New York’s primary elections reshaped the state’s political landscape, producing one of the strongest performances to date for candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the broader progressive movement. Across New York City and in a few upstate races, progressive challengers defeated incumbent lawmakers and establishment-backed rivals in a series of high-profile contests, signaling that the coalition behind New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani continues to wield influence beyond City Hall.
The results also reflected a broader anti-incumbent and anti-status quo mood among Democratic primary voters. With affordability and the cost of living consistently among voters’ top concerns, successful challengers frequently argued that new leadership was needed to address New Yorkers’ economic challenges. The outcome is expected to strengthen the Legislature’s progressive block in Albany while sending several new left-leaning voices to Washington.
Comptroller
State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli easily secured the Democratic nomination, defeating progressive challengers Raj Goyle and Drew Warshaw. It marked DiNapoli’s first contested primary in nearly two decades, underscoring the trend of progressive candidates challenging incumbent Democrats. However, despite the progressive movement’s success in many down-ballot races, it was unable to prevail in the cycle’s only statewide Democratic primary.
Congress
Some of the night’s biggest surprises came in New York City congressional races, where two incumbent members of Congress lost renomination and multiple progressive candidates captured open seats.
In the 13th District, community organizer and DSA candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated Congressman Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and one of New York’s most influential Democratic lawmakers. Also, Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander defeated incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th District, while DSA-backed Assemblymember Claire Valdez won the open 7th District seat to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez.
Elsewhere in Manhattan, Assemblymember Micah Lasher won the Democratic primary for the 12th District seat being vacated by longtime Rep. Jerry Nadler. Lasher prevailed in a crowded field that included fellow Assemblymember Alex Bores, attorney George Conway, and President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Kennedy Schlossberg.
On the Republican side, Trump-backed businessman Anthony Constantino defeated Assemblymember Robert Smullen in the GOP primary for the 21st congressional district being vacated by Rep. Elise Stefanik. Constantino will face Democrat Blake Gendebien in November.
State Senate
In Queens, Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas won the Democratic primary for the 13th Senate District, defeating incumbent Senator and Senate Labor Chair Jessica Ramos. Also, the DSA claimed victory in the 12th, where Aber Kawas won the Democratic nomination over Assemblymember Steven Raga. Kawas is running to succeed outing Senator Michael Gianaris.
Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Senator Jabari Brisport successfully defended his seat against Marlon Rice in one of the few races where a more traditional Democrat mounted a challenge to a sitting DSA lawmaker.
In Western New York, Assemblymember Jonathan Rivera defeated incumbent Senator Jeremy Zellner only months after Zellner entered the chamber through a February special election.
State Assembly
The Assembly primaries produced several incumbent defeats and additional gains for DSA and progressive candidates.
In Brooklyn, DSA candidates Christian Celeste Tate and Eon Huntley won their challenges against Assemblymembers Erik Dilan and Stefani Zinerman respectively. In Queens, Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar lost to DSA-backed David Orkin, and Samantha Kattan managed to keep outgoing Assemblymember Claire Valdez’s seat in DSA hands. Additionally, progressive candidate Brian Romero won the Democratic primary to succeed Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas.
Two New York City contests were settled weeks after primary night following hand recounts. In Manhattan’s 66th District, which is being vacated by retiring Assemblymember Deborah Glick, David Siffert secured the Democratic nomination after defeating Jeannine Kiely, who held a primary-night lead of 56 votes. However, after the recount, Siffert pulled ahead, winning by 15 votes. If elected, Siffert would become the first nonbinary member of the New York State Legislature. In Queens’ 30th District, Patrick Martinez held on to his razor-thin advantage through the recount process, defeating Shamsul Haque by just seven votes. Martinez is running to succeed Assemblymember Steven Raga.
The DSA even had some success upstate, where Maurice “Mo” Brown shockingly defeated longtime Assemblymember and Transportation Committee Chair William Magarelli in the Democratic primary for the 129th district in Syracuse. Also, Adam Bojak won the Democratic nomination in the 149th District, becoming the first DSA-backed candidate to win a state legislative primary in Western New York.
You can view the full list of unofficial primary results here: 2026 Primary Results