Democrats unhappy with Mamdani after NY primary socialist sweep
Multiple Democrats have come out against Zohran Mamdani and those he endorsed after Tuesday's primary showed the mayor's growing political power in the party.
Some had not been so open to the new winners after the socialist sweep.
Here's what to know.
Mamdani-backed candidates win big on NY primary night
On Tuesday night, three Mamdani-backed candidates, two of whom are DSA members, snagged big victories in congressional primaries for the state.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, alongside Claire Valdez and Brad Lander, all defeated establishment Democrats in their respective districts - with Lander and Avila Chevalier beating out incumbents.
Democrats criticize Mamdani, candidates after wins
Multiple Democrats have come out against not only Mamdani for endorsing them, but the candidates themselves.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who supported Mamdani during his own campaign, said of the mayor on CNN: "All of us are a little frustrated with the Democratic Party. But you don't blow it up. That's what MAGA has done."
"Some of the candidates that he has supported are individuals who do not understand the politics of New York City, the cultural differences from district to district, who have not been part of the history and the struggle of some of these districts, and are relatively new to the body politic."
Minority Speaker Hakeem Jeffries also expressed frustration with Mamdani after the key wins in three New York districts.
"The mayor and I agree to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements," he said of Mamdani not supporting incumbents. "He's got work to do in terms of the conversations that he's going to have with members of Congress moving forward." He did clarify that he and Mamdani have a good working relationship after the comments.
Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who strays away from his party frequently, called the candidates "outrageous."
"The kind of people they are trying to run out of office, they are just good, traditional kinds of Democrats you would expect in New York City now," he said on Fox News after the win.
"It's just been the dancing days of the dirtbag left. You know, some of these candidates are outrageous. You have candidates, they're ‘abolish ICE,' ‘abolish the police,' ‘abolish the border.'"
New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer also had choice words for the winning slate.
"Many of us believe, as I do, that if you're a socialist, you're not a Democrat."
But Mamdani stands by his choices.
"I think, what is the Democratic Party if not for its voters? And what we saw yesterday evening were Democrats across the city turning out and voting for a new kind of politics," he said on MS NOW.
"I made a promise to New Yorkers that I would use every tool at my disposal to actually transform this city into one that they could afford."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats unhappy with Mamdani after NY primary socialist sweep
Reporting by Amethyst Martinez, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 4:52 PM.