed in their races, while Eli Northrup won the State Assembly’s District 69 race after receiving Mamdani’s endorsement. The Jerusalem Post described the outcomes as marking a significant shift against several pro-Israel incumbent Democrats and elevating Mamdani’s role as a political force in the city.

In New York’s 10th Congressional District, former city comptroller Brad Lander defeated Rep. Dan Goldman in a contest in which views on Israel featured prominently, the Jerusalem Post reported. Assembly member Claire Valdez defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in an open seat, and activist Darializa Avila Chevalier unseated five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Micah Lasher won the race to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler, and Cait Conley prevailed in a Hudson Valley primary. President Donald Trump referred to Mamdani’s winning candidates as “communists” in social media posts following the results.

The Jerusalem Post coverage framed the primaries as raising questions about the future of the Democratic Party’s relationship with Israel. Several of the victorious candidates have ties to the Democratic Socialists of America and have expressed positions critical of Israeli policy, including calls to end U.S. support for Israel.

Coverage Comparison

Jerusalem Post reporting presented the primary results through multiple angles centered on their potential impact for pro-Israel Democrats and Jewish communities. One account emphasized a broad sweep by Mamdani-backed Israel critics and the solidification of the mayor’s influence as a power broker, detailing the congressional wins by Lander, Valdez, and Avila Chevalier alongside Northrup’s Assembly victory and Trump’s characterization of the winners. Another focused on the primaries as a development for the party’s leftmost flank and a signal for Jews in New York and beyond, noting Lander’s Jewish identity and the possibility of shifting centers of Jewish political power while highlighting that some pro-Israel Democrats, such as Rep. Ritchie Torres, held their seats.

A further Jerusalem Post editorial characterization described the House primary outcomes as an alarming development for supporters of Israel and Jewish Democrats concerned about their party’s direction, underscoring the candidates’ ties to the Democratic Socialists of America and their stated positions favoring an end to U.S. support for Israel. Separate reporting examined the Jewish Democratic Council of America’s assessment that support for Israel contributed to losses by its endorsed candidates, including Goldman in the 10th District and Espaillat in the 13th, where Israel policy became a central point of contention. That account also noted a U.S. Justice Department probe into Poetica Coffee after the business posted rhetoric described as antisemitic on Instagram and Facebook.

Across these accounts, the Jerusalem Post consistently attributed causal weight to Mamdani’s endorsements and the prominence of Israel-related positions in the campaigns, while recording both the scale of the progressive wins and instances of continuity, such as Lasher’s succession in Nadler’s heavily Jewish district where leading candidates did not accuse Israel of genocide or support blocking military aid.

Key Claims

• Mamdani-backed candidates, described as Israel critics, won multiple New York Democratic primaries, with the Jerusalem Post characterizing the results as a backlash against pro-Israel incumbent Democrats and a boost to the mayor’s status as a power broker.
• Three congressional candidates backed by Mamdani—Brad Lander, Claire Valdez, and Darializa Avila Chevalier—won their primaries, according to Jerusalem Post reports.
• Eli Northrup, endorsed by Mamdani, won the State Assembly’s District 69 race.
• President Donald Trump called Mamdani’s winning candidates “communists” in social media posts, the Jerusalem Post reported.
• Micah Lasher won the race to succeed Rep. Jerry Nadler; Cait Conley won a primary in the Hudson Valley.
• The Jerusalem Post stated that the future of the Democratic Party’s relationship with Israel is in question following the results.
• Rabbi Rick Jacobs warned about dangers posed to Jews in New York, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
• The Jewish Democratic Council of America argued that Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat lost in part due to their support for Israel; Goldman’s race against Lander centered on differing approaches to the issue despite both identifying as Zionists.
• Poetica Coffee posted antisemitic rhetoric on Instagram and Facebook, prompting a U.S. Justice Department probe, according to the Jerusalem Post.
• Lander, Valdez, and Avila Chevalier have ties to the Democratic Socialists of America and favor ending U.S. support for Israel; Valdez called for Palestinian liberation and referenced “genocide” and “apartheid” in her victory speech, while Avila Chevalier has condemned Israel as an “apartheid state” and denied its right to exist. Lander, who is Jewish and describes himself as a “liberal Zionist,” has used the term “genocide” regarding Gaza and previously left the DSA after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

Perspectives

Jewish Democratic Council of America leaders, including CEO Halie Soifer, viewed the results as evidence that DSA- and Mamdani-backed candidates can win in parts of New York City but questioned their broader viability, while expressing that Jewish voters feel conflicted about Israel’s role in Democratic politics and noting Goldman’s loss after a rare primary endorsement. Soifer indicated Lander had used Israel as a wedge issue.

Mamdani and the victorious candidates he backed advanced positions critical of current U.S.-Israel policy, with the mayor comparing pro-Israel lobbyists such as AIPAC to “monsters” at a rally and the candidates calling for an end to U.S. support, Palestinian liberation, and an end to what they termed genocide and apartheid.

President Donald Trump denounced the winning candidates as “communists” and declared that the United States would never become a communist country, while the Jerusalem Post noted a developing rapport between Trump and Mamdani despite earlier criticism during the mayoral race.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs issued warnings about dangers facing Jews in New York in the context of the political shifts.

Pro-Israel Democrats who prevailed, such as Rep. Ritchie Torres, who defeated a challenger critical of Israel and of Torres’s AIPAC support, and Micah Lasher, who positioned himself as a continuation in a heavily Jewish district, represented a countercurrent of retained support within the party.