In June, New York Metropolis Mayor Zohran Mamdani stood earlier than a packed home of voters, rallying assist for a brand new wave of candidates hoping to construct on his progressive momentum by profitable seats in Congress.
Inside Brooklyn’s historic Kings Theatre, the group answered chants of “Abolish ICE”, “Tax the wealthy” and “Free Palestine” with roaring applause, leaving little if any room for doubt about what the viewers needed from its politicians.
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Inside days, all three congressional hopefuls endorsed by Mamdani – Claire Valdez, Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier – had received their Democratic primaries, changing into the occasion’s candidates within the midterm election.
Lander, the previous New York Metropolis comptroller, defeated Congressman Dan Goldman in a race wherein Israel was the defining concern.
Avila Chevalier, a group organiser, unseated longtime Congressman Adriano Espaillat. Valdez, a lawmaker within the New York State Meeting and member of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), received the competition to succeed retiring Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.
Each Valdez and Avila Chevalier had the backing of New York Metropolis’s DSA chapter.
The candidates’ closely Democratic districts imply they’re more likely to win congressional seats in Tuesday’s midterm elections. The June Democratic Occasion primaries successfully served as the primary occasion for voters.
Within the remaining hours earlier than Tuesday’s midterm election, New York Metropolis – a spot colloquially dubbed the town that by no means sleeps – is extra politically sleepy, with canvassers a bit more durable to seek out than they have been within the remaining stretch earlier than the primaries.
For the three progressive candidates, the previous few months have been a check of how one can flip daring marketing campaign guarantees into coverage they’ll truly ship. The customarily gradual trivialities of each day governance stand in stark distinction to buzzword-laden marketing campaign slogans on the posters and indicators galvanising their base of voters.
Distinctive paths to politics
The three congressional candidates’ platforms overlap on points like abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), ending US navy assist to Israel and establishing a public healthcare system dubbed Medicare for All. However their paths into progressive politics differ.
Lander spent years within the New York Metropolis authorities, most lately as comptroller overseeing the town’s funds. After dropping to Mamdani within the 2025 Democratic mayoral main, he backed Mamdani within the election.
However Lander’s congressional marketing campaign in opposition to incumbent Goldman introduced him nationwide consideration, with Israel and Palestine rising because the defining concern within the race to steer a district with one of many largest Jewish populations in the US.
Lander has described Israel’s navy marketing campaign in Gaza as genocide and its occupation of Palestinian territory as apartheid. He additionally identifies as a Zionist who embraces pro-Palestinian activism, arguing that the positions are usually not mutually unique. Lander has lengthy supported a two-state resolution.
“It’s simple that some strategy to extra shared security for Israelis and Palestinians and for Jews and Muslims and everyone else right here makes extra sense,” Lander mentioned. “I additionally need to have the ability to hear throughout these divides and have considerate coverage debates.”
Two weeks earlier than Tuesday’s election, Israeli forces detained Lander within the occupied West Financial institution whereas he was volunteering to assist with the olive harvest. Israeli authorities have since revoked his journey paperwork for a deliberate return go to.
“The primary story I come residence with just isn’t the story of my detention or the revocation of my journey authorisation,” Lander mentioned. “The primary story that I include is the ethnic cleaning of Palestinians within the West Financial institution, which I simply noticed with my very own eyes.”
Lander has additionally lengthy referred to as for ICE to be abolished, together with throughout President Donald Trump’s first time period in workplace.
Professional-Palestinian activism
Avila Chevalier’s political rise was equally formed by immigration and Palestinian rights, although she has taken a extra uncompromising strategy.
After interning at a youth organisation in Nablus within the occupied West Financial institution in 2014, she returned to the US and have become an advocate for Palestinian communities.
Her “Infants Not Bombs” platform requires redirecting navy spending, together with assist to Israel, in direction of home priorities reminiscent of childcare and healthcare.
“It’s necessary for us to see our budgets as ethical paperwork,” Avila Chevalier informed Al Jazeera. “Our assets must be going in direction of the issues that make our lives dignified and make our communities thrive – not in direction of warfare, not in direction of ICE or issues which might be harming our communities.”
Valdez, in the meantime, got here to progressive politics by the labour motion. A former union-organiser-turned-state-assemblymember, she helps stronger labour protections, together with federal laws such because the Defending the Proper to Manage (PRO) Act to make union organising simpler.
Valdez additionally backs nationwide hire management and a government-run healthcare system to offer wider healthcare entry than the nation’s private-sector insurance coverage mannequin.
“Public programmes and entitlements have been underneath assault by the fitting,” Valdez informed Al Jazeera as she exited a polling location in her district on the primary day of early voting. “I believe not simply clawing these again however actually advancing a imaginative and prescient for what these issues must be will probably be high priorities.”
Abolishing ICE and ending navy assist to Israel are lofty, bold targets, and neither is more likely to be achieved with out navigating competing pursuits in Congress and the White Home. With the steadiness of congressional energy probably shifting in direction of Democrats within the midterms, the newcomers should determine which priorities to pursue first.
Which means in search of extra rapid wins akin to Mamdani’s transfer to fill 200,000 potholes when he took workplace as mayor, in line with progressive political strategist Nomiki Konst.
“[Get] on the identical web page about a difficulty that all of us agree on and leverage that within the Democratic Congress as a result of there’s no higher time than the start,” Konst informed Al Jazeera.
For Lander, one such measure is banning members of Congress from buying and selling particular person shares.
“Possibly that restores a bit little bit of belief,” Lander mentioned. “Individuals say that’s gross that members of Congress commerce shares. At the least this new Congress is doing one thing, , to indicate me they’re not simply all in it for themselves.”
Lander additionally sees a chance to revive enhanced authorities subsidies that expired on the finish of 2025, elevating premiums for many individuals who purchase their private-sector insurance coverage individually.
“We are able to say we’re not going to go a funds that doesn’t do this and pressure Republicans to vote someway and see what Trump does,” Lander mentioned.
For Avila Chevalier, an early precedence could be her “Infants Not Bombs” agenda, redirecting funding in direction of home wants. Valdez desires to go the PRO Act.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez units a precedent
The three wouldn’t be the primary progressive New Yorkers to enter Congress promising main change.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez received her legislative seat in 2018 by defeating longtime incumbent Joe Crowley. Since then, she has often labored with Republicans on shared priorities.
In 2025, Ocasio-Cortez launched laws with Republican Consultant Anna Paulina Luna of Florida to cap bank card rates of interest at 10 %, echoing a proposal from Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri.
The query, Konst says, is whether or not Mamdani’s endorsed candidates can flip ideological commitments into legislative outcomes. Doing so would require compromise, together with setting apart some priorities to advance others.
Avila Chevalier is underneath the microscope after calling for New York Metropolis Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to resign over a person being shot in his automotive by ICE whereas his baby was within the backseat. Avila Chevalier mentioned she was later shoved to the bottom by New York Metropolis cops throughout protests following the taking pictures.
Mamdani reportedly appointed Tisch on the advice of Governor Kathy Hochul, whose assist was necessary to Mamdani’s mayoral marketing campaign. An Atlantic journal report prompt that her endorsement of Mamdani, whose extra progressive platform included common childcare and government-operated grocery shops, hinged on Tisch’s appointment.
“All people desires to have their agenda handed, proper? I believe being actually considerate about when to carry fireplace, when to fireside, when to be daring, when to carry again, and when to say what you are feeling so that you’ll get essentially the most assist,” Konst mentioned.
However Avila Chevalier mentioned she is keen to work with anybody to advance her priorities.
“There may be at all times one thing that two folks can agree on. And that’s the place I plan on beginning as a result of I believe organising is about assembly folks the place they’re at,” Avila Chevalier mentioned.
“There are such a lot of of us who actually wish to see healthcare remodeled on this nation, who actually wish to see a moratorium on knowledge [centres]. That could be a bipartisan concern for therefore many.”
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