Progressive Democrats win New York primaries with wealth tax push

A trio of Zohran Mamdani-backed progressives turned New York City’s House primaries into a referendum on billionaires, sweeping all three races on June 23, 2026. The wins put Brad Lander, Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez at the center of a Democratic fight over how far economic populism can go in federal politics.

Lander, the former city comptroller, defeated Rep. Dan Goldman in New York’s 10th District, which spans Manhattan and Brooklyn. Chevalier, a community organizer, ousted Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th District, covering upper Manhattan and the Bronx. Valdez, a one-term state assemblymember and democratic socialist, won the Democratic primary in the 7th District over Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. The three victories gave Mamdani a clean sweep in the congressional contests he endorsed.

The winning campaigns were tied to a wealth-tax agenda more specific than the anti-billionaire rhetoric that often dominates primary season. Lander supports Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act, which would tax household net wealth above $50 million, along with an ultra-wealth tax on individuals worth more than $1 billion. He also backs the Equal Tax Act, which would align capital-gains and ordinary-income tax rates on income over $1 million. Chevalier supports both the Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act and the Equal Tax Act, while Valdez has called for taxing billionaires to fund social programs. Their defeated opponents were not far outside the debate: Goldman and Espaillat had also signed on to the Warren-backed bills, and Reynoso said he would fight to tax the rich a lot.

The results also showed how Mamdani’s coalition has broadened beyond the left’s usual base. POLITICO described support from younger voters across racial and ethnic lines, drawing both from more affluent neighborhoods that had been part of Mamdani’s traditional base and from newly mobilized communities. In the 13th District, turnout rose by roughly 50 percent from 2022 to this year, with more than 66,000 ballots cast. In another Mamdani-backed district, turnout more than doubled.

The races unfolded against heavy outside spending and a wider battle over the Democratic Party’s direction. NBC News said two political action committees tied to major AI companies spent $20 million in a related Manhattan primary. The districts at the center of the fight are heavily Democratic and are expected to favor the Mamdani-backed nominees in November, setting up a general election that is likely to confirm whether this brand of municipal-style progressivism can keep moving into Congress.