Mamdani’s anti-establishment candidates win in New York, plus more takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani waded into Democratic U.S. House primaries to boost three progressives over establishment-backed candidates. All of them won Tuesday, defeating two incumbents and essentially ensuring that two self-described democratic socialists will be elected to Congress in their deep blue districts.The mayor said it was a question of electing “better Democrats” who would “put working people back at the heart of politics.” The approach consternated some in Democratic leadership, but the outcome showcased Mamdani’s rising influence.Elsewhere Tuesday, two opposing factions of the artificial intelligence industry spent millions on a House race that became a proxy fight over tech regulation.And President Donald Trump, after two of his chosen candidates for governor lost Republican primaries this month, ensured it wouldn’t happen again. The president endorsed both candidates in a South Carolina runoff — and one of his endorsed candidates inevitably won. Mamdani successfully flexes his political power in House races When Mamdani took the stage in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, the crowd chanted “DSA,” the initials for the Democratic Socialists of America.It was just the latest sign of an ascendant political movement, and two of the candidates successfully backed by Mamdani are democratic socialists.In the primary for retiring U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s seat, state Assembly Member Claire Valdez beat out Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Valdez was endorsed by Mamdani, and Reynoso was endorsed by Velázquez.Democratic U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat lost his bid for reelection to Darializa Avila Chevalier, another Mamdani-backed democratic socialist. Avila Chevalier hasn’t held public office before and once helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.A third candidate backed by Mamdani, former city comptroller Brad Lander, defeated U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman by running to his p