NYC vs AIPAC (and other takeaways)

A week late, but more time to reflect.

1. No AIPAC. Yes Palestine. That was the biggest issue in Brad Lander’s win. It was prominent in Darializa Avila Chevalier’s campaign. And Claire Valdez says she will continue to call for Palestinian liberation. This is a huge shift in New York City. And it was not just these three congressional races. Aber Kawas and David Orkin and other Assembly primary winners are also openly anti-AIPAC.
2. We have the most popular mayor I can remember New York City having. I’ve only been here 42 years, it’s true. But Zohran Mamdani? He’s a nice guy. His policies are generally VERY popular. People like him. A lot. He wins without gloating. He’s charismatic. And apparently, his endorsement carries some weight. Real weight.
3. DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) had a great night – winning almost every race it got involved in. Their door-knocking was massive.
4. Parts of Queens and Brooklyn are now solidly DSA territory. The “Commie Corridor.” In CD-07 they went head to head against the WFP, – and Reynoso had lots of union support, and Claire Valdez still won by a large margin.
5. Looking at election maps – DSA does better in the areas it contests among white voters, but with very strong showings among Black and Latinx voters as well.
6. Primary turnout was generally above 2024… but significantly lower than the last hot race in each district. These are not Mamdani 2025 numbers. These are not record numbers. There were 66k votes cast in Darializa’s win over Adriano Espaillat. There were 78k votes cast in the 2020 primary in the same district. There were 48k votes cast in Lander’s win over Dan Goldman. There were 71k votes cast in 2022 in the same district.
7. The WFP (Working Families Party) had what in any other election would have looked like an ok or even good result – but given the scope of the DSA win – an ok night seemed disappointing, especially given WFP working on Reynoso’s losing campaign in CD-07. There were several disappointments, including Yuh Line-Niou who seemed to be a very strong candidate. WFP did have wins in other parts of NY State. Of particular interest was the decision not to endorse in CD-13. Darializa was an attractive, well-aligned candidate. She did start out a very long shot – but it’s worth asking, would it have been worth the risk?
8. WFP/DSA friction? The comparisons were obvious. WFP had Lander. DSA Chevalier. They went head to head in 7. They did work together on some state level races. Right after the results Eric Blanc wrote a chest-thumping “get out of our way” pro-DSA substack. Ugh. But after some politely disappointed comments, he rewrote it. I will not share the original (it was ugly, and remains up at Jacobin, but thankfully requires login), but here is the genuinely thoughtful substack rewrite. Hellgate ran an interview with Jasmine Gripper, a leader of the WFP (unfortunately behind a paywall, and I don’t have a key). But click through, and you can see the beginning. The title “‘I Don’t See My Job as Defeating the DSA’: 10 Minutes With the Working Families Party’s State Leader” says a lot.
9. WFP/DSA Part II. As much as Democratic Socialists sound “lefter” than Working Families – these are the two major organizations that are trying to enact reforms and elect reforming candidates – progressives, leftists – nightmares for Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer, and that corporate Democratic PAC-with-journal, The NY Times. Last year the WFP engineered the Brad Lander – Zohran Mamdani cross endorsement – crucial for ZM’s primary win. They CAN collaborate. And they have different strengths (even as DSA’s were far more on display last week).
10. Expanding… WFP shows some reach upstate, with strength in some of the northern suburbs, the Hudson Valley, Albany, Ithaca, Syracuse and even Western NY. DSA ventured into new territory, and won – this was their first big campaign uptown. They took on more State Senate and Assembly races. There are still questions about their demographic reach (new white New Yorkers, but also not-so-new, younger Black voters, but not older Black voters – or renters, but not homeowners) – but the way to answer those questions is by running more candidates. How can you know your limits unless you test them? (same question for WFP, but about taking on powerful incumbents, not necessarily about demographics).
11. What if… Chuck Park ran closer to Grace Meng than most people expected… And Ritchie Torres, who fits the profile of someone both the WFP and DSA would want to challenge (Mr. I-don’t-exist-without-AIPAC), but in a district that is not a natural fit for either…

By the way, my congressional rep was owned by AIPAC, but will now be DSA and an advocate for Palestine. My State Senator (Gustavo Rivera) is a WFP champion, and the sponsor of the New York Health Act.