Winners & Losers: Primary Edition

It’s not a man, it’s a movement. But this man can claim some credit. Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned aggressively for his endorsed candidates in the toughest congressional primaries (and a handful of open state legislative races) this year. He risked his relationships with some old-school progressive Democrats in the process. But Mamdani now has not only exuberant headlines but an expanded governing coalition for the Democratic Socialists of America, because every single bet paid off. (Everyone’s forgotten about that failed Lindsey Boylan endorsement by now, right?)

On election night, Keith Wright had to be somewhere smiling. His longtime foe, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, lost in a surprising upset. And his son, Assembly Member Jordan Wright, was the only candidate to defeat a DSA-backed challenger in New York City. The Manhattan Democratic Party chair officially stayed out of the Espaillat race, and his son attended a late Espaillat unity rally that looked like a small gesture of reconciliation. But Wright will have the last laugh for now, as Black voters helped boost Darializa Avila Chevalier to victory.

Every candidate political strategist Morris Katz backed in the New York City primaries cleaned up Tuesday night. That includes Claire Valdez, Brad Lander and Micah Lasher, congressional candidates who had Katz on the payroll, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who appeared in an ad he directed and whose Mamdani endorsement he helped broker. He made Lander into Fred Rogers, extolled the significance of Valdez’s candidacy to the limits of credibility and directed Gov. Kathy Hochul in a spot promoting Lasher. Katz spent much of the spring in Maine, dealing with the high-maintenance campaign of scandal-prone oyster farmer Graham Platner, who ended up cruising to the Democratic nomination for Senate. And to top it all off, Katz finally overcame being the age of 26 in May. 

There was a scenario in play on Tuesday in which Michael Bloomberg could be out $20 million on losing candidates in the past two election cycles. But after dumping nearly $10 million on a pro-Andrew Cuomo super PAC last year, the former New York City mayor made this year’s $10 million count, funding a pro-Micah Lasher super PAC with ads that flooded New York’s 12th congressional district, and likely played some part in Lasher’s victory. Bloomberg had a mixed record with the $3 million he spent on PACs backing state-level candidates, but what’s $3 million to a billionaire?

He may or may not have had some financial stakes in an independent expenditure committee spending heavily in favor of Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, but either way, it’s hard to imagine Mets owner Steve Cohen is particularly torn up about state Sen. Jessica Ramos’ primary loss. With Ramos being the most significant roadblock between Cohen and a casino license for his upcoming Metropolitan Park project for about a year, it’s some poetic justice for the billionaire. 

If you’re looking for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, he’s likely swatting away inquiries about the future of the Democratic Party somewhere in DC. The Brooklyn Democrat’s candidates all lost Tuesday, and DSA is encroaching further into his Brooklyn turf. His besties at AIPAC also took major hits. The shift in voters’ opinions on Israel is leading people to question whether or not he can win his own primary in 2028. Ecstatic DSA volunteers chanted “you’re next” from a packed watch party in Brooklyn when his face appeared on the screen. Allegedly even Republicans felt so bad that they left flowers outside his office. While Mamdani looks better than ever, Jeffries says there’s work to do.

Thank goodness for Frank Seddio. If the big man hadn’t won his district leader race Tuesday night, then Brooklyn Dems Leader Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn would have lost all of her contests. Instead, she went 1 for 10, and is now on track to lose her role as party boss too. Well, tomorrow is a new day, right? Wrong. Bichotte Hermelyn woke up after election day to news that her lawyer Frank Carone was arrested. 

La Luchadora fought like hell to get Antonio Reynoso elected, but Rep. Nydia Velázquez it still wasn't enough to keep her endorsed successor from getting trounced by the socialists. After getting snubbed by the mayor when he endorsed Claire Valdez, Velázquez also opted to publicly endorse several candidates running on primary day against those backed by the DSA and Mamdani. They all lost too. It was her last big fight while in office, but Velázquez wound up hitting the mat hard – and couldn't get back up. 

The dead ducks in Washington’s reflecting pool may be less lame than Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz is right now. Poloncarz went all in for state Sen. Jeremy Zellner and Assembly candidate and Poloncarz appointee Karen Hoak, who both lost in what can charitably be described as a six-alarm flaming train wreck for the Erie County Democratic Committee. Erie County’s longest serving leader is retiring next year and may want to hang out with voters before he tries to anoint a successor.

Over the past several months, Scott Stringer has entered a sort of Twitter-induced mania with endless colorful posts in support of Dan Goldman and Stephanie Ruskay. Particularly memorable was his commentary on the wellbeing of New York City’s dog mayor after the dog mayor “endorsed” Stringer’s enemy Brad Lander. After both Goldman and Ruskay were defeated Tuesday night, Stringer is now entering a mourning period marked by even more shitposts. And, to add a bittersweet tone to Stringer’s night, he had to stand to the side as his ally Micah Lasher won the congressional seat he might have hoped to inherit. Sigh.