Left-wing candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani have recorded a clean sweep in the state’s Democratic primaries, setting the stage for a heavily progressive congressional slate in November’s midterms.
Several of those now set to face off with Republican opponents for a sizeable chunk of the heavily blue state’s congressional seats are outspoken critics of Israel and affiliated, like Mamdani, with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Perhaps the biggest upset on the night was Dan Goldman, the incumbent representative for the 10th District, who is Jewish, was unseated by Brad Lander.
Lander, who has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, told his supporters after his victory: “I will be one of the Jewish members of Congress most willing to stand up for Palestinian human rights.
"I will stand firmly against bigotry aimed at Jews.”
Lander quoted two statements from Hillel, the Jewish sage, from Chapters of the Fathers in both English and Hebrew at his victory party. “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” he said.
He also quoted Hillel’s statement: “In a place where there are no men, try to be a man.” He interpreted it as, “In a place where no one is acting human, strive to be human.”
“Because that is exactly the moment we are living in,” he told the crowd.
Elsewhere on the night, Assemblywoman Claire Valdez beat Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso for the 7th District’s nomination, while Darializa Avila Chevalier, an adult convert to Islam who joined controversial pro-Palestine protests at Columbia University, triumphed over five-term incumbent Adriano Espaillat, the chair of the influential Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in the 13th.
"I have faith in the future that I know we are stepping into today,” said Avila Chevalier.
"No longer will we accept the politics that throw scraps at us and act like we should be grateful for them.”
And, in the primaries for state senate, Mamdani-backed Aber Kawas won the nomination for the Queens seat.
Kawas provoked controversy in 2017 when she was criticised for comments she made regarding the 9/11 attacks.
"The system of capitalism and racism and white supremacy et cetera – and Islamophobia – have all been used to colonise lands, to take resources from other people, and so this is a long trajectory and we're just seeing the manifestations of that continuation with 9/11,” she said.
"The idea we have to apologise for a terror attack that a couple of people did and then there is no apology or reparations for genocides and for slavery, et cetera – is something I find reprehensible.”
Additional reporting from the Jewish News Syndicate.
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