Mamdani’s Socialist Allies Weigh Primary Challenges Against Jeffries and Other NYC Democrats
Zohran Mamdani’s rise has sent shockwaves through New York City’s Democratic establishment — and now allies of the democratic socialist mayoral contender are reportedly considering primary challenges next year to several House Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Mamdani, a 33‑year‑old Queens assemblyman born in Uganda, vaulted to national attention after a decisive showing in the city’s Democratic mayoral primary, defeating a crowded field that included former Governor Andrew Cuomo. His victory has energized the city’s far left and prompted the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to push organizers to build on the moment.
“This movement is bigger than one person, election, city, or organization,” the DSA said after Mamdani’s primary win, urging supporters to join local chapters and “fight alongside Zohran and DSA elected officials across the country.”
Now, that momentum appears to be translating into concrete political threats for incumbents. DSA leaders are reportedly weighing primary bids against Jeffries and other New York House Democrats, including Reps. Ritchie Torres, Jerry Nadler, Dan Goldman and Yvette Clarke — lawmakers who represent districts overlapping the city’s most progressive neighborhoods.
For Jeffries, who succeeded Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader two years ago, the challenge would be among the most consequential of his career. Though he is a prominent national figure, some local progressive leaders and DSA activists have criticized him as too moderate and too aligned with establishment interests.
“His leadership has left a vacuum that organizations like DSA are filling,” Gustavo Gordillo, co‑chair of the New York City DSA chapter, recently told CNN, reflecting a broader frustration on the left about the party’s direction and priorities.
State Sen. Jabari Brisport, a democratic socialist whose district overlaps portions of Jeffries’s Brooklyn constituency, told Fox News the congressman is “rapidly growing out of touch with an insurgent and growing progressive base within his own district that he should pay more attention to.”
The prospect of a left‑wing insurgency has prompted sharp pushback from Jeffries’s camp. Andre Richardson, a senior political adviser to the House leader, framed the debate in national terms — arguing that the Democratic caucus must focus on defeating what he described as “MAGA extremists” in Congress. Richardson also issued an aggressive warning to Mamdani’s backers: “If Team Gentrification [Mamdani allies] wants a primary fight, our response will be forceful and unrelenting. We will teach them and all of their incumbents a painful lesson on June 23, 2026,” he said, according to Fox News.
The escalation reflects a fraught dynamic in New York politics: local progressives, buoyed by Mamdani’s insurgent campaign, are demanding loyalty and movement toward their platform; established Democrats in Congress, by contrast, are counseling caution and broader electoral strategy. That tension has practical stakes: several state and local leaders now feel pressure to either align with Mamdani’s coalition or risk becoming targets themselves.
Some progressive officeholders are openly defiant. Phara Souffrant Forrest, a DSA member and state assemblywoman whose district overlaps Jeffries’s seat, pushed back at Richardson’s threat on X, pointing to earlier primary defeats of members of the city’s wing of the party. “Weird threat to make since Hakeem already went after @JabariBrisport and I. How’d that go for him, again?” she wrote, citing 2022 primary margins that overwhelmingly favored progressive challengers in her area.
Strategically, the stakes for Democrats run high. Mamdani now faces Republican Curtis Sliwa in the November general election, while Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Eric Adams are expected to appear on the ballot on minor party lines — a contest that could reshape local alliances and test whether a leftward surge can be translated into lasting power at both the municipal and congressional levels.
For his part, Jeffries remains a central figure in national Democratic strategy; any serious primary challenge would draw significant attention, resources, and scrutiny. For DSA and allied organizers, mounting primary bids against sitting House Democrats is a way to consolidate gains and force the party leftward. For incumbents, the response so far has been to warn of political and electoral consequences.
As the calendar advances toward the 2026 primary season, Democrats in New York will face a choice: accommodate a rising socialist movement within the party’s ranks — and risk fracturing in key districts — or fend off insurgent challenges and attempt to preserve the coalition that carried them through recent national fights. Either path will reshape the political map and the internal calculations of New York’s Democratic delegation.