Hard-Left Wave Crashes Into New York

Democratic socialists just swept New York’s congressional primaries — and one of the loudest anti-Trump voices in Congress got crushed over his stance on Israel.

Story Snapshot

Brad Lander beat incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman by a massive margin — roughly 57% to 23% — in New York’s 10th Congressional District primary.
Lander was backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and the Working Families Party.
Goldman’s support for Israel and ties to pro-Israel group funding cost him badly with progressive Democratic voters.
Mamdani-backed democratic socialist candidates also won primaries in neighboring districts, signaling a hard-left takeover of New York’s Democratic Party.

Goldman Goes Down Hard

Rep. Dan Goldman, a two-term congressman best known for leading the first Trump impeachment hearings, lost his Democratic primary in a landslide. ^[4] Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander crushed him by more than 30 points. Goldman had union endorsements from the Teamsters, Electricians, and Carpenters, and backing from Governor Kathy Hochul. None of it was enough. His support for Israel — and his refusal to call the situation in Gaza a “genocide” — sealed his fate with the district’s far-left base.

Goldman also accepted funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group. That was a political death sentence in a district where progressive voters demanded candidates cut all ties to the group. Lander refused the money and went further — he pledged to co-sponsor legislation blocking U.S. military aid to Israel and explicitly called Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide. ^[11] That extreme position won over the progressive base that now dominates Democratic primaries in New York City.

Mamdani’s Slate Sweeps the City

Goldman’s loss was not a one-off. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, endorsed a slate of far-left candidates across the city — and they all won. ^[14] His picks took down establishment Democrats in the 7th and 13th congressional districts as well. One of those winners, Darializa Avila Chevalier, once helped organize pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University. The democratic socialist wing of the party is now firmly in the driver’s seat in New York City.

These candidates share a clear agenda. Nearly all support a Medicare-for-All healthcare plan, a wealth tax, and abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ^[17] That last point should alarm every American who cares about border security. These are not fringe ideas in today’s New York Democratic Party — they are the mainstream. The establishment Democrats who once held these seats are being replaced by candidates who openly push policies most Americans reject.

What This Means for the Democratic Party

This is not a New York City quirk. It is part of a growing national pattern. Establishment Democrats are losing ground to the far left inside their own party. ^[20] The Democratic Socialists of America ran ten candidates across New York’s congressional, state Assembly, and state Senate races in this cycle alone. ^[16] The energy, money, and organizing muscle now belong to the socialist wing — not the moderates.

Mamdani scores major gains in Democratic primaries

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani scored three major Democratic primary victories on Tuesday, bolstering his effort to reshape the Democratic Party around democratic socialist policies and expanding his influence beyond City… pic.twitter.com/KIAOirKL0Q

— The CBIJ (@TheCBIJ) June 24, 2026

For conservatives watching from the outside, this is a revealing moment. The Democratic Party is not moving toward the center to win back working-class voters. It is sprinting left — toward open borders, government-run healthcare, wealth redistribution, and a foreign policy that abandons America’s allies. Goldman was no conservative hero. He spent years leading impeachment hearings against President Trump. But even he was not left-wing enough for today’s New York Democrats. That tells you everything about where that party is headed.